Practical representation of flows due to general singularity distributions for wave diffraction–radiation by offshore structures in finite water depth

Abstract The behavior of an offshore structure in regular waves – and the related (linear and nonlinear) wave loads, added-mass and wave-damping coefficients, and body-motions – are commonly analyzed via the Green-function and boundary-integral method associated with potential-flow theory. This realistic, widely-used method requires accurate and efficient numerical evaluation of flows created by distributions of singularities (source, dipole) over (flat or curved) panels of various shapes (triangle, quadrilateral) that are used to approximate the surface of an offshore structure. This basic core element of the theory of diffraction–radiation of regular waves by an offshore structure is considered for water of uniform finite depth. The special case of deep water is also considered. An analytical representation of the flow created by a general distribution of singularities over a hull-surface panel is given. This flow-representation is based on the Fourier–Kochin (FK) approach, in which space-integration over the panel is performed first and Fourier-integration is performed subsequently, unlike the common approach in which the Green function (defined via a Fourier integration) is evaluated first and subsequently integrated over the panel. The analytical and numerical complexities associated with the numerical evaluation and subsequent panel integration of the singular Green function for wave diffraction–radiation by offshore structures are then avoided in the FK approach. In this approach, panel integration merely amounts to integrating an elementary (exponential–trigonometric) function, a trivial task that can be performed accurately and efficiently. The analytical flow-representation given in the study provides a mathematically-exact smooth decomposition of free-surface effects into a non-oscillatory local flow and waves. The waves in this flow decomposition are defined by a regular single Fourier integral, and the local flow is given by a double Fourier integral with a smooth integrand that only involves ordinary functions and is dominant within a compact region near the origin of the Fourier plane. Illustrative numerical applications for typical distributions of sources and dipoles over a panel show that the flow-representation given in the study is well suited for practical numerical evaluations.