Responses of a barge-mounted platform in waves and currents

The forces on and responses of a barge-mounted platform (BMP) in waves and currents are investigated using various boundary element methods. A higher-order boundary element method (HOBEM) is developed in the frequency domain using a zero-forward-speed free-surface Green function and the results are compared with an independently developed constant panel method (CPM). The accuracy and convergence rate of the two methods are systematically compared. A timedomain higher-order boundary element method (THOBEM) is also developed to estimate wave forces, hydrodynamic coefficients, wave run-up, and mean drift forces in waves and uniform currents. The zero-current case of THOBEM agrees well with the frequency-domain results. The computed results are compared with experiments. The influence of neighboring boundaries, such as quays, is also studied. The responses of a BMP in the installation site of the South Sea of Korea are presented. *ISOPE Member. Received March 12, 1998; revised manuscript received by the editors April 22, 1999. The original version (prior to the final revised manuscript) was presented at the Eighth International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference (ISOPE-98), Montréal, Canada, May 2429, 1998..