Ocean engineering tanks are used as a seakeeping and maneuvering basin to not only verify the performance and safety of a ship but also offshore structures like oil and gas platforms or wind turbines. Dedicated solutions from Kistler for this application range from different pressure sensors to dynamometers for studying the coupling of aerodynamics and hydrodynamics.
Applications for the wave basins described here include testing of moored or fixed objects (such as oil and gas platforms or offshore wind turbines) to determine motions and loads caused by waves and wind. For offshore wind turbine testing, the wind and waves that act simultaneously on the turbine can be measured by a set of 3-component dynamometers positioned at the base of the mast between the anchorage and the unit under test. This marine slamming testing provides high-quality benchmark data to validate methods of simulating the coupling between aerodynamic and hydrodynamic behaviors. Test measurements for oil and gas platforms (or even ships) typically require the pressure sensors to be flush-mounted on the wall of the structure or the ship's hull.