Evaluation of Hydrodynamic Force Coefficients in Presence of Biofouling on Marine/Offshore Structures, a Review and New Approach

Abstract

Novel attempts to optimize the design and requalification of offshore structures draws attention to the importance of updating information about the environmental forces. One of the important steps to design or re-assess offshore structures is the re-evaluation/evaluation of bio-colonization’s effects. This paper presents a review of studies that considered biofouling in marine/offshore structures. Most of the previous researchers conducted the effects of biofouling as a surface roughness; however, some others proved that despite the surface roughness, other marine fouling components such as surface coverage ratio, biofouling species, and aggregation, may significantly influence hydrodynamic force coefficients, particularly at higher Reynolds numbers (Re). In addition, a new approach is proposed in this paper to estimate the drag coefficient of circular members covered by biofouling. The new approach relies on a multiple parameter equation and builds on the existing measurement of the drag force coefficient. Two relationships between biofouling parameters and drag coefficient are given for hard biofouling at the post-critical Re regime.