Spotlight on PhD Student Hongchao Wang

August 1, 2018

Hongchao Wang is one of the PhD students in the Project 2: Wave-structure interaction project stream.  His research is focused on understanding the mechanisms of gap resonance under external waves.  He is exploring how transient wave groups influence the gap resonance in between two offloading vessels by measuring the wave-generated hydrodynamic forces and their effect on offloading vessels during the unloading process.

As Hongchao explains, “Using Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), I’ve reproduced experimental results of a complex 3D gap resonance phenomenon.  Flow field information is used to demonstrate how the resonance builds up in the gap under a transient incident wave group.  I’ve discovered that the damping effect on the oscillatory motion in the gap, during the decaying process, has a linear form.  Higher harmonics are extracted using a phase-based decomposition method to more accurately predict gap resonance and reduce operational risks.”

By accurately predicting gap resonance, Hongchao’s work will significantly impact FLNG facilities, by allowing them to proactively manage risk and in turn improve the efficiency of production processes.

Hongchao is an active participant in the OFFshore ITRH mentoring program. Incremental publication of Hongchao’s research is listed here. For further details, please refer to Hongchao’s profile page.

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