The objective of this research, part of the FP5 REBASDO Programme, is to examine the effects of directional wave spreading on the nonlinear hydrodynamic loads and the wave run-up around the bow of a floating vessel (FPSO) in random seas. In this work, the non-linear wave scattering problem is solved by employing a quadratic boundary element method. An existing scheme (DIFFRACT developed in Oxford) has been extended to deal with uni-directional and directional bi-chromatic input wave systems, calculating second-order wave diffraction under regular waves and focused wave groups. The second order wave interaction with a floating vessel in a unidirectional focused wave group is presented in this paper. Comparison of numerical results and the experimental measurements conducted at Imperial College shows excellent agreement. The second-order free surface components at the bow of the ship are very significant, and cannot be neglected if one requires accurate prediction of the wave-structure interaction; otherwise a major underestimation of the wave impact on the structure could occur.
Non-linear wave interaction in a plasma column
