Nonlinear coupled dynamic response of offshore Spar platforms under regular sea waves

Many innovative floating offshore structures have been proposed for cost effectiveness of oil and gas exploration and production in water depths exceeding one thousand meters in recent years. One such type of platform is the offshore floating Spar platform. The Spar platform is modelled as a rigid body with six degrees-of-freedom, connected to the sea floor by multi-component catenary mooring lines, which are attached to the Spar platform at the fairleads. The response dependent stiffness matrix consists of two parts (a) the hydrostatics provide restoring force in heave, roll and pitch, (b) the mooring lines provide the restoring force which are represented here by nonlinear horizontal springs. A unidirectional regular wave model is used for computing the incident wave kinematics by Airy’s wave theory and force by Morison’s equation. The response analysis is performed in time domain to solve the dynamic behavior of the moored Spar platform as an integrated system using the iterative incremental Newmark’s Beta approach. Numerical studies are conducted for sea state conditions with and without coupling of degrees-of-freedom.     

Hydrodynamic performance of a T-shaped floating breakwater

The comprehensive utilization of floating breakwaters, specially acting as a supporting structure for offshore marine renewable energy explorations, has received more and more attention recently. Based on linear water-wave theory, the hydrodynamic performance of a T-shaped floating breakwater is semi-analytically investigated through the matched eigenfunction expansion method (MEEM). Auxiliary functions, to speed up the convergence and improve the accuracy in the numerical computations, are introduced to represent the singular behavior of fluid field near the lower salient corners of the structure. The effects of the height and installation position of the vertical screen on the reflection and transmission coefficients, dynamic response and wave forces are examined. It is found that the presence of the screen shifts the resonance frequency of RAO for both surge and pitch modes to the low-frequency area, while has no effect on heave mode. The identical added masses, damping and transmission coefficients can be obtained in the cases where the screen holds the same distance away from the longitudinal central axis of the upper box-type structure. Moreover, a relatively small pitch response can be achieved in a wide wave–frequency range, when the breakwater is Γ-shaped.     

Spectral wave data assimilation for the prediction of waves in the North Sea

Spectral observations from pitch-and-roll buoys have been assimilated in a North Sea wave model, in order to study their impact on the wave analysis and forecast. The assimilation is based on Optimal Interpolation (OI) of a limited number of characteristic spectral parameters. In a case study, the propagation of the corrections through the model domain is followed, and it is clarified for which wave conditions the data assimilation has the largest influence on the forecast: this is especially the case for swell waves with long travel times between the assimilation site and the location where validation is carried out. A 1-year test has been carried out in which an analysis and subsequent forecast were produced four times a day. From a statistical analysis of the results a modest but systematic improvement of the 12-h forecast is found. When only swell cases are selected, the impact is more pronounced. It is argued that for shelf seas like the North Sea, more progress is to be expected from extension of the ‘conventional' observations network (buoys and wave radars) than from satellite measurements.     

Numerical study of the motions and drift force of a floating OWC device

The motion and the drift force of a floating OWC (oscillating water column) wave energy device in regular waves are studied taking account of the oscillating surface-pressure due to the pressure drop across the duct of the air chamber. The potential problem inside the chamber is formulated by making use of the Green integral equation associated with the Rankine-type Green function while the outer problem with the Kelvin-type Green function. The added mass, wave damping and excitation coefficients as well as the motion and drift force of the OWC device are calculated for various values of parameter related to the pressure drop.     

The influence of hull form on the motions of high speed vessels in head seas

Prediction of ship motions at high Froude number is carried out using a time domain strip theory in which the unsteady hydrodynamic problem is treated in terms of the motion of fixed strips of the water as hull sections pass through it. The Green function solution is described and the integration of the ship motion carried out by an averaging method to ensure stability of the solution. The method is validated by comparison with tank data for conventional slender hulls suitable for catamarans, small water area twin hull (SWATH) forms and hulls suitable for high-speed monohulls. Motion computations are then carried out for 14 designs with an operating speed of 40 kts and a displacement of 1000 tonnes. The vessels are assumed not to be fitted with motion control systems for the purposes of this comparative study. Motion sickness incidence is predicted to rise to between 42 and 72% depending upon the hull design in 3 m head seas of average period 7.5 s. MSI values reduce in smaller seas with a shorter average period to be less than 15% in all cases in 1m seas with an average period of 5.5 s.     

Interaction mechanisms among waves,currents and a submerged plate

Wave-induced loads on a submerged plate, representative of submerged breakwater, coastal-bridge deck and a certain type of wave energy converter, in a uniform current are investigated in this study using fully nonlinear numerical wave tanks (NWTs) based on potential flow theory. The coupling effect of wave and current is explored, and the underlying interaction mechanisms of the hydrodynamic forces are described. The presence of a background current modifies the frequency dispersion. It produces changes of the water-surface elevation, and also has an effect on wave-induced loads. Depending on the nonlinearity, higher harmonic wave components are generated above the submerged plate. These contribute to the wave forces. It is found that the horizontal and the vertical force, hence the moment, are affected in the opposite way by the currents. The Doppler shifted effect dominates the vertical force and the moment on the plate. Whereas, the Doppler shifted effect and the generation of higher wave harmonics play opposite roles on the horizontal forces. The contribution of 2^nd order harmonics is found to be up to 30% of the linear component. The current-induced drag force, represented by the advection term ρU∂φ/∂x in the pressure equation, is found to lead to a decrease in the moment for the most range of wavelengths considered, and an increase in the moment for a small range of longer waves.     

The nonlinear hydrodynamic model for simulating a ship steering in waves with autopilot system

In the paper, a hydrodynamic numerical model including wave effect is developed to simulate ship autopilot systems by using the time domain analysis. The PD controller and the sliding mode controller are adopted as the autopilot systems. The differences of simulation results between two controllers are analyzed by cost function composed of heading angle error and rudder deflection, either in calm water or in waves. The results in calm water show that both controllers are tracking well for the desired route with the similar cost function value by tuning the key design parameters. However, the course tracking ability of the controller using sliding mode in waves is generally better even the cost function value is similar.     

Application of smoothed particle hydrodynamics for modeling the wave-moored floating breakwater interaction

The application of a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model to simulate the nonlinear interaction between waves and a moored floating breakwater is presented. The main aim is to predict and validate the response of the moored floating structure under the action of periodic waves. The Euler equations together with an artificial viscosity are used as the governing equations to describe the flow field. The motion of the moored floating body is described using the Newton’s second law of motion. The interactions between the waves and structures are modeled by setting a series of SPH particles on the boundary of the structure. The hydrodynamic forces acting on the floating body are evaluated by summing up the interacting forces on the boundary particles from the neighboring fluid particles. The water surface elevations, the movements of the floating body and the moored forces are all calculated and compared with the available experimental data. Good agreements are obtained for the dynamic response and hydrodynamic performance of the floating body. The numerical results of different immersion depths of the floating body are compared with that of the corresponding fixed body. The effects of the relative length and the density of the structure on the performance of the floating body are analyzed.     

Penetration depth of the dynamic response of seabed induced by internal solitary waves

We use flume experiments and numerical modeling to examine the penetration depth of internal solitary waves (ISWs) on partially saturated porous sandy silt and clayey silt seabed. The results of the experiment and model showed that the instantaneous excess pore water pressure in both the sandy silt and clayey silt seabed followed the same trend of decreasing with the seabed depth. In general, the excess pore water pressure generated by the sandy silt was bigger than that by clayey silt at the same depth. The ISW-induced excess pore water pressure greatly influenced the surface seabed and showed a linear relationship. The penetration depth was approximately one order of magnitude smaller than the half-wavelength of the ISWs, which might be larger than the penetration depth induced by surface waves. Our study results are helpful for understanding the damage that ISWs inflict upon the seabed and for informing future field experiments designed to directly measure the interaction between ISWs and seabed sediments.     

Analytical solution on the surge motion of tension-leg twin platform structural systems

In this study the wave induced surge motion of a twin platform of a pretension leg structural system is investigated. A set of equations along with boundary conditions are derived, and solutions are obtained analytically. The tension-legged twin platform structural system might better represent a platform system in the practical application in either idealized two-dimensional analysis or actual three-dimensional practice than a single platform system. In the analysis the coupling problem of a two-dimensional tension leg twin platform interacting with a monochromatic linear wave train in an inviscid and incompressible fluid is considered. The problem is considered as a combination of the scattering and radiation. These two boundary-value problems are first solved independently and then combined together to resolve for all unknowns. The analysis is focused on the wave induced surge motion of the twin platform and the reflection coefficient. Other than the wave-related parameters, the dimensional effect of the twin platform structure is examined and presented in numerical examples. From the analytical results, it is found that the behavior of the tension-leg twin platform is significantly influenced by dimensional factors of the platform system such as the dimension of each single platform and the spacing between two platforms. It is also realized that to simplify the analysis of a twin platform system into a single platform, it tends to underestimate the wave-induced response and then reduces the safety of the platform system.     

Effective boundary element method for the interaction of oblique waves with long prismatic structures in water of finite depth

An effective boundary element method (BEM) is presented for the interaction between oblique waves and long prismatic structures in water of finite depth. The Green's function used here is the basic Green's function that does not satisfy any boundary condition. Therefore, the discretized elements for the computation must be placed on all the boundaries. To improve the computational efficiency and accuracy, a modified method for treatment of the open boundary conditions and a direct analytical approach for the singularity integrals in the boundary integral equation are adopted. The present BEM method is applied to the calculation of hydrodynamic coefficients and wave exciting forces for long horizontal rectangular and circular structures. The performance of the present method is demonstrated by comparisons of results with those generated by other analytical and numerical methods.     

Wave motion over a breakwater system of a horizontal plate and a vertical porous wall

A two-dimensional analytical solution is presented to study the reflection and transmission of linear water waves propagating past a submerged horizontal plate and through a vertical porous wall. The velocity potential in each fluid domain is formulated using three sets of orthogonal eigenfunctions and the unknown coefficients are determined from the matching conditions. Wave elevations and hydrodynamic forces acting on the porous wall are computed. Reflection and transmission coefficients are presented to examine the performance of the breakwater system. The present analytical solutions are found in fairly good agreement with the available laboratory data. The results indicate that the plate length, the porous-effect, the gap between plate and porous wall, and the submerged depth of the plate all show a significant influence on the reflected and transmitted wave fields. It is also interesting to note that the submerged plate plays an important role in reducing the transmitted wave height, especially for long incident waves.     

Dynamic behavior of offshore spar platforms under regular sea waves

Many innovative floating offshore structures have been proposed for cost effectiveness of oil and gas exploration and production in water depths exceeding one thousand meters in recent years. One such type of platform is the offshore floating Spar platform. The Spar platform is modelled as a rigid body with six degrees-of-freedom, connected to the sea floor by multi-component catenary mooring lines, which are attached to the Spar platform at the fairleads. The response dependent stiffness matrix consists of two parts (a) the hydrostatics provide restoring force in heave, roll and pitch, (b) the mooring lines provide the restoring force which are represented here by nonlinear horizontal springs. A unidirectional regular wave model is used for computing the incident wave kinematics by Airy’s wave theory and force by Morison’s equation. The response analysis is performed in time domain to solve the dynamic behavior of the moored Spar platform as an integrated system using the iterative incremental Newmark’s Beta approach. Numerical studies are conducted for sea state conditions with and without coupling of degrees-of-freedom.     

Near-optimal control of a wave energy device in irregular waves with deterministic-model driven incident wave prediction

This paper investigates wave-by-wave control of a wave energy converter using incident wave prediction based on up-wave surface elevation measurement. The goal of control is to approach the hydrodynamically optimum velocity leading to optimum power absorption. This work aims to study the gains in energy conversion from a deterministic wave propagation model that accounts for a range of group velocities in deriving the prediction. The up-wave measurement distance is assumed to be small enough to allow a deterministic propagation model, and further, both wave propagation and device response are assumed to be linear. For deep water conditions and long-crested waves, the propagation process is also described using an impulse response function (e.g. [1]). Approximate low and high frequency limits for realistic band-limited spectra are used to compute the corresponding group velocity limits. The prediction time into the future is based on the device impulse response function needed for the evaluation of the control force. The up-wave distance and the duration of measurement are then determined using the group velocity limits above.A 2-body axisymmetric heaving device is considered, for which power capture is through the relative heave oscillation between the two co-axial bodies. The power take-off is assumed to be linear and ideal as well as capable of applying the necessary resistive and reactive load components on the relative heave oscillation. The predicted wave profile is used along with device impulse response functions to compute the actuator force components at each instant. Calculations are carried out in irregular waves generated using a number of uni-modal wave spectra over a range of energy periods and significant wave heights. Results are compared with previous studies based on the use of instantaneous up-wave wave-profile measurements, both without and with oscillation constraints imposed. Considerable improvements in power capture are observed with the present approach over the range of wave conditions studied.     

Ocean waves propagating over a porous seabed of finite thickness

In the past few decades, considerable efforts have been devoted to the phenomenon of wave-seabed interaction. However, conventional investigations for determining wave characteristics have been focused on the wave nonlinearity. On the other hand, most previous works have been only concerned with the seabed response under the wave pressure, which was obtained from the assumption of a rigid seabed. In this paper, the inertia forces and employing a complex wave number are considered in the whole problem. Based on Biot’s poro-elastic theory, the problem of wave-seabed interaction is first treated analytically for a homogeneous bed of finite thickness and a new wave dispersion relationship is also obtained, in which the soil characteristics are included. The numerical results indicate that the effects of soil parameters significantly affect the wave characteristics (such as the damping of water wave, wave length and wave pressure). Furthermore, the effects of inertia forces on the wave-induced seabed response cannot always be ignored under certain combination of wave and soil conditions.     

Viscosity and nonlinearity effects on the forces and waves generated by a floating twin hull under heave oscillation

Nonlinear hydrodynamics of a twin rectangular hull under heave oscillation is analyzed using numerical methods. Two-dimensional nonlinear time-domain solutions to both inviscid and viscous problems are obtained and the results are compared with linear, inviscid frequency-domain results obtained in [26] to quantify nonlinear and viscous effects. Finite-difference methods based on boundary-fitted coordinates are used for solving the governing equations in the time domain [2]. A primitive-variables based projection method [6] is used for the viscous analysis and a mixed Eulerian–Lagrangian formulation [11] for inviscid analysis. The algorithms are validated and the order of accuracy determined by comparing the results obtained from the present algorithm with the experimental results of Vugt [22] for a heaving rectangle in the free surface. The present study on the twin-hull hydrodynamics shows that at large and non-resonant regular frequencies, and small amplitude of body oscillation, the fluid viscosity does not significantly affect the wave motion and the radiation forces. At low frequencies however the viscosity effect is found to be significant even for small amplitude of body oscillation. In particular, the hydrodynamic force obtained from the nonlinear viscous analysis is found to be closer to the linear inviscid force than the nonlinear inviscid force to the linear inviscid force, the reason for which is attributed to the wave dampening effect of viscosity. Since the wave lengths generated at smaller frequencies of oscillation are longer and therefore the waves could have a more significant effect on the dynamic pressure on the bottom of the hulls which contribute to the heave force, the correlation between the heave force and the wave elevation is found to be larger at smaller frequencies. Because of nonlinearity, the wave radiation and wave damping force remained nonzero even at and around the resonant frequencies – with the resonant frequencies as determined in [26] using linear potential flow theory. As to be expected, the nonlinear effect on the wave force is found to be significant at all frequencies for large amplitude of oscillation compared to the hull draft. The effect of viscosity on the force, by flow separation, is also found to be significant for large amplitude of body oscillation.     

Experimental study of the transformation of bound long waves over a mild slope with ambient currents

The effect of currents on the variation of cross-shore bound long waves forced by bichromatic waves over a plane slope was investigated in the laboratory. In still water the growth rate of the shoaling bound long waves over the slope is proportional to h^– 5/2 (h is still-water depth). It was found that the opposing current makes the amplitudes of the bound long waves greater than those of still water for all cases. However, the amplitudes of bound long waves in a following current are reduced in the weakly modulated cases but are enhanced in the fully modulated case.     

A dynamic response analysis of tension leg platforms including hydrodynamic interaction in regular waves

A numerical procedure is described for predicting the motion and structural responses of tension leg platforms (TLPs) in waves. The developed numerical approach, in a TLP is assumed to be flexible instead of rigid, is based on a combination of the three dimensional source distribution method and the finite-element method. The hydrodynamic interactions among TLP members, such as columns and pontoons, are included in the motion and structural response analysis. Numerical results are compared with the experimental and numerical ones. The results of comparison confirmed the validity of the proposed approach.     

Evolution of waves and currents over a submerged laboratory shoal

The vertically-integrated effect of interaction between waves and wave-induced currents on wave transformation over a submerged elliptic shoal was investigated based on numerical simulations of the Vincent and Briggs experiment [Vincent, C.L., Briggs, M.J., 1989. Refraction- diffraction of irregular waves over a mound. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering, 115(2), pp. 269–284.]. The numerical simulations were performed using two numerical wave-current model systems: one, a combination of the wave model SWAN and the current model SHORECIRC, and the other, a combination of the wave model REF/DIF and the same current model. A time-dependent, phase-resolving wave and current model, FUNWAVE, was also utilized to simulate the experiment. In the simulations, the developed wave-induced currents defocused waves behind the shoal and brought on a wave shadow zone that showed relatively low wave height distributions. For the breaking case of monochromatic waves, the wave heights computed using FUNWAVE showed good agreement with the measurements and the resulting wave-induced currents showed a jet-like velocity distribution in transverse direction. And the computed results of the two model combinations agreed better with the measurements than the computed results obtained by neglecting wave-current interaction. However, it was found that for the case in which transverse interference pattern caused by refracted waves was strong, REF/DIF-SHORECIRC did not correctly evaluate radiation stresses, the gradients of which generate wave-induced currents. SWAN-SHORECIRC, which cannot deal with the interference patterns, predicted a jet-like wave-induced current. For breaking random wave cases, the computed results of the two model combinations and FUNWAVE agreed well with the measurements. The agreements indicate that it is necessary to take into account the effect of wave-induced current on wave refraction when wave breaking occurs over a submerged shoal.     

Simulation of directional waves in a numerical basin by a desingularized integral equation approach

A numerical solution is developed to investigate the generation and propagation of small-amplitude water waves in a semi-infinite rectangular wave basin. The three-dimensional wave field is produced by the prescribed “snake-like” motion of an array of segmented wave generators located along the wall at one end of the tank. The solution technique is based on the boundary element approach and uses an appropriate three-dimensional Green function which explicitly satisfies the tank-wall boundary conditions. The Green function and its derivatives which appear in the integral equation formulation can be shown to be slowly convergent when the source and field points are in close proximity. Therefore, when computing the velocity potentials on the wave generators, the source points are chosen outside the fluid domain, thereby ensuring the rapid convergence of these functions and rendering the integral equations non-singular. Numerical results are shown which illustrate the influence of the various wavemaker and basin parameters on the generated wave field. Finally, the complete wave field produced by the diffraction of oblique waves by a vertical circular cylinder in a basin is presented.