Matrix structure and convergence behavior of the matched eigenfunction method for computing heave wave forces on generalized concentric bodies

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the matched eigenfunction expansion method (MEEM) offers a faster, accurate, and computationally efficient alternative to traditional boundary element methods for calculating wave forces on complex offshore structures.

Contribution

It introduces a unifying MEEM framework for arbitrary geometries, analyzes its convergence and matrix structure, and compares its performance with BEM, showing significant computational advantages.

Findings

MEEM computes hydrodynamic coefficients within 5% of Capytaine for slanted geometries.

MEEM achieves 2% convergence faster than Capytaine with much smaller matrices.

MEEM effectively models a broad range of shapes with increased speed and confidence.

Abstract

Structural survival of offshore structures is crucial for the growing marine economy. Calculating the added mass, radiation damping, and excitation coefficients to quantify wave loads with the traditional boundary element method (BEM) presents a computational bottleneck. The matched eigenfunction expansion method (MEEM), a long-known but rarely-used alternative, offers computational benefits due to its semi-analytical nature. However, previous work fails to directly compare its accuracy and computational performance with BEM, leaving the extent of its utility unknown. Furthermore, the geometry-dependent convergence for cylindrical and slanted geometries has not yet been documented, making the method's practicality for general geometries unclear. This paper presents a unifying MEEM framework for modeling an arbitrary number of fixed or heaving surface-piercing annular cylinders with continuous and radially-monotonic body profiles, and explores the method's block matrix structure, convergence behavior, ability to accurately approximate slanted geometries, and computational advantages over the BEM solver Capytaine. The numerical experiments show that MEEM can compute hydrodynamic coefficients of slanted geometries within 5% of Capytaine, even for angles as steep as 15 degrees from vertical. Finally, MEEM can achieve 2% convergence of its hydrodynamic coefficients an order of magnitude faster than Capytaine with a matrix size two orders of magnitude smaller, making it a computationally effective alternative to traditional BEM solvers. These contributions enable hydrodynamic analysis of a broad range of shapes with increased speed and confidence, paving the way for future optimization studies to yield improved designs.