Dissipative Mechanisms in Floating Breakwaters: A Physical Model Study

Floating breakwaters are extensively employed in marinas and small craft facilities globally, primarily in sheltered areas to protect port basins from short-period waves. However, as climate change intensifies along with increased coastal risk, the question arises on how to extend housing and econom...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Prieto Lozoya, Luis Fernando
Tipo de recurso: tesis de maestría
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/425763
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/425763
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Breakwaters, Mobile
Ocean wave power
floating breakwaters
wave energy dissipation
Tesla valve
mooring forces
motion response
wave transmission coefficient
wave reflection coefficient
wave dissipation coefficient
Espigons (Obres públiques)
Onades--Energia
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria hidràulica, marítima i sanitària::Ports i costes
Descripción
Sumario:Floating breakwaters are extensively employed in marinas and small craft facilities globally, primarily in sheltered areas to protect port basins from short-period waves. However, as climate change intensifies along with increased coastal risk, the question arises on how to extend housing and economic activities seaward using large-scale floating systems; not to mention the rapid growth in maritime international trade, which will require more and larger protected spaces in deep water. Floating breakwaters offer advantages over fixed-bottom structures due to their rapid installation, costeffectiveness at increased water depths, enhanced water circulation, less dependence on local soil conditions and climate change adaptation. They also serve as effective temporary storm protection structures. Despite these benefits, floating breakwaters remain ineffective against long-period waves. Research indicates that increasing the breakwater’s width enhances wave attenuation, but practical constraints limit the width to manageable dimensions (≤ 10m) for effective dampening of long waves (T > 5s). This study presents experimental findings on innovative floating breakwaters employing various dissipation mechanisms to enhance wave attenuation against both short and long waves. The tested configurations include geometric modifications to traditional box-type breakwaters, movable components, and internal cavities. Notably, two novel concepts are introduced: the wave-return box and a floater inspired by the Tesla valve principle. The analyses encompass the study of wave transmission coefficients, reflection coefficients, dissipation coefficients, mooring forces and motion responses to assess the efficacy of the proposed designs.