RANDOM WAVE ANALYSIS

WAVE ENERGY SPECTRUM (RWA-3)

Eko B Djatmiko
Department of Ocean Engineering
Faculty of Marine Technology
Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember
2016
 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

2.2. WAVE ENERGY SPECTRUM

• Contributions of the regular wave intensities in the generation of random wave  can be
expressed in the form of spectrum of wave energy density (wave spectrum). In this respect
energy per 1 m2 of regular wave surface area (the n-th wave component) is given by:

En  1 g 2
(2.11)
2 n0

• The contributions of all regular wave components which produce the energy per unit area of a
random wave surface are then merged in the form of area under the curve of wave spectrum as
depicted in Fig. 2.9.

S(w) [m2/(rad/s)]
Energy within the range of
wa and wb = g x area

wa wb
w (rad/s)
Figure 2.9. Definition of wave energy spectrum 2-9
 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

 If wn is the frequency of the n-th regular wave, that is the average of wa and wb , as
follows:
w a  w n   w and w b  w n   w

 Hence the energy which is contributed by that n-th regular wave component (with
amplitude of n0) is:
1 g 2
  g S  (w ) d w
2 n0

 Therefore, the ordinate of the corresponding spectrum is:

S  (w ) 
 2
n0 m2/(rad/s) (2.12)
2 w

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 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

• Referring again to eq. (2.5), in the measurement of a large number of wave surface depression
n , then the mean value of the depression, will be approximately
 equal to zero. From this
analysis the varian can be written as function of the depression:
TH

TH 
m0  1  ( t ) 2
dt (m2) (2.13)
0

• If the depression variable (t) is substituted by the right hand side of eq. (2.10) and is taken
 as
equal to zero, then eq. (2.13) become:
2
  
TH

m0  1
TH 0  n  1 n 0
 co s w n t   
n  dt
(2.14)

• As the wave frequencies have been defined as in eq. (2.8) then the solution of the above
integral eq. (2.14) is:


2
m0  1  2
n0 (2.15)
n 1

• By substituting eq. (2.12) into eq. (2.15) we will find:

 
m0   S  (w ) w   S  (w ) d w
n 1
(2.16)
0

• Eq. (2.16) exhibits the variance of the wave depression is equal to the area under the curve of
the wave (energy) spectrum 2-11
 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

• Random wave depression which is formulated in eq. (2.10) could be derived to yield the velocity
and acceleration of the wave surface:

 ( t )    n0 w n sin w n t   n  (m/s) (2.17)
n 1

 ( t )    n0 w n2 c o s w n t   n  (m/s2) (2.18)
n 1
• Velocity and acceleration of the wave surface may be analized statistically as in the case of
wave depression, with their amplitudes of, respectively, n0wn (m/s) and n0wn2 (m/s2). Further
analogy, the ordinate of velocity as well as acceleration spectra may be found as in eq. (2.12):
w n2  n20
S  ( w )   w n2 S  ( w ) (m2/s2) (2.19)
2 w
w n4  n20
S  ( w )   w n4 S  ( w ) (m2/s4) (2.20)
2 w
• Variance of the velocity and acceleration may be obtained by following the procedure in deriving
eq. (2.16):
 
m 2   S  ( w ) d w   w 2 S  ( w ) d w (m2/s2) (2.21)
0 0
 
m 4   S  ( w ) d w   w 4 S  ( w ) d w (m2/s4) (2.22)
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0 0
 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

 Variances m2 and m4 are referred to as the 2nd and 4th moment of the area under
spectral curve. Thus spectral moment may be given in general form of:

m n   w n S  (w ) d w (m2/sn) (2.23)
0
 From the above analysis, the mean frequency (or modal frequency) of the random
wave, which is the frequency of the center of the spectra, can be obtained by:

w  w m  m1 (rad/s) (2.24)
m0
 The mean period of the random wave (or modal period) is found to be:
2 m 0
T  Tm  (sec) (2.25)
m1
 Ochi & Bolton (1973) also show that mean peak period of the random wave may be
given as:
m2
T p  2 (sec) (2.26)
m4
 and the mean zero up-crossing period of the random wave is found to be:

m0
T z  2 (sec) (2.27)
m2
Notes: Tz > Tp due to the wide-band characteristics especially for large waves. Whereas 2-13
smaller waves tend to have a narrow-band characteristics (see Fig 2.10)
 (t)

t (sec)

Figure 2.10a. Narrow band wave elevation (small waves)

 (t)

t (sec)

 (t) Tp1 Tp2 Tp3 … Tpn

t (sec)
Figure 2.10b. Wide band wave elevation
(medium and large waves)
Tz1 Tz2 Tz3 … Tzm
 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

 Furthermore, by means of STWA and wave spectra one may derive characteristics of
random wave heights as in the following.

1. Mean wave height:

H  2 .5 0 m 0 (m) (2.28)
2. Significant wave height:

H S  H 1/3  4 .0 0 m 0 (m) (2.29) H S  1 .6 0 H

3. Mean of the 1/10 highest waves:

H 1 /10  1 .2 7 H S (m) (2.30)

4. Most probable extreme wave height (probability of occurence=63.2%) in a storm
duration of T hours :
Notes:
  60 2 T m 2   Figure obtained from the second RMS
Hˆ  2 m 0   2 ln   (m) (2.31)
on the right hand side is basically a
  2  m 0   Function of the number of wave

5. Extreme wave height with probability of occurrence a (eg. 1%) in a storm duration of
T hours:
  60 2 T m2  
Hˆ a  2 m 0   2 ln  

(m) (2.32)
  2 a m0  2-14
 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

 STWA dan wave spectral analysis also give the formulation to obtain the number of
wave occurrence, n, per unit of time (per second), as follows:

m2
n 1 (1/sec) (2.33)
2 m0
 or, in a more complete form (by accounting for the 4th moment of spectral area) is:
 m2 m4 
n 1   
4   m0 m 2  (1/det) (2.34)

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 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

 Wave spectra is obtained from the analysis of a wave record (time history) by
applying the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) technique; diagramatically is as depicted in
Fig. 2.11.
2.5
2
1.5
1

Wave Record

(t) in m
0.5
0
-0.50.00
(Time History)
20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00 120.00 140.00 160.00 180.00 200.00

-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
Time, t (sec)

FFT (Fast Fourier Transform)

S(w) [m2/(rad/s)]
Software Wave Spectra

wa wb
w (rad/s)

Figure 2.11. Processing the wave data into wave spectra by means of FFT
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 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

 An example of wave spectra resulted from the analysis of a number of wave data
recorded in a certain location at sea is shown in Fig. 2.12.

Figure 2.12. An example of plots of a number wave spectra

derived from a particular location at sea with the same value
of Hs (bold line curve represents the average spectra)
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 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

• The design of ocean structure should be based on the wave spectra at the location
where the structure will be operated.
• In case the spectra or local wave data is not available  designer should select an
appropriate wave spectral formulae which would represent the operational site (open
sea, closed sea, wind effects, geographic pattern, water depth, fetch length, etc)
• Wave spectral formulae  derived from the average spectra of a certain sea.
• Some examples of wave spectral formulations:
 Bretschneider (open waters):
w 4 
  s  
w
4

S  ( w )  0 . 1 6 8 7 H S 5 exp   0 . 6 7 5   
2 S
(2.35)
w   w  
wS = 2/TS dan TS = 0.946 TP
wS ≈ 2.05 w0
 ISSC - International Ship Structure Congress (open waters):
w 4 
   
w
4

S  ( w )  0 . 1 1 0 7 H S 5 exp   0 . 4 4 2 7   
2
; w  1 .2 9 6w 0 (2.36)
w   w  
w0 = frequency of spectral peak
w02= 0.161g/Hs

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 Dept. of Ocean Engg. - ITS

 JONSWAP – Joint North Sea Wave Project (archipelagic seas / closed waters):

 ( w  w 0 ) 2 

 
e xp   
S  ( w )  a g 2 w  5 e xp  1 . 2 5 w / w 0 
4  2  w 02  (2.37)

 = 3.30 (may varies between 1.0 up to 7.0)  peakedness parameter

 = 0.07 for w ≤ w0  shape parameter
 = 0.09 for w > w0
w02 = 0.161 g/Hs
a = 0.0081

Notes: JONSWAP formulation currently is widely used in the analysis of offshore structures
operated in Indonesian water by taking the parameter  of around 2.0 ~ 2.5. This means
reducing the spectral peak or, in other words, reducing the domination of certain wave
periods or frequencies.

 Wang, 1991 (shore area, archipelagic water, or closed waters):

H S0 . 5 9 1  1 .3 5 8 8 
S (w )  0 . 2 7 7 1 exp   1 . 5 2 7 2 4  (2.38)
w 5
 HS w 

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Keep Up the
Good Work !!!