A Simplified Method of Iceberg Hydrodynamic Parameter Prediction

Abstract

The present article is devoted to the safe operation of oil platforms in difficult ice conditions. To ensure the safety of offshore facilities, it is essential to deviate a drifting iceberg’s trajectory that may lead to an emergency with the help of available technological means. To reliably predict the behaviour of icebergs when they are towed or deviate from their previous course, it is necessary to determine the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic characteristics of the iceberg. This paper proposes a simplified method for determining the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic characteristics of an iceberg. Key concept of the proposed approach include replacing the iceberg waterline with an equivalent ellipse. This diminishes and then shifts the hydrodynamic characteristic determination of the iceberg’s underwater section to determining the resistance of a three axial ellipsoid or elliptical cylinder depending on the shape of the iceberg’s underwater section. The hydrodynamic characteristics of several real icebergs determined by the proposed method are compared with the results of their numerical simulation using the CFD approach. The proposed approach provides a quick assessment of the hydrodynamic characteristics of icebergs when information on its underwater section is unreliable, inconsistent or absent.