VIV and WIV Suppression With Parallel Control Plates on a Pair of Circular Cylinders in Tandem

Experiments have been carried out on two-dimensional devices fitted to a rigid length of circular cylinder to investigate the efficiency of pivoting parallel plates as wake-induced vibration suppressors. Measurements are presented for a circular cylinder with low mass and damping which is free to respond in the cross-flow direction. It is shown how VIV and WIV can be practically eliminated by using free to rotate parallel plates on a pair of tandem cylinders. Unlike helical strakes, the device achieves VIV suppression with 33% drag reduction when compare to a pair of fixed tandem cylinders at the same Reynolds number. These results prove that suppressors based on parallel plates have great potential to suppress VIV and WIV of offshore structures with considerable drag reduction.