Corner problems and global accuracy in the boundary element solution of nonlinear wave flows

Abstract The numerical model for nonlinear wave propagation in the physical space, developed by Grilli, et al. 12,13 , uses a higher-order BEM for solving Laplace's equation, and a higher-order Taylor expansion for integrating in time the two nonlinear free surface boundary conditions. The corners of the fluid domain were modelled by double-nodes with imposition of potential continuity. Nonlinear wave generation, propagation and runup on slopes were successfully studied with this model. In some applications, however, the solution was found to be somewhat inaccurate in the corners and this sometimes led to wave instability after propagation in time. In this paper, global and local accuracy of the model are improved by using a more stable free surface representation based on quasi-spline elements and an improved corner solution combining the enforcement of compatibility relationships in the double-nodes with an adaptive integration which provides almost arbitrary accuracy in the BEM numerical integrations. These improvements of the model are systematically checked on simple examples with analytical solutions. Effects of accuracy of the numerical integrations, convergence with refined discretization, domain aspect ratio in relation with horizontal and vertical grid steps, are separately assessed. Global accuracy of the computations with the new corner solution is studied by solving nonlinear water wave flows in a two-dimensional numerical wavetank. The optimum relationship between space and time discretization in the model is derived from these computations and expressed as an optimum Courant number of ∼0.5. Applications with both exact constant shape waves (solitary waves) and overturning waves generated by a piston wavemaker are presented in detail.