Comparative analysis on various components of heave damping for sandglass-type floating body.

For the new sandglass-type floating body with special shape, this paper mainly analyzes the characteristic of the heave damping and its corresponding components by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. Firstly, the convergence and accuracy of the CFD method to simulate the heave motion of sandglass-type floating body were validated along with the experimental data. Secondly, the numerical model of the floating body with forced heave motion was created, and then hydrodynamic forces versus different motion amplitudes were calculated and compared to discuss its nonlinear characteristics. Afterwards, based on time-history curves of the hydrodynamic force, heaving added mass and damping of the floating body versus various frequencies were achieved and found to be different from the potential results. In order to analyze the reasons that cause difference, numerical simulations using inviscid and k-ε turbulent models were performed respectively, and the results indicate that the effect of fluid viscosity on the hydrodynamic coefficients is small and not decisive. Then equivalent radiation damping based on CFD wave elevation was deduced to explore the relation between the inviscid CFD and potential models. Finally, local wave field and vorticity field near the body were mainly discussed, and quantitative analysis based on mechanical energy was performed to verify that the vortex due to the body shape is the essential cause of the heave damping for the sandglass-type floating body. • Numerical method to simulate the heave motion of the new sandglass-type FPSO were validated. • Equivalent radiation damping based on CFD solutions was deduced and discussed with the potential results. • Vortex generated by the non-viscous fluid separation was analyzed based on mechanical energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]