The development and implementation of rational and reliable hydrodynamic design procedures founded on detailed understanding and descriptions of the physical processes are key objectives in DHI's offshore studies and consulting work.

The loads and responses of fixed and floating structures under the combined impacts of wind, waves and currents are studied in DHI’s 3D wave basins. These advanced facilities are equipped with all the necessary peripherals for the efficient running of tests and analyses. Wave loads on vessels and associated forces in mooring systems are also assessed numerically using the software package WAMSIM.

Wave loading on the lower platform decks has become an important issue in structural integrity re-assessments for several operators. DHI has developed a hydrodynamic Wave-In-Deck software tool, DHIWID, to handle this particular type of wave loading. The model has been upgraded based partly on large scale model tests and partly on CFD calculations based on NS3.

DHI has developed both static and dynamic models for the on-bottom stability analysis of marine pipelines and numerical models for the analysis of vibrating free spanning pipeline sections. DHI’s numerical dynamic pipeline-seabed interaction software tool models the interaction between the pipeline, the surrounding water and the seabed soils leading to either the development of free spans or self-lowering of the pipeline. In addition to consultancy work on projects DHI has provided specific guidelines on pipeline design.