MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF CRAFT DRIFT IN AN OCEAN ENVIRONMENT

A mathematical model, which accounts for the essential effects of environmental loads and vehicle characteristics from a fluid dynamics point of view, is developed to forecast the position of a craft drifting on the sea surface. The study is intended to provide a better understanding of the dynamics of drift and thus to provide a reliable model of drift prediction for use in future search and rescue mission. In the mathematical formulation, three degrees of freedom (surge, sway and yaw) of a craft are analyzed, since they play the most significant role in the drift prediction problem. The governing equations of motions are derived from Newton's law of dynamics and the environmental loads considered are the forces and moments exerted by wind, current and waves. The forces are analyzed in terms of drag, lift, and inertial forces. The moments are obtained by summing the contribution from the above forces. For the computation of the wind loads, the wind gradient as well as craft geometry is accounted for. In the current loads, profile, friction and propeller drags are included. The wave forces are computed by the use of wave spectral density. The formulation includes the effects of craft rotation as well as craft translation. A computer algorithm for the mathematical model is implemented to obtain the numerical result in the time domain. The model is verified by comparing its result with field measurements. For this purpose, a field test was carried out. The agreement between the computed and field measured drift path was excellent. The real time prediction capability of the model was ascertained.