Abstract
Traditional linear time-domain analysis is used widely for predicting the motions of floating structures. When it comes to a wave energy structure, which usually is subjected to larger relative (to their geometric dimensions) wave and motion amplitudes, the nonlinear effects become significant. This paper presents the development of an in-house blended time-domain program (SIMDYN). SIMDYN’s “blend” option improves the linear option by accounting for the nonlinearity of important external forces (e.g., Froude-Krylov). In addition, nonlinearity due to large body rotations (i.e., inertia forces) is addressed in motion predictions of wave energy structures. Forced motion analysis reveals the significance of these nonlinear effects. Finally, the model test correlations examine the simulation results from SIMDYN under the blended option, which has seldom been done for a wave energy structure. It turns out that the blended time-domain method has significant potential to improve the accuracy of motion predictions for a wave energy structure.