Experimental reproduction of inhomogeneous fjord waves

Abstract

Waves in coastal areas and fjords can present inhomogeneities that affect the responses of very large floating structures. However, spatial inhomogeneities of waves are usually not included in model testing. In this paper, the feasibility of generating inhomogeneous wave conditions in an Ocean basin is investigated. For that purpose, a fast linear numerical model of a basin of constant depth is applied, and an optimization method is presented, that allows to find the control signal for the multiflap wavemaker. Comparisons with experiments in SINTEF’s Ocean basin demonstrate the validity of the method for generating simple monochromatic synthetic waves, as well as short-crested irregular waves representing realistic conditions in Sulafjorden.