Efficient Computation of Nonlinear Crest Distributions for Irregular Stokes Waves

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 881-903
Author(s):  
Ying-Guang Wang

AbstractThis paper concerns the computation of nonlinear crest distributions for irregular Stokes waves, and a numerical algorithm based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) technique has been developed for carrying out the nonlinear computations. In order to further improve the computational efficiency, a new Transformed Rayleigh procedure is first proposed as another alternative for computing the nonlinear wave crest height distributions, and the corresponding computer code has also been developed. In the proposed Transformed Rayleigh procedure, the transformation model is chosen to be a monotonic exponential function, calibrated such that the first three moments of the transformed model match the moments of the true process. The numerical algorithm based on the FFT technique and the proposed Transformed Rayleigh procedure have been applied for calculating the wave crest distributions of a sea state with a Bretschneider spectrum and a sea statewith the surface elevation datameasured at the Poseidon platform. It is demonstrated in these two cases that the numerical algorithm based on the FFT technique and the proposed Transformed Rayleigh procedure can offer better predictions than those from using the empirical wave crest distribution models. Meanwhile, it is found that our proposed Transformed Rayleigh procedure can compute nonlinear crest distributions more than 25 times faster than the numerical algorithm based on the FFT technique.

Author(s):  
Hanne Therese Wist ◽  
Dag Myrhaug ◽  
Ha˚vard Rue

The probability that a wave crest in a random sea will exceed a specified height has long been recognized as important statistics in practical work, e.g., in predicting green water load and volume on a ship. Nonlinear probability density functions for predicting green water load and volume are presented. The models are based on the linear model of [1] in combination with transformation of a second order wave crest height model. The wave crest height model is obtained from second order wave theory for a narrow-banded sea state in combination with transformation of the Rayleigh distribution. Results from the models are compared with model tests of a cargo ship presented in [1].


Author(s):  
M. Latheef ◽  
C. Swan

This paper concerns the crest height statistics arising in sea states that are broad banded in both frequency and direction. A new set of laboratory observations are presented and the results compared with the commonly applied statistical distributions. Taken as a whole, the data confirm that the crest-height distributions are critically dependent upon the directionality of the sea state. Although nonlinear effects arising at third order and above are most pronounced in uni-directional seas, the present data show that they are also important in directionally spread seas, provided the seas are sufficiently steep and not too short crested. The data also highlight the limiting effects of wave breaking. With individual breaking events dependent upon the local wave steepness, the directionality of the sea state again plays a significant role. Indeed, the present observations confirm that the two competing processes of nonlinear amplification and wave breaking can have a profound influence on the crest-height distributions leading to significant departures from established theory. In such cases, the key parameters are the sea state steepness and directional spread; the latter acting to counter the former in terms of nonlinear changes in the crest-height distributions.


Author(s):  
Bruce Martin ◽  
Oriol Rijken

The deck height of a tension leg platform or semi-submersible depends in large part on the expected crest height. This expected crest height is the result of the sea state, i.e. the incoming wave train, and local enhancement due to the vessels diffraction of the wave train. These local enhancements are usually determined by a combination of numerical computations and model tests. Quite often a crest enhancement factor is defined which takes into consideration these local amplification effects. Extrapolating the enhancement factor from extreme conditions to survival conditions may lead to significantly large crests and result in a very high deck elevation. Many studies, including the CresT JIP address the characteristics of the crests within a given sea state and in the absence of a vessel. This paper addresses the effect of the presence of a vessel on the crest heights, and in particular the high crests which will ultimately determine deck height. The paper is based on experimental measurements of wave elevations underneath and around various tension leg platforms and semi submersibles. The investigated sea states comprise of a series of long crested irregular waves, generated in a model basin, which describe extreme and survival conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. The crest heights underneath the vessel are measured and compared with crests which occur without the presence of the vessel. Numerical predictions of the local amplification are also made, based on 1st order diffraction analysis and the as-measured incident wave train. A narrative is provided on the differences in crest height and observed phenomena.


1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Skourup ◽  
N.-E. O. Hansen ◽  
K. K. Andreasen

The area of the Central North Sea is notorious for the occurrence of very high waves in certain wave trains. The short-term distribution of these wave trains includes waves which are far steeper than predicted by the Rayleigh distribution. Such waves are often termed “extreme waves” or “freak waves.” An analysis of the extreme statistical properties of these waves has been made. The analysis is based on more than 12 yr of wave records from the Mærsk Olie og Gas AS operated Gorm Field which is located in the Danish sector of the Central North Sea. From the wave recordings more than 400 freak wave candidates were found. The ratio between the extreme crest height and the significant wave height (20-min value) has been found to be about 1.8, and the ratio between extreme crest height and extreme wave height has been found to be 0.69. The latter ratio is clearly outside the range of Gaussian waves, and it is higher than the maximum value for steep nonlinear long-crested waves, thus indicating that freak waves are not of a permanent form, and probably of short-crested nature. The extreme statistical distribution is represented by a Weibull distribution with an upper bound, where the upper bound is the value for a depth-limited breaking wave. Based on the measured data, a procedure for determining the freak wave crest height with a given return period is proposed. A sensitivity analysis of the extreme value of the crest height is also made.


Author(s):  
Anskey A. Miranda ◽  
Fred P. Turner ◽  
Nigel Barltrop

This paper presents a study of the analysis methodologies used to predict the most likely response of flexibles in a subsea environment, with the aim of determining an efficient and reliable prediction methodology. The most accurate method involves simulating multiple wave realisations of a real world sea state, i.e. irregular waves, and post-processing the results to determine the most probable maximum (MPM). Due to the computationally intensive nature of this approach, however, regular wave analysis is typically used to determine flexible response. This approach considers the maximum wave within a design storm at a desired period; the choice of periods may leave room for uncertainty in the conservatism of the approach. With proper screening, regular wave analysis can be a valid yet overly conservative approach resulting in over design and additional cost. However, if screened incorrectly, there is a possibility that the choice of periods could give results that are under conservative. In addition to regular wave analysis, the paper presents two alternative methodologies to determine the most likely response, with the focus on reducing the computational resources required. The first alternative is an ‘Irregular Wave Screen’ approach in which the wave train is screened at areas of interest for waves within a user defined threshold of the maximum wave height, in addition to other user defined parameters. Only waves within these parameters are simulated to determine responses. The second alternative is the ‘New Wave’ approach, which models the most probable wave elevation around the maximum wave crest. The calculated new wave is then placed at the desired location to determine responses. The responses of the Regular, Irregular Wave Screen and New Wave methodologies are compared with the Irregular MPM approach to determine their feasibility to predict the response of flexibles in a real world irregular sea state with lower computational requirements.


2020 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 106899 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Sanil Kumar ◽  
S. Harikrishnan ◽  
Sourav Mandal

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepak D. Prasad ◽  
M. Rafiuddin Ahmed ◽  
Young-Ho Lee

Abstract The power potential in the waves that hit all the coasts worldwide has been estimated to be of the order of 1 TW. Each wave crest transmits 10–50 kW/m of energy, which is 15–20 times higher than wind or solar energies. The availability of wave energy is 90% compared to 30% for wind and solar energies. The oscillating water column (OWC), which is the most investigated wave energy converter consists of a partially submerged hollow structure positioned either vertically or inclined. The bidirectional airflow above the water column drives a turbine. The conventional OWCs experience flow separation at the sharp corners of the chamber. To address this issue, researchers have proposed inclining the chamber at an angle with respect to the incident waves to improve the flow characteristics. In the present work, the effect of OWC inclination on rotor performance is studied using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code ansys-cfx. The results highlight that the 55 deg inclined OWC showed improved performance compared to the conventional OWC and modified OWC (optimized in a previous work). The maximum power for the inclined OWC was 13% higher than that for the rotor in the modified OWC and 28% than that in the conventional OWC at mean wave condition. The 55 deg inclined OWC recorded peak rotor power of 23.2 kW with an efficiency of 27.6% at the mean sea state. The peak power and efficiency at maximum sea state were 26.5 kW and 21.5%, respectively.


Author(s):  
Marc Prevosto ◽  
Geoerge Z. Forristall

The analysis phase of the Wave Crest Sensor Intercomparison Study (WACSIS) focussed on the interpretation of the wave data collected by the project during the winter of 1997–98. Many aspects of wave statistics have been studied, but the main emphasis has been on crest height distributions, and recommendations for crest heights to be used in air gap calculations. In this paper we first describe comparisons of the crest height distributions derived from the sensors (radars, wave staffs, laser) and from simulations based on 3D second order irregular wave models. These comparisons permit us to make conclusions on the quality of these models and to qualify the ability of some sensors to measure the crest heights accurately. In the second part two new parametric models of the crest height distributions are discussed and their superiority to standard parametric models is demonstrated.


Author(s):  
Francesco Fedele ◽  
M. Aziz Tayfun

We introduce the concept of stochastic wave groups to explain the occurrence of extreme waves in nonlinear random seas, according to the dynamics imposed by the Zakharov equation (Zakharov, 1999). As a corollary, a new probability of exceedance of the crest-to-trough height which takes in to account the quasi-resonance interaction is derived. Furthermore, a generalization of the Tayfun distribution (Tayfun, 1986) for the wave crest height is also proposed. The new analytical distributions explain qualitatively well the experimental results of Onorato et al. (2004, 2005) and the numerical results of Juglard et al. (2005).


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