Features of Current Generating System and the Application in New Deepwater Offshore Basin

In the paper requirements of reliable offshore model tests on deepwater current modeling in the basin are reviewed. Based on these requirements, some features of current modeling in deepwater offshore basin are discussed, which have been applied to the state-of-the-art deepwater offshore basin of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The new basin is introduced in detail, including its main particulars, main equipments for ocean environmental modeling etc. As the latest application of current modeling in the basin, external current recirculation and independent layers in vertical direction have been applied in its current generating system. In addition hydraulic performances of the current generating system in the new basin are studied in this paper using both CFD and experimental methods. Current uniformities, turbulence levels and various vertical current profiles etc. in measuring area are investigated individually. It is concluded that good agreements can be obtained between CFD calculation and model tests. Both results show that the hydraulic performances of the current generating system can satisfy the requirements of offshore model tests in deep water. Uniform and constant current flows with low turbulence levels are produced with various current velocities. Several typical vertical current profiles, including uniform and stratified current profiles can be generated in measuring area with satisfactory agreements with the target profiles. In addition some suggestions have also been proposed and accepted during design, construction and operation of the new basin.