Orcina news

A new full QTF diffraction analysis example is now available on our website: L06 Full QTF diffraction analysis. The example demonstrates how to build a full QTF OrcaWave model, and how to set all the associated input data, by following new guidance in the OrcaWave documentation.

In the accompanying PDF document, we demonstrate how to assess the accuracy of the first-order and second-order results via a number of convergence studies. For the QTF data itself, we follow the new guidance given in the OrcaWave documentation and conduct a series of sensitivity tests to verify that the free surface is sufficiently well resolved.

We present strategies to assess the discretisation error and stress the crucial role played by the body mesh as the most important ingredient in determining the accuracy which it is possible to achieve.

We hope that the example is informative and helpful.

Following the release of OrcaFlex 11.6, we can now announce our OrcaFlex 11.6 user group meeting. Once again, we are running this as a virtual webinar.

This webinar will cover all the new features introduced in version 11.6 of OrcaFlex and OrcaWave. This webinar will be delivered twice in the same day to give users in different time zones the opportunity to attend.

We anticipate that each webinar will be around 90 minutes in duration, and we will schedule a short break part way through the meeting. Attendees will be able to ask questions. A recording of the webinar will be available on our website shortly after it has taken place.

We are running the webinar over Zoom. You will need to register for whichever webinar you wish to attend, using the links below. Zoom webinars can be attended using the Zoom client, or directly from the browser if you do not have the Zoom client.

We look forward to catching up with our regular user group attendees, and hopefully some first timers too!

OrcaFlex and OrcaWave UGM

This webinar will cover the new features introduced in version 11.6 of OrcaFlex and OrcaWave.

We are very pleased to announce the release of OrcaFlex version 11.6. The software was finalised and built on 13^th November. All clients with up-to-date MUS contracts will receive, in the next few days, an e-mail with instructions on how to download and install the new version.

Version 11.6 introduces much new functionality, including:

OrcaFlex

• Updated shaded graphics
• Frequency domain enhancements
• Improved specification for constraint stiffness & damping
• Applied loads specified by Python code
• User-specified radius for line stress results
• Nominal depth can be specified, used to evaluate wave theory and current stretching
• View filters to customise drawing on a per-view basis
• Line setup wizard can use arbitrary line results variables
• Rotate objects around an arbitrary axis using the move objects wizard
• Compound object properties can account for instantaneous positions
• References report added which lists references between objects
• More input data can now be specified in external files
• External function examples have been updated and are better documented

OrcaWave

• Memory required to perform calculations can be significantly reduced
• Body origin can now be specified by the user
• Multibody external stiffness and damping matrices
• Mesh view can now be undocked

These are the most significant developments, in our opinion. As always there are more enhancements that are not listed here. All new features are fully documented in the what’s new topics:

• OrcaFlex
• OrcaWave

Continue reading “OrcaFlex 11.6 released”

A new pipelines example is now available on our website: M01 Pipeline lateral buckling and walking. The example demonstrates two possible use cases for several recent developments related to pipeline thermal expansion and line / seabed interactions.

The tabular line contents method, when combined with line type expansion tables allows lines to expand and contract in response to the changing temperature and pressure of the line contents, thus improving pre-existing capabilities related to pipeline buckling, walking and stability analyses. Similarly, seabed tangential resistance profiles can enhance line breakout or slip modelling, while line / seabed contact properties that can change on a per arc length basis allow for the modelling of local variations in seabed properties.

The two models in the example show a simplified pipeline buckling and walking analysis for an in-place pipeline with buckle initiator sleepers in deep water. The thermal expansion is driven by changes in the pipe contents temperature and density as slugs of hot fluid travel along the pipeline.

We hope that the example is informative and helpful.

Before the end of the year we will be releasing a new version of OrcaFlex, version 11.6. This new version includes updated FlexNet libraries (version 11.19.8), which in turn means that if you are using FlexNet floating licenses, you must update the license manager that runs on your license server, before you upgrade to OrcaFlex 11.6.

If you are not using FlexNet floating licenses, then the rest of this post does not apply to you, and you can safely ignore it. As an aside, if you are still using legacy dongles with OrcaFlex, then can we take this opportunity to recommend that you consider switching to the modern and supported FlexNet licensing system. Please contact us if you would like more details.

For anyone who is using FlexNet floating licenses we recommend that you perform the upgrade of the license manager at the earliest convenient opportunity. Older versions of OrcaFlex will run with the upgraded license manager. Even though you don’t strictly need to perform this upgrade until you activate your 11.6 licenses, it is good practice to keep the license manager up to date.

Before performing the upgrade, please double check that you do not already have the latest version installed. The version can be checked from the administration page of the license manager dashboard, typically available at http://localhost:8090 on the license server machine. You only need to perform the upgrade if your current version is older than 11.19.8.

To help with the upgrade, we provide the following step-by-step instructions to perform the upgrade. Note that these steps will need to be performed by your network administrator on the license server machine that runs your license manager.

1. Check that the current license manager version is older than 11.19.8 (see above). Only carry out the remaining steps if the current license manager version is older than 11.19.8.
2. Download the latest license server software from: www.orcina.com/downloads/public/ServerPack.zip and extract the files from the archive.
3. In the services control panel applet, stop the license manager service, named Orcina FlexNet license manager.
4. Update the FlexNet licensing service using <ServerPack>\LicenseService\Win64\FlexNetLicenseService.msi
5. Install the license manager using <ServerPack>\LicenseManager\Win64\lmadmin_orcina.msi
6. The installation should re-start the license manager service automatically. Check that the license manager is running and serving licenses by using the web interface at http://localhost:8090 (replace 8090 with the appropriate port if you are using a different port for the web interface).

This installation process will preserve any customisation of ports that you have made to the license manager. But if you have made more significant customisations then you will need to re-apply them. If you are unsure on how to do that, please do contact us for guidance.

We have just released a minor upgrade to OrcaFlex, version 11.5e. Version 11.5e fixes one significant GUI bug that was introduced in 11.5d. Full details of the changes are described in the documentation:

• OrcaFlex
• OrcaWave

We recommend that all users of 11.5 upgrade to 11.5e.

To upgrade to OrcaFlex 11.5e from any previous version, download the install program from your company’s Orcina software download page. A link to this page was sent to your software administration contact when we first released 11.5. If you do not have access to this page, please contact us.

We have just released a minor upgrade to OrcaFlex, version 11.5d. Version 11.5d fixes a number of bugs. Full details of the changes are described in the documentation:

• OrcaFlex
• OrcaWave

We recommend that all users of 11.5 upgrade to 11.5d.

To upgrade to OrcaFlex 11.5d from any previous version, download the install program from your company’s Orcina software download page. A link to this page was sent to your software administration contact when we first released 11.5. If you do not have access to this page, please contact us.

We have just released Distributed OrcaFlex 8.0c which you can download from the Distributed OrcaFlex page.

This is a minor update which introduces one minor feature and fixes one minor bug. More details can be found on the Distributed OrcaFlex page.

We have just released a minor upgrade to OrcaFlex, version 11.5c. Version 11.5c fixes a number of bugs. Full details of the changes are described in the documentation:

• OrcaFlex
• OrcaWave

We recommend that all users of 11.5 upgrade to 11.5c.

To upgrade to OrcaFlex 11.5c from any previous version, download the install program from your company’s Orcina software download page. A link to this page was sent to your software administration contact when we first released 11.5. If you do not have access to this page, please contact us.

We have recently made some updates to our wind turbine controller package, available on the Orcina GitHub page.

The main change is that we’ve reinstated the yaw controller example, now revised using the recently introduced indirect constraints feature which allows the controller to be much less convoluted. There’s a short new section in the accompanying PDF document that describes how it works. Note that the C++ wrapper also supports this.

Additionally:

• The Python wrapper now uses the function GetMultipleTimeHistories to improve efficiency.
• The Python and C++ wrappers now populate a few more slots in the swap array (in-plane root moments and hub moments).

We hope that you will find the latest updates helpful. We always welcome any questions or feedback, so please do contact us for any further enquiries.