OrcaFlex User Group, 2004 www.orcina.

com Slide 1 of 5
OrcaFlex
- Speeding Up OrcaFlex
Explicit Integration: X
n+1
X
n
= Dt . F(X
n
)
Simple, no iteration required
Time-step limited, i.e. is conditionally stable
Good for short-duration phenomena (clashing & snatching)
Conditional stability guaranteed accuracy
Implicit Integration: X
n+1
X
n
= Dt . F(X
n+1
)
Stable, large time-steps, but requires iteration
Can lose accuracy,at large time steps - this needs to be assessed
Can miss short-duration phenomena (contact, axial waves, etc)

An implicit integration scheme for OrcaFlex is under development
Integration Schemes
OrcaFlex User Group, 2004 www.orcina.com Slide 2 of 5
OrcaFlex
- Speeding Up OrcaFlex
Recommended Value:
1/20th of the smallest nodal natural period in the model

Alternative Approaches:
Increase smallest nodal period
Push our luck & use larger time steps

Time Step Determination
OrcaFlex User Group, 2004 www.orcina.com Slide 3 of 5
OrcaFlex
- Speeding Up OrcaFlex
Which Component Dominates?
Axial Stiffness:
Reduce stiffness generally, avoiding excessive stretch
Reduce stiffness locally in areas requiring fine segmentation

Bending Stiffness:
Use longer segments, provided system allows it (check).
This has a double effect as decreases the number of nodes
as well as increasing time step.
Consider modelling termination heads etc. with buoys

Increasing Nodal Natural Period
OrcaFlex User Group, 2004 www.orcina.com Slide 4 of 5
OrcaFlex
- Speeding Up OrcaFlex
Default Value:
Based on experience rather than theory
Errs on the conservative side

Trial and Error Approach:
Try twice recommended value
Try three times recommended value
Keep increasing until code diverges

Caveat: Very occasionally produces noisy results - Check
Increasing Time Step
OrcaFlex User Group, 2004 www.orcina.com Slide 5 of 5
OrcaFlex
- Speeding Up OrcaFlex
Interactions between Objects:
Shapes and Seabed: Avoid excessive contact stiffness
Line clashing: Use clash energy as a measure of severity of impact
Only enable line clashing where needed

Torsion Modelling:
Do you really need it? Do a check run and find out

Random Sea Cases: Outer Time Step:
Recommended value may be unnecessarily small for stiff systems.
General Run Time Considerations
Live Graphs during Simulations:
Dont have more than you need, especially range graphs.