Extreme wave loads on submerged water intakes in shallow water

This paper provides new guidance concerning the hydrodynamic loads on submerged intake structures located in shallow water under breaking and non-breaking waves. Results from a series of experiments conducted in a large wave flume at 1:15 scale to study the hydrodynamic forces exerted on a generic intake structure located on a sloping seabed in shallow water below breaking and non-breaking irregular waves are presented. Based on analysis of the experimental data, empirical relationships are developed to describe the peak loads in terms of characteristic wave parameters such as significant wave height and peak wave period. The distribution of the peak loads across different parts of the intake structure is also described. Drag and inertia force coefficients for the horizontal forcing on the intake structure and for the main structural sub-components are derived and presented. It is shown that the well-known Morison equation, with appropriate drag and inertia force coefficients, can provide reasonable estimates of the moderate horizontal loads, but the peak loads are less well predicted.