The Computational Modelling unit is part of all modules B in the Hydraulic and Offshore Structures track, embedded in the modules:

• CIEM4210 Marine Renewables
• CIEM4220 Dams, Dikes and Breakwaters
• CIEM4230 Floating and Submerged Structures

This unit is also shared with the course on Introduction to Computational Dynamics of Offshore Structures (OE44090) from the Offshore and Dredging Engineering MSc program.

The central topic of the unit is the definition and analysis of numerical methods to solve PDEs that govern hydraulic and offshore structures. In this unit it is assumed that the students have already the basic knowledge of the following basic concepts (acquired in the MUDE):

• Basic numerical methods for ODEs (explicit/implicit).
• Basic understanding of Finite Differences method for static PDEs.
• Basic understanding of Finite Element method for static PDEs.

A short recap on these contents will be given to refresh concepts during the lectures.

Learning Objectives

On completion of this unit, the student will be able to

• LO1: Construct a conceptual model that represents an hydraulic/offshore engineering application, limited to models that can be constructed from a combination of: point masses, rigid bodies, rods, Euler-Bernoulli beams, geometrically non-linear rods or simple 2-dimensional geometries.
• LO2: Apply different numerical methods to solve the equations of motion of the model, subject to typical hydraulic/offshore loads such as: wind, waves and currents.
• LO3: Implement the numerical methods and solve the problem using Matlab/Python/others.
• LO4: Analyse the results by: validating against analytical solutions or experimental data, identifying the range of applicability of a given method, evaluating errors and assessing the convergence of the solution.