Validation of Numerical Wave Tank Simulations Using REEF3D With JONSWAP Spectra in Intermediate Water Depth

As offshore wind turbines increase in size and output, the support structures are also growing. More sophisticated assessment of the hydrodynamic loads is needed, particularly for the ultimate limit state design. For higher-order phenomena related to rare steep wave events such as ringing, a better understanding of the stochastic loads is needed. As an innovative step forward to reduce the cost of extensive model tests with irregular waves, a larger number of investigations can be carried out using high-performance high-fidelity numerical simulations after an initial stochastic validation with model test data. In this paper, the open-source hydrodynamic model REEF3D::FNPF (Fully Nonlinear Potential Flow) is used to carry out three-hour long simulations with the JONSWAP spectrum in intermediate water depth conditions. Statistical properties of the free surface elevation in the numerical wave tank are validated using the available data from model tests carried out at SINTEF Ocean/NTNU. The spectral shape, significant wave height, peak period, skewness, kurtosis, and wave crest height statistics are compared. The results are analyzed and it is found that the numerical model provides reasonably good agreement with the model test data.