Analysis of Roll Motion due to Asymmetric Bilge Keels

Traditional frequency domain based vessel motion analyses operate under the assumption that the roll damping contribution from the port and starboard bilge keels are equivalent. In this work, we examine the roll motion of a vessel with bilge keels of unequal length using a novel methodology. Experiments conducted during the FPSO Roll JIP suggest that waves approaching from port versus starboard will induce different motion amplitudes due to the unequal bilge keel length. We examine the results from different approaches, comparing the computed response from a frequency domain analysis against those provided by a time domain model using Orcaflex with bilge keel represented by drag elements.