Rankine source method

The Rankine source method solves ship free-surface potential flow by distributing simple Rankine sources, the 1/r point sources of Laplace’s equation, on both the hull and a patch of the surrounding free surface, then enforcing body and free-surface boundary conditions on the panels. Dawson (1977) made it practical by linearizing the free-surface condition about the double-body base flow and adding upstream finite differencing to satisfy the radiation condition. Unlike Kelvin-source methods, the Green function is elementary, but the free surface must be paneled and truncated. It is a standard tool for steady wave-making resistance and wave-pattern prediction.