A mooring restraints library for rigid body motions in OpenFOAM

Documentation: https://hfchen20.gitlab.io/foamMooring/

GitHub mirror: https://github.com/hfchen20/foamMooring

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Overview

• Works for two rigid body motion libraries sixDoFRigidBodyMotion and rigidBodyMotion.
• Mooring models of restraints include MAP++, MoorDyn, Moody, groups of linear springs.
• Most restraints support runtime generation of legacy VTK files (including vtk.series).
• You can compile only part of the library (i.e., certain restraints) if that suits your needs.
• No need to change and re-compile the built-in motion libraries and flow solvers.
• Tested on OpenFOAM v2012 ~ v2312, mostly with overset grid solver overInterDyMFoam.
• Should also work with interFoam (deforming mesh) and other variants waveFoam and olaFlow.
• Even overPimpleDyMFoam ...

{width=400px height=320px} {width=400px height=320px} {width=600px height=320px}

Compile foamMooring

• Install prerequisites.

• Clone the repo in $WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR.

mkdir -p $WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR 
cd $WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR
git clone https://gitlab.com/hfchen20/foamMooring.git
cd foamMooring 

If there is no interest in the quasi-static mooring model MAP++, specify a branch option, -b dynamic-only, when cloning the repo.

git clone -b dynamic-only https://gitlab.com/hfchen20/foamMooring.git

• Run Allwmake. Upon successful compilation, there should be at least two libraries in $FOAM_USER_LIBBIN: libsixDoFMooring.so and librigidBodyMooring.so, .

./Allwmake

Code structure

How to use

• Prepare an OpenFOAM case as usual. The floating body motion can be accommodated by either deforming mesh interFoam or overset grid overInterDyMFoam.

• Add in controlDict

libs    (sixDoFMooring); // or (rigidBodyMooring)

• Prepare a mooring input file in case subfolder "Mooring". Mooring models can be MoorDyn v1, v2, Moody, MAP++, and simple springs.

• Define mooring restraints in constant/dynamicMeshDict. sixDoFMooring and rigidBodyMooring have slightly different restraints.

Refer to documentation for more examples.

Main features of mooring models

Visualize mooring lines in Paraview

See docs.

References

• Chen, H., & Hall, M. (2022). CFD simulation of floating body motion with mooring dynamics: Coupling MoorDyn with OpenFOAM, Applied Ocean Research, 124, 103210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apor.2022.103210
• Chen, H., Medina, T. A., & Cercos-Pita, J. L. (2024). CFD simulation of multiple moored floating structures using OpenFOAM: An open-access mooring restraints library. Ocean Engineering, 303, 117697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2024.117697 (preprint)

Disclaimer

This offering is not approved or endorsed by OpenCFD Limited, producer and distributor of the OpenFOAM software via www.openfoam.com, and owner of the OPENFOAM® and OpenCFD® trade marks. This offering is not approved or endorsed by any software packages mentioned above or their respective owners, and should not be considered as such.

OpenFOAM is a free, open source CFD software released and developed by OpenCFD Ltd since 2004. It has a large user base across most areas of engineering and science, from both commercial and academic organisations. See documentation