A Blind Comparative Study of Focused Wave Interactions with Floating Structures (CCP-WSI Blind Test Series 3)

Abstract

Results from the CCP-WSI Blind Test Series 3 are presented. Participants, with numerical methods, ranging from low-fidelity linear models to high-fidelity Navier–Stokes (NS) solvers, simulate the interaction between focused waves and floating structures without prior access to the physical data. The waves are crest-focused NewWaves with various crest heights. Two structures are considered: a hemispherical-bottomed buoy and a truncated cylinder with a moon-pool; both are taut-moored with one linear spring mooring. To assess the predictive capability of each method, numerical results for heave, surge, pitch, and mooring load are compared against corresponding physical data. In general, the NS solvers appear to predict the behaviour of the structures better than the linearised methods, but there is considerable variation in the results (even between similar methods). Recommendations are made for future comparative studies and development of numerical modelling standards.