A fundamental CFD investigation of offshore structures for artificial coral reef development

Abstract

Rigs-to-Reefs (R2R) is an alternative for oil and gas industry for decommissioning purpose. The program will benefit marine life as an artificial reef for a sustainable solution to promote ecosystem growth. For any oil platform considered for reefing, an extensive study on the suitability and performance of the artificial reef is essential. These studies will evaluate the stability and relevance of the structure as an artificial reef when deployed on the seabed. This paper presents the research on dynamic response and flow characteristics of a conceptual proposed R2R platform. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation is intended to study the dynamic responses and flow characteristics analysis of a jacket oil platform for optimal settlement and growth of corals. Artificial reef performances were evaluated by calculating the performance indices of the upwelling and back eddy profile. It was found that the upwelling efficiency index is higher at current direction normal to the platform due to the higher frontal area exposed to the incoming flow. Meanwhile, back eddy efficiency index shows a significant low value for all directions. The CFD results presented will be discussed in terms of the possibility of better performance of an artificial reef which considering engineering and biological aspects.