ARROW student Nazila Emamdoost presents at Energy Transition Symposium

ARROW student Nazila Emamdoost, PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at UMass Amherst, working with Franck Schoefs and ARROW faculty Krish Thiagarajan Sharman, presented the poster “Biofouling-Induced Changes in Mooring Line Drag: Considerations for Offshore Structural Reliability” at the 2026 Energy Transition Symposium at UMass Amherst.

Nazila’s study investigates how biofouling, particularly mussel growth, alters the hydrodynamic behavior of mooring lines by increasing surface roughness and effective diameter. Experimental flume tests conducted at the UMass ORRE facility, using 3D-printed mussel-fouled sleeves developed at Nantes University (France), show that drag can increase by approximately 36%, with uncertainties primarily driven by velocity variability, highlighting important implications for offshore structural reliability.