New simulation tool could reduce costs and risks in offshore structures

Researchers from DTU Compute have developed an advanced simulation tool that can predict how waves and ocean currents affect offshore structures. This makes it possible to test and optimise designs digitally before they are built in the real world.

“We can simulate water waves interacting with offshore structures with all the complexities of the real world. The tool is what we call a general-purpose tool, which means it can be applied to a wide range of applications, such as designing ship structures, simulating wave energy farms, offshore wind turbines, and waterways interacting with harbour areas or bridge piers. So, there are many applications for this kind of technology,” says Associate Professor Allan Peter Engsig-Karup.

He and PhD student Jens Visbeck developed the tool as part of a project supported financially by the COWI Foundation.

• The research has been published in SAGE Journals.
• The software is openly available on GitHub.
• The tool is written in Python.