Fluid Forces Exerted by Tidal Currents and Waves on Submerged Upwelling Structures in the Deep Sea

Abstract

This study mainly deals with characteristics of hydrodynamic forces on upwelling structures constructed on the sea floor with comparatively deep depth, say about 200m. Two different configurations of upwelling structures, typically a vertical plate model and a V-shaped plate model in the horizontal plane, were used as a practical model. The numerical analysis based upon CFD was applied to examine the effectiveness of upwelling structures and fluid forces in a quasi-steady flow such as a tidal current. Experimental verifications for such a numerical study were also carried out. The importance of wave actions on the upwelling structure was further examined theoretically for the stability analysis and structural design.