Application of a 2D harmonic polynomial cell (HPC) method to singular flows and lifting problems

•A novel algorithm coupling the local corner flow solution and the 2D HPC method is proposed.•The singularity at the sharp corner is not dominant for linear wave force, but it is significant when calculating the second-order wave loads using direct pressure integration.•The double-layer nodes technique is developed for lifting problems.

Further developments and applications of the 2D harmonic polynomial cell (HPC) method proposed by Shao and Faltinsen [22] are presented. First, a local potential flow solution coupled with the HPC method and based on the domain decomposition strategy is proposed to cope with singular potential flow characteristics at sharp corners fully submerged in a fluid. The results are verified by comparing them with the analytical added mass of a double-wedge in infinite fluid. The effect of the singular potential flow is not dominant for added mass and damping, but the error is non-negligible when calculating mean wave loads using direct pressure integration. Then, the double-layer nodes technique is used to simulate a thin free shear layer shed from lifting bodies, across which the velocity potential is discontinuous. The results are verified by comparing them with analytical results for steady and unsteady lifting problems of a flat plate in infinite fluid. The latter includes the Wagner problem and the Theodorsen functions. Satisfactory agreement with other numerical results is documented for steady linear flow past a foil and beneath the free surface.