Second-order wave maker theory using force-feedback control. Part I: A new theory for regular wave generation

Second-order wave maker theory has long been established; the most extensive and detailed approach given by Schäffer [1996. Second-order wave maker theory for irregular waves. Ocean Engineering 23, 47–88]. However, all existing theories assume the wave paddle is driven by a position-feedback motion controller. Early research in the wave power field led to the design of a force-controlled absorbing wave machine [Salter, S., 1982. Absorbing wave-makers and wide tanks. In: Directional Wave Spectra Applications, pp. 185–200]. In addition to operating as an excellent absorber, this machine seemed to introduce very little spurious harmonic content when driven with a first-order command signal. The present paper provides a mathematical model for the operation of wave makers using force-feedback control and seeks to explain this apparent advantage. The model is developed to second-order so that a command signal compensating for the remaining spurious wave is also provided. Due to the complexity of the problem, the model has been limited to flap-type wave machines and the generation of regular waves. A variety of numerical tests in force-control mode have been conducted, indicating that the spurious wave content is greatly reduced when compared to the position-control mode. A separate experimental study validating the theory is presented in a part II paper by the same authors.     

Second-order coupling of numerical and physical wave tanks for 2D irregular waves. Part II: Experimental validation in two-dimensions

This paper provides an experimental validation of the second-order coupling theory outlined by Yang et al. (Z. Yang, S. Liu, H.B. Bingham and J. Li., 2013. Second-order coupling of numerical and physical wave tanks for 2D irregular waves. Part I: Formulation, implementation and numerical properties, submitted for publication) using 2D irregular waves. This work provides a second-order dispersive correction for the physical wavemaker signal which improves the nonlinear transfer of information between the numerical and physical models compared to the first-order method of Zhang et al. (2007). The important nonlinear parameters and numerical performance were theoretically investigated in Part I. In the present Part II, careful experimental validation is carried out using a sequence of progressively more complex analytical and numerical target waves. The results demonstrate clearly that improved performance is achieved by using the second-order correction. When controlling with a second-order coupling signal, two key points are notable: (i) The higher harmonics underlying the numerical waves are accurately captured and transferred into the physical model. (ii) The second-order behavior leads to an unwanted spurious freely propagating second harmonic that is substantially reduced when compared to an identical wave paddle operating with a first-order coupling signal. Using nonlinear regular (monochromatic), bi-chromatic and irregular wave cases as well as varying coupled wave tank bathymetries, both these aspects are verified over a broad range of wave frequencies and shown to be extensively applicable to physical wave tanks.     

A new method for the generation of second-order random waves

In order to prevent the generation of spurious free sub- and superharmonics of random waves in a laboratory channel, the control signal for the wave board has to be derived according to a higher-order wave theory. An expression for this control signal has been derived with the perturbation method of multiple scales. It is much less complex and requires less computation time than the expressions obtained from the full second-order theory. The new method for second-order subharmonics was verified experimentally for waves with bichromatic and continuous first-order spectra. The data were analysed with the complex-harmonic principal-component analysis to reduce the influence of noise.     

Second-order wavemaker theory for irregular waves

Through the last decade the theory for second-order irregular wave generation was developed within the framework of Stokes wave theory. This pioneering work, however, is not fully consistent. Furthermore, due to the extensive algebra involved, the derived transfer functions appear in an unnecessarily complicated form. The present paper develops the full second-order wavemaker theory (including superharmonics as well as subharmonics) valid for rotational as well as translatory wave board motion. The primary goal is to obtain the second-order motion of the wave paddle required in order to get a spatially homogeneous wave field correct to second order, i.e. in order to suppress spurious free-wave generation. In addition to the transfer functions developed in the line of references on which the present work is based, some new terms evolve. These are related to the first-order evanescent modes and accordingly they are significant when the wave board motion makes a poor fit to the velocity profile of the desired progressive wave component. This is, for example, the case for the high-frequency part of a primary wave spectrum when using a piston-type wavemaker. The transfer functions are given in a relatively simple form by which the computational effort is reduced substantially. This enhances the practical computation of second-order wavemaker control signals for irregular waves, and no narrow band assumption is needed. The software is conveniently included in a PC-based wave generation system—the DHI Wave Synthesizer. The validity of the theory is demonstrated for a piston type wavemaker in a number of laboratory wave experiments for regular waves, wave groups and irregular waves.     

Second-order theory for coupling 2D numerical and physical wave tanks: Derivation,evaluation and experimental validation

A full second-order theory for coupling numerical and physical wave tanks is presented. The ad hoc unified wave generation approach developed by Zhang et al. [Zhang, H., Schäffer, H.A., Jakobsen, K.P., 2007. Deterministic combination of numerical and physical coastal wave models. Coast. Eng. 54, 171–186] is extended to include the second-order dispersive correction. The new formulation is presented in a unified form that includes both progressive and evanescent modes and covers wavemaker configurations of the piston- and flap-type. The second order paddle stroke correction allows for improved nonlinear wave generation in the physical wave tank based on target numerical solutions. The performance and efficiency of the new model is first evaluated theoretically based on second order Stokes waves. Due to the complexity of the problem, the proposed method has been truncated at 2D and the treatment of regular waves, and the re-reflection control on the wave paddle is also not included. In order to validate the solution methodology further, a series of nonlinear, periodic waves based on stream function theory are generated in a physical wave tank using a piston-type wavemaker. These experiments show that the new second-order coupling theory provides an improvement in the quality of nonlinear wave generation when compared to existing techniques.     

Declutching control of a wave energy converter

When hydraulic power take off (PTO) is used to convert the mechanical energy of a wave energy converter (WEC) into a more useful form of energy, the PTO force needs to be controlled. Continuous controlled variation of the PTO force can be approximated by a set of discrete values. This can be implemented using either variable displacement pumps or several hydraulic cylinders or several high pressure accumulators with different pressure levels. This pseudo-continuous control could lead to a complex PTO with a lot of components. A simpler way for controlling this hydraulic PTO is declutching control, which consists in switching on and off alternatively the wave energy converter's PTO. This can be achieved practically using a simple by-pass valve. In this paper, the control law of the valve is determined by using the optimal command theory. It is shown that, theoretically when considering a wave activated body type of WEC, declutching control can lead to energy absorption performance at least equivalent to that of pseudo-continuous control. The method is then applied to the case of the SEAREV wave energy converter, and it is shown than declutching control can even lead to a higher energy absorption, both in regular and irregular waves.     

Second-order wavemaker theory for multidirectional waves

The present paper develops the complete second-order wavemaker theory for the generation of multidirectional waves in a semi-infinite basin. The theory includes superharmonics and subharmonics and is valid for a rotational as well as a translatory serpent-type wave-board motion. The primary goal is to obtain the second-order motion of the wave paddles required to get a prescribed multidirectional irregular wave field correct to second order, i.e. to suppress spurious free-wave generation. The wavemaker theory is a 3D extension of the full second-order wavemaker theory for wave flumes by Schäffer (1996).     

Establishment of Numerical Wave Flume Based on the Second-Order Wave-Maker Theory

With growing computational power, the first-order wave-maker theory has become well established and is widely used for numerical wave flumes. However, existing numerical models based on the first-order wave-maker theory lose accuracy as nonlinear effects become prominent. Because spurious harmonic waves and primary waves have different propagation velocities, waves simulated by using the first-order wave-maker theory have an unstable wave profile. In this paper, a numerical wave flume with a piston-type wave-maker based on the second-order wave-maker theory has been established. Dynamic mesh technique was developed. The boundary treatment for irregular wave simulation was specially dealt with. Comparisons of the free-surface elevations using the first-order and second-order wave-maker theory prove that second-order wave-maker theory can generate stable wave profiles in both the spatial and time domains. Harmonic analysis and spectral analysis were used to prove the superiority of the second-order wave-maker theory from other two aspects. To simulate irregular waves, the numerical flume was improved to solve the problem of the water depth variation due to low-frequency motion of the wave board. In summary, the new numerical flume using the second-order wave-maker theory can guarantee the accuracy of waves by adding an extra motion of the wave board. The boundary treatment method can provide a reference for the improvement of nonlinear numerical flume.     

Analysis of second-order resonance in wave interactions with floating bodies through a finite-element method

A time-domain method is employed to analyse the resonant oscillations of the liquid confined within the two floating bodies. The velocity potentials at each time step are obtained through a finite-element method (FEM) with quadratic shape functions. The matrix equation of the FEM is solved through an iteration. The radiation condition is satisfied through a combination of the damping zone method and the Sommerfeld–Orlanski equation. A detailed analysis is made for two rectangular floating cylinders undergoing forced oscillation. The first-order potential reveals the resonant behaviour of the wave motion at certain frequencies ω_i, which is similar to sloshing in a tank. More interestingly, the second-order theory further reveals that when the oscillation frequency is at ω_i/2 or half of the resonant frequency, no first-order resonance is observed as expected, but the second-order resonant motion becomes evident, which does not seem to have been extensively investigated so far. Detailed results for two rectangular cylinders are provided to show some insights into the resonant effect due to the interaction between the bodies. The first- and second-order resonant phenomena have been observed and the result has shown that the second-order components have significant influence on the wave and force in some cases, especially at the second-order resonance.     

Nonlinear wave interaction with a vertical circular cylinder: wave forces

Second-order wave forces on a large diameter vertical circular cylinder, computed according to a semi-analytic nonlinear diffraction theory, are compared to results of 22 laboratory experiments with regular waves. In general, predicted forces agree quite well with measured forces. In most tests, both measured and predicted maximum forces exceeded linear theory by 5 to 15%. In a few cases, however, the measured forces were less than those predicted by linear theory, in contrast to the second-order predictions. It is shown that these results are related to the phasing of various linear and nonlinear wave force components, and are consistent with those obtained by other investigators.     

Second-order drift force response of offshore guyed towers

An iterative frequency domain method of analysis is presented for determining the response behaviour of Guyed Offshore Towers to low-frequency, second-order wave drift forces generated in a random sea environment. For the response analysis, the tower is idealized as a shear beam with a rotational spring at the bottom support. The guylines are replaced by a non-linear spring. The second-order drift force is considered to be proportional to the square of the wave elevation and is simulated using a drift force coefficient and the time history of a slowly varying wave envelope in random sea. The responses due to drift forces are obtained in frequency domain by incorporating the non-linearities produced due to non-linear guy lines. An example problem is solved under different random sea states to compare the response behaviour of the tower obtained by the second-order wave force, the first-order wave force and a combination of the two.     

A SPH numerical wave basin for modeling wave-structure interactions

Based on a parallel SPH-LES model, a three dimensional numerical wave basin is developed to study wave interaction with coastal structures. The OpenMP programming technology combined with an existing MPI program contained in the parallel version of SPHysics code has been implemented to enable the simulation of hundred millions of particles running on a computer cluster. As part of the numerical basin development work an active absorbing wave maker and a sponge layer are introduced. The dynamic boundary conditions are also corrected to reduce the spurious effects. Wave generation and propagation in the numerical wave basin is first tested and confirmed with analytical results. Then, the model is applied to simulate wave interactions with a vertical breakwater and a vertical cylinder in order to further assess the capability of the numerical wave basin. The predicted free surface elevation near the vertical breakwater is compared with the experimental data while the horizontal forces and overturning moments acting on the vertical cylinder are verified with the analytical results. In all these cases the model results show excellent agreement with the validation data.     

层化海洋中二阶多色波对可渗透结构的绕射问题

可渗透结构具有使波浪作用减弱的效应,而海水的层化及水波的非线性使结构的波绕射产生多层复杂机制。将可渗透结构应用于复杂海况条件中,海水的层化性、波浪的非线性及结构的透空性构成了波绕射的一个十分复杂的数学问题。该问题存在理论研究的必要性,而文章则着重探讨其数学分析的可能性。通过引入二层海的层化海模式及Stokes二阶波的非线性波模式,给出了二阶多色波对透空结构的波绕射的定解问题提法,提出了复合形式的二阶多色波辐射条件式及可渗透结构的二阶物面条件式,应用特征函数解法与积分法推导了多色波对结构绕射的一阶势解与二阶作用的耦合积分解式,并讨论了解式所涉及无穷积分的算法。     

Hydrodynamic characteristics of a cylindrical bottom-pivoted wave energy absorber

A parametric study was carried out to investigate the hydrodynamics of a cylindrical wave energy absorber. Established methods of hydrodynamic analysis were applied to the case of a damped vertically oriented cylinder pivoted near the sea floor in intermediate depth water. The simple geometry provides a canonical reference for more complex structure shapes and configurations that may be considered for either wave energy conversion or wave energy absorption. The study makes use of the relative velocity Morison equation, with force coefficients derived from radiation and diffraction theory. Viscous effects were accounted for by including a drag term with an empirically derived coefficient, C_D. A non-linear first-order formulation was used to calculate the cylinder motion response in regular waves. It was found that the non-linear drag term, which is often neglected in studies on wave energy conversion, has a large effect on performance. Results from the study suggest a set of design criteria based on Keulegan–Carpenter (KC) number, ratio of cylinder radius to water depth (a/h), and ratio of water depth to wavelength (h/L). Respectively, these parameters account for viscous, wave radiation, and water depth effects, and optimal ranges are provided.     

Deterministic combination of numerical and physical coastal wave models

A deterministic combination of numerical and physical models for coastal waves is developed. In the combined model, a Boussinesq model MIKE 21 BW is applied for the numerical wave computations. A piston-type 2D or 3D wavemaker and the associated control system with active wave absorption provides the interface between the numerical and physical models. The link between numerical and physical models is given by an ad hoc unified wave generation theory which is devised in the study. This wave generation theory accounts for linear dispersion and shallow water non-linearity. Local wave phenomena (evanescent modes) near the wavemaker are taken into account. With this approach, the data transfer between the two models is thus on a deterministic level with detailed wave information transmitted along the wavemaker.     

动力定位船舶二阶低频慢漂力模型试验研究

对一艘动力定位船舶二阶低频慢漂力进行了模型试验,并将试验得到的纵向慢漂力谱、横向慢漂力谱与势流理论方法得到的理论值进行比较,结果表明,该模型试验方法与理论计算较为吻合。可为动力定位系统的设计和应用提供参考。     

On the accurate and efficient calibration of a 3D wave basin

This paper describes the calibration procedure adopted for the new 3D wave basin located in the Hydrodynamics Laboratory at Imperial College London. Unlike traditional calibrations, based on observations of regular wave trains, the method described herein uses a focused wave approach. Such waves, produced by the constructive interference of freely propagating wave components, have led to a number of recent advances in theoretical wave modelling in which it was essential to know the underlying linear components. In the context of a laboratory study, similar advantages can be realised provided the linear wave components generated by the wave paddles are well defined. This, in turn, can only be achieved if the calibration is sufficiently accurate. The current study provides a calibration based upon a realistic JONSWAP spectrum, describes the details of the methodology employed, and highlights how the application of focused wave techniques eliminates spurious calibration effects due to unwanted reflections from the boundaries of the basin. The final calibration is verified through the generation of test cases, involving linear and nonlinear, unidirectional and directionally spread waves. These confirm both the accuracy of the calibration and the suitability of the methods employed.     

Nonlinear wave interaction with a vertical circular cylinder. Part II: Wave run-up

Theoretical results for second-order wave run-up around a large diameter vertical circular cylinder are compared to results of 22 laboratory experiments conducted in regular nonlinear waves. In general, the second-order theory explains a significant portion of the nonlinear wave run-up distribution measured at all angles around the cylinder. At the front of the cylinder, for example, measured maximum run-up exceeds linear theory by 44% on average but exceeds the nonlinear theory by only 11% on average. In some cases, both measured run-up and the second-order theory exceed the linear prediction by more than 50%. Similar results are found at the rear of the cylinder where the second-order theory predicts a large increase in wave amplitude for cases where the linear diffraction theory predicts little or no increase. Overall, the nonlinear diffraction theory is found to be valid for the same relative depth and wave steepness conditions applicable to Stokes second-order plane-wave theory. In the last section of the paper, design curves are presented for estimating the maximum second-order wave run-up for a wide range of conditions in terms of the relative depth, relative cylinder size, and wave steepness.     

波浪水槽中非线性浅水波传播特性与模拟

通过建立解析解、进行数值模拟和物理实验，研究了波浪水槽中非线性浅水波浪传播特性，给出了数值模拟中对应造波板做正弦运动的二阶入射边界条件。数值模拟采用高阶Boussinesq方程。实验结果、数值结果和解析解进行对比，并讨论了解析解的适用范围、高次谐波的产生及三波相互作用问题。