B to the T to the P .... BTP

(Earnest request to all readers: Please believe in what follows, so that there is at least one forum where people are convinced that I have indeed worked for the BTP, and feel relieved)

Necessary Definitions:
1. BTP - Acronym for B.Tech Project (though there are many alternative expansions for the same). It is supposed to be a chance for students in their final year to apply stuff that they have learned as an undergraduate, in their final year. (The author wishes not to comment on what kind of a 'chance' it is, what 'students' do, what kind of 'stuff' and how to 'apply', and (for some) ... 'final' year ? )

At the very outset, let me remark that there has been few occasions when one single thing has troubled me for almost one whole week, and I have been at it for really long hours with no results. That, combined with the fact that the deadlines are drawing close, and an apprehended suspicion that I have not worked at all for my BTP, is what finally almost drove me crazy today ... and the only escapade I could think of was to write about the situation here. Ergo ... here it is.

My project is on the Hydrodynamics of High Speed Catamarans (for the uninitiated, its about the fast moving two hulled boats that you must have seen in movies and on TV). When I got my project, I was told that I would need to do a lot of literature survey as High Speed vessels was a relatively newer area of research. I was also told about the major tasks that I will need to perform as a part of my project. I did the survey, got a couple of papers, and two books which provided me with exactly what I needed. "Bingo!!", I said to myself. Alas! only if I knew what was to come.
Having gone through the entire thing, I got a better idea of the work, and when I went and spoke to my guide as well, I thought I had a fair idea of the project. Then came my first presentation, by which time I had only just started working -- so not much to show apart from my survey and groundwork. I was able to put in a good presentation with that itself.
By the second presentation, which was almost over a month later, I had to show results. I had worked on whatever scheme I had figured out, and got a huge amount of data from a series of simulation runs in a software called SEAWAY. It took me three days of back-breaking work to compile and analyze this data, and prepare my presentation. It was then that things started getting different.
During my presentation, the faculty on the panel asked me some questions, and surprisingly for me, I found myself struggling with the answers. It was then that I realized that I was not quite on the right track, and somehow my guide did not realize it earlier as well, so even he had not interfered and clarified my misconception.

Let me now be a bit more specific.
For my project there are primarily three parts--
1. For the ship geometry and the velocity given, ind out the equilibrium trim angle.
2. For this trim angle and also for no trim state, run the corresponding motion simulations in SEAWAY ( a software package).
3. For this trim and also for no trim, compute the resistance using cfd techniques in FLUENT (a cfd analysis package).

I was goddamn clear on the 2nd and 3rd, and did not realize the 1st step's necessity. Turns out that was the starting point, and I had been doing without it :)

Once again, even after this realization, life was no easier because Mr. Murphy rules everywhere.
I started working hard on developing iterative procedures (using the MATLAB package), and tried running the CFD runs without any trim angle. Since then, till date, none of my computer simulations or programs have yielded the correct results.
1. In a polynomial with positive roots, upon substituting positive numbers, I am getting complex numbers -- and I can't figure out why the hell.
2. Fluent just refused to run the simulation on my computer, stating some 'Memory allocation error' (for which I tried a lot changing the settings of my comp .. but ... Mr. Murphy is the man)
3. Finally today afternoon, Fluent worked on one of my friend's computer, and guess what ... the solutions are diverging.
4. Meanwhile, tired with the more involved and complex iterative procedure, I tried a simpler one, which btw was done in a book in form of equations. After following exactly the same sequence of steps, I still am not able to match my results.
5. Unless I get the trim angle my Fluent simulations won't run, my meshing of geometry will not happen, and my SEAWAY simulations won't run. And unless I figure out what's wrong with my iterative procedure, I can't get the trim angle. So ... clearly I am in a "sli situation".

I have tried hard, and tomorrow I am going to meet my guide and tell him all of this, albeit in a greater detail. I can only hope that his comments help me get through the problem. However, that can only happen if he does believe that I have done substantial amount of work. In case he doesn't, then ... well , I dunno :)

So much for now ... much more of BTP stuff will be up sometime soon.

P.S: Any person reading this, and having any word of advice or expertise on Matlab/Fluent, please leave a comment, so that I have one more person to seek suggestions from.