Project SEA-Stack
SEA-Stack
Open-source simulation for offshore energy systems — from hydrodynamics and structures to moorings and PTO/control, all in a single simulation framework.
Explore system-level design trade-offs in software before committing to costly hardware or tank testing.
Start with fast BEM-based exploration, then progress to higher-fidelity CFD/SPH when needed — within a consistent workflow.
SEA-Stack in action
Short clips from SEA-Stack simulation runs — spanning floating multibody systems, nonlinear moorings, hydraulic PTO/control, and flexible structural response.
5SA
Five-segment attenuator in directional waves — coupled multibody dynamics with hydrodynamic interaction and tension-coloured nonlinear mooring response.
RM3
Reference Model 3 (RM3) two-body wave energy converter — irregular-wave response with hydraulic PTO coupling.
Trimaran FEA
Flexible trimaran hull model — structural deformation under wave loading with Chrono::FEA representation.
SEA-Stack for system design exploration
SEA-Stack is an open-source (MIT-licensed) simulation platform for offshore energy systems, designed for system-level design exploration that captures the coupled interactions between hydrodynamics, structures, moorings, and control.
System Modelling
- Multibody dynamics (Project Chrono)
- Coupled hydrodynamics (BEM-based)
- Robust added mass handling
- FEA-informed analysis
- Single- and multi-body systems
Subsystems & Architecture
- Mooring systems (MoorDyn)
- PTO systems (hydraulic and mechanical)
- Control systems (simulation → HiL ready)
- Arrays and multi-device interactions
Workflows & Access
- YAML-based workflows (run via executable)
- C++ API for advanced users
- Open-source (MIT licensed, no proprietary dependencies)
- Time-domain simulation framework
- BEM → CFD/SPH workflows (in development)
SEA-Stack is structured to support workflows spanning BEM-based time-domain simulation and higher-fidelity CFD/SPH comparison and validation. The higher-fidelity path is currently under active development.
SEA-Stack
Time-domain coupled system model
Coupled subsystems
Design decisions affect performance
Changes in geometry, mooring properties, or PTO settings influence device response in waves. The interactive conceptual demo below lets you explore these coupled trade-offs in real time.
Designing offshore energy systems means weighing geometry, mooring layout, PTO (power take-off — motion into electricity), and sea state against outcomes like energy capture, structural loading, and mooring loads. SEA-Stack is built for that kind of coupled exploration — adjust the controls to see how the trade-offs shift.
Energy capture
0.67
Structural load
0.50
Mooring load
0.50
Capabilities
A deeper look at the C++ simulation capabilities and architecture: solvers, couplings, and subsystem components used to assemble engineering workflows.
System simulation
- Coupled offshore system modelling with multi-body dynamics
- Articulated joints, FEA flexible bodies, and constraint handling via Project Chrono
- Dense infinite-frequency added mass directly in the solver mass matrix
Hydrodynamics & waves
- Linear potential-flow hydrodynamics with BEMIO HDF5 coefficients
- Nonlinear hydrostatics from instantaneous submerged-volume mesh calculation
- Regular, irregular, bimodal, and directional wave fields
- Radiation via RIRF convolution or state-space approximation
Mooring, PTO & control
- MoorDyn mooring coupling with 3D visualisation and tension colouring
- Linear spring-damper and rectified hydraulic PTO models
- Scalar control interface with extensible controller architecture
Workflows & interfaces
- YAML-driven simulation configuration — no C++ required for standard cases
- HDF5 results export with provenance metadata
- Power-matrix campaign mode with sea-state sweeps and annual energy output
- Modular C++ API and CMake package for downstream integration
Open source access
SEA-Stack is fully open-source under the MIT licence, with source code and pre-built packages for Windows and macOS distributed through the project repository.
Developed through Simocean with NLR and UW-Madison for transparent engineering workflows in offshore and marine energy research.
Public beta release details will be added here as packaging and repository access are finalized.