This paper presents results of a research project within Heerema Marine Contractors to determine added mass and damping coefficients of suction piles using CFD. Analyses have been performed for suction piles which are fully closed and with open hatches. The results are compared with model tests presented at the OMAE by Ireland et al. (2007) and Roe et al. (2008). Two modeling approaches have been used. The first approach is simulating a forced oscillation by oscillating the flow around a fixed body. The second approach is by using a Dynamic Fluid Body Interaction (DFBI) model simulating a decay test. The DFBI model allows the (fluid induced) motion of an object to be predicted in six degrees of freedom. The oscillating flow method gives very good results for both closed and open hatch conditions. The computational costs for this method are very low. The main drawback is the inability to model oscillations close to a floor. The DFBI model gives the opportunity to quantify floor effects. At a floor clearance of h/D = 0.40 damping and added mass are accurately predicted. For a floor clearance of h/D = 0.20 added mass as well as damping is slightly overestimated. No major deviations have been noticed when comparing the results of model-scale to full-scale simulations. Apparently, Froude scaling is applicable for this particular geometry and scaling.

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