High resolution semi-analytical three dimensional linear motions for tension leg platforms

Previous work by the authors has resulted in very accurate semi-analytical solutions for the three-dimensional linear hydrodynamics of submerged pontoons, floating columns and combinations of these solutions for the analysis of structures such as the ISSC TLP. The present paper is an extension of the semi-analytical approach to establishing the linear motions of the ISSC TLP including the effects of the tethers. A major advantage of the approach is that response functions may be computed accurately at an arbitrarily high resolution due to the inherent geometric and computational simplicity of the semi-analytical solution scheme. Therefore, the solution serves as a benchmark for the evaluation of results generated using panel methods, and this is illustrated by comparisons with the scatter obtained with available results in the literature.