4.9.1. Installation and Getting Started

HydroDyn is included in the OpenFAST software repository and consists of two major components:

hydrodyn_driver is the standalone HydroDyn executable
hydrodynlib is the OpenFAST module library; it is most commonly used when driven through the HydroDyn driver or the OpenFAST glue code

For installation instructions, see Installing OpenFAST. In sections where an installation target can be specific, use hydrodyn_driver.

4.9.1.1. Running the HydroDyn Driver

The HydroDyn Driver has a simple command line interface:

hydrodyn_driver <input_file>

where input_file is the file described in HydroDyn Driver Input File. Additional input files are required, including the HydroDyn Primary Input File. The time-series output as well as other output from HydroDyn are described in Output Files.

4.9.1.2. Running HydroDyn coupled to OpenFAST

To run an OpenFAST simulation with the HydroDyn module enabled, the CompHydro flag must be switched on and the HydroDyn Primary Input File path supplied in the OpenFAST primary input file:

# In the "Feature switches" section
1               CompHydro   - Compute hydrodynamic loads (switch) {0=None; 1=HydroDyn}

# In the "Input files" section
"HydroDyn.dat"  HydroFile   - Name of file containing hydrodynamic input parameters (quoted string)

The time-series output as well as other output from HydroDyn are described in Output Files.