Transient aeroelastic response of a rotor on a sea-based oil rig during engagement operations

Abstract

An aeroelastic simulation of a helicopter rotor on a sea-based oil rig during engagement operations is investigated to explore the influence of the location of the rotor and the geometry of the superstructure on the transient aeroelastic response. The transient aeroelastic response model of the rotor on the sea-based oil rig during the engagement is derived and validated by the test data. The flow field on the deck is obtained by using the CFD method. Parametric investigations illustrate that the location of the rotor and the geometry of the superstructure have significant influence on the maximum negative displacement of the blade tip. When the inflow angle is 0° and the inflow speed is 30 m/s, the change of the maximum blade tip deflection is more than 190%. By changing the geometry of the superstructure at 30 m/s and 240° inflow, the maximum blade tip deflection can be reduced by 29.7%. Optimizing the location and the shape of the superstructure is an effective means to reduce the risk of the blade touching the fuselage or the deck.