Current observation and analysis based on mooring systems in the Andaman Sea

The basic structure and intraseasonal evolution of currents in the southeastern Andaman Sea was analyzed based on data collected in 2017 from two subsurface moorings(C1 and C5).Periodic variation in the upper ocean currents of the Andaman Sea was investigated by combining observational and satellite data.Mooring observations show that rapid changes of current speed and direction occurred in May and June,with a significant increase in current velocity at the C1 mooring.In the second half of the year,southward flow dominated at the C1 mooring,and alternating northward and southward flows were evident at the C5 mooring during the same period but the northward flow prevailed in boreal winter.In addition,analysis of the power spectra of the upper currents revealed that the tidal period at both moorings is primarily semidiurnal with weaker energy than that of the low-frequency currents.The upper ocean currents at the C1 and C5 moorings exhibited intraseasonal variation of 30-60 d and 120 d,while the zonal current at the C1 mooring exhibited a notable period of approximately 180 d.Further analysis indicated that the variability of currents in the Andaman Sea is influenced primarily by equatorial Kelvin waves and Rossby wave packets.Moreover,our results suggest that equatorial Kelvin waves from the eastern Indian Ocean entered the Andaman Sea in the form of Wyrtki Jets and propagated primarily along two distinct pathways during the observation period.In addition to coastal boundary Kelvin waves,it was found that a branch of the Wyrtki Jet that directly enters the Andaman Sea and flows northward along the slope of the continental shelf,and reflected Rossby wave packets by topography.

Study on A New Mooring System Integrating Catenary with Taut Mooring

Analyzed are the merits and demerits of catenary mooring system and taut mooring system, which are commonly used nowadays. As falling somewhere between these two systems, a new mooring system integrating catenary with taut mooring is proposed. In order to expound and prove the advantages of this new system, the motion performance of a semi-submersible platform is simulated by employing full time domain coupled analysis method. A comparison of the result of new mooting system with that of taut mooring system shows that the movement of the platform using the new type mooting system is smaller than that using the taut mooring system, which ensures a better working condition. Furthermore, the new mooring system is also compatible with the characteristics of catenary mooting system, which eliminates the requirement of anti-uplift capacity of the anchors.

Fatigue Analysis of the Taut-Wire Mooring System Applied for Deep Waters

Precisely predicting the fatigue life of taut-wire mooring systems has become an interesting and important problem for scientists and engineers since there are still difficulties in the inspection and maintenance of mooring lines in a rough sea environment especially in deep waters. In this paper, a comprehensive fatigue analysis is performed for a polyester taut-wire mooring system of an FPSO based on the time domain dynamic theory, rainflow cycle counting method and linear damage accumulation rule of Palmgren-Miner. Three influential factors in the fatigue analysis including the pre-tension, dynamic stiffness and T-N curve are investigated in detail. Two polyester T-N curves, one is from the DNV- 0S-E301 and the other is from the API-RP-2SM, are adopted in the calculation. The fatigue analysis of the mooting system after one-line failure is also carried out. The calculation results indicate that the fatigue life is significantly affected by the T-N curve. The fatigue life decreases with increasing pre-tension, and is largely reduced if taking into account the dynamic stiffness caused by cyclic loading. The analysis also proves that one-line failure has remarkable effects on the fatigue lives of other mooting lines. The present parametric and comparative study is believed to be meaningful to further understanding of the taut-wire mooting system for deepwater applications.

Sensitivity Analysis of Air Gap Motion with Respect to Wind Load and Mooring System for Semi-Submersible Platform Design

A design of semi-submersible platform is mainly based on the extreme response analysis due to the forces experienced by the components during lifetime. The external loads can induce the extreme air gap response and potential deck impact to the semi-submersible platform. It is important to predict air gap response of platforms accurately in order to check the strength of local structures which withstand the wave slamming due to negative air gap. The wind load cannot be simulated easily by model test in towing tank whereas it can be simulated accurately in wind tunnel test. Furthermore, full scale simulation of the mooring system in model test is still a tuffwork especially the stiffness of the mooring system. Owing to the above mentioned problem, the model test results are not accurate enough for air gap evaluation. The aim of this paper is to present sensitivity analysis results of air gap motion with respect to the mooring system and wind load for the design of semi-submersible platform. Though the model test results are not suitable for the direct evaluation of air gap, they can be used as a good basis for tuning the radiation damping and viscous drag in numerical simulation. In the presented design example, a numerical model is tuned and validated by ANSYS AQWA based on the model test results with a simple 4 line symmetrical horizontal soft mooring system. According to the tuned numerical model, sensitivity analysis studies of air gap motion with respect to the mooring system and wind load are performed in time domain. Three mooring systems and five simulation cases about the presented platform are simulated based on the results of wind tunnel tests and sea-keeping tests. The sensitivity analysis results are valuable for the floating platform design.

Safety Assessment for a Side-by-side Offloading Mooring System

In order to improve the safety properties of an offloading system with side-by-side （SBS） mooring in which the FPSO is moored by a yoke system in the field of BZ25-1, it is necessary to analyze those properties. According to the experience of similar projects, tow strategies of different offioading arrangements were discussed by using the 3-D radiation/diffraction theory and quasi-static time domain method to assess their respective safety properties. Through the safety assessment analysis of different arrangement comparisons, various ways to improve the safety properties of off＇loading systems with side-by-side mooring were verified by analyzing the tension in the mooring lines and the fender deflection. Through comparison it can be concluded that by enlarging the key factors properly, including the size of the fenders and the hawsers as well as the number of hawsers, a better safety performance can be achieved.

Lateral Vibration Behavior Analysis and TLD Vibration Absorption Design of the Soft Yoke Single-Point Mooring System

Mooring system is the key equipment of FPSO safe operation. The soft yoke mooring system is regarded as one of the best shallow water mooring strategies and widely applied to the oil exploitation in the Bohai Bay in China and the Gulf of Mexico. Based on the analysis of numerous monitoring data obtained by the prototype monitoring system of one FPSO in the Bohai Bay, the on-site lateral vibration behaviors found on the site of the soft yoke subject to wave load were analyzed. ADAMS simulation and model experiment were utilized to analyze the soft yoke lateral vibration and it was determined that lateral vibration was resonance behaviors caused by wave excitation. On the basis of the soft yoke longitudinal restoring force being guaranteed, a TLD-based vibration damper system was constructed and the vibration reduction experiments with multi-tank space and multi-load conditions were developed. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed TLD vibration reduction system can effectively reduce lateral vibration of soft yoke structures.

Motion Performance and Mooring System of a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

The development of offshore wind farms was originally carried out in shallow water areas with fixed （seabed mounted） structures. However, countries with limited shallow water areas require innovative floating platforms to deploy wind turbines offshore in order to harness wind energy to generate electricity in deep seas. The performances of motion and mooring system dynamics are vital to designing a cost effective and durable floating platform. This paper describes a numerical model to simulate dynamic behavior of a new semi-submersible type floating offshore wind turbine （FOWT） system. The wind turbine was modeled as a wind block with a certain thrust coefficient, and the hydrodynamics and mooting system dynamics of the platform were calculated by SESAM soRware. The effect of change in environmental conditions on the dynamic response of the system under wave and wind loading was examined. The results indicate that the semi-submersible concept has excellent performance and SESAM could be an effective tool for floating wind turbine design and analysis.

A Nonlinear Restoring Effect Study of Mooring System and its Application

Mooring system plays an important role in station keeping of floating offshore structures. Coupled analysis on mooring-buoy interactions has been increasingly studied in recent years. At present, chains and wire ropes are widely used in offshore engineering practice. On the basis of mooring line statics, an explicit formulation of single mooring chain/wire rope stiffness coefficients and mooring stiffness matrix of the mooring system were derived in this article, taking into account the horizontal restoring force, vertical restoring force and their coupling terms. The nonlinearity of mooring stiffness was analyzed, and the influences of various parameters, such as material, displacement, pre-tension and water depth, were investigated. Finally some application cases of the mooring stiffness in hydrodynamic calculation were presented. Data shows that this kind of stiffness can reckon in linear and nonlinear forces of mooring system. Also, the stiffness can be used in hydrodynamic analysis to get the eieenfrequencv of slow drift motions.

Time Domain Simulation of a One Line Failure for a DP-assisted Mooring System

This paper focuses on the research of a semi-submersible platform equipped with a DP-assisted mooring system. Based on the working principles of the DP-assisted mooring system and the model of the platform motion, a time domain simulation program is applied to analyze the impact, in the case of one line failure, on the platform motion, power consumption of the thrusters and the tension of the mooring lines. The results show that, under the 10-year wind dominant, a one line failure will have little impact on the tension of the mooring lines. When the failure line is windward, the power consumption will increase greatly with a weakened position of accuracy. However when the failure line is leeward, the power consumption will be reduced with a partly strengthened oosition of accuracy.

Theoretical Model and Dynamic Analysis of Soft Yoke Mooring System

As a popular solution for mooring an FPSO （Floating Production, Storage and Offloading） permanently in shallow water, the soft yoke mooring system has been widely used in ocean oil production activities in the Bohai Bay of China. In order to simulate the interaction mechanism and conduct dynamic analysis of the soft yoke mooring system, a theoretical model with basic dynamic equations is established. A numerical iteration algorithm based on error estimation is developed to solve the equations and calculate the dynanfic response of the mooring system due to FPSO motions. Validation is conducted by wave basin experimentation. It is shown that the numerical simulation takes only a few iteration times and the final errors are small. Furthermore, the calculated results of both the static and dynamic responses agree well with those ones obtained by the model test. It indicates that the efficiency, the precision, the reliability and the validity of the developed numerical algorithm and program are rather good. It is proposed to develop a real-time monitoring system to further monitor the dynamic performance of the FPSO with a soft yoke mooring system under various real sea environments.

Impact Analysis of Air Gap Motion with Respect to Parameters of Mooring System for Floating Platform

In this paper, the impact analysis of air gap concerning the parameters of mooring system for the semi-submersible platform is conducted. It is challenging to simulate the wave, current and wind loads of a platform based on a model test simultaneously. Furthermore, the dynamic equivalence between the truncated and full-depth mooring system is still a tuff work. However, the wind and current loads can be tested accurately in wind tunnel model. Furthermore, the wave can be simulated accurately in wave tank test. The full-scale mooring system and the all environment loads can be simulated accurately by using the numerical model based on the model tests simultaneously. In this paper, the air gap response of a floating platform is calculated based on the results of tunnel test and wave tank. Meanwhile, full-scale mooring system, the wind, wave and current load can be considered simultaneously. In addition, a numerical model of the platform is tuned and validated by ANSYS AQWA according to the model test results. With the support of the tuned numerical model, seventeen simulation cases about the presented platform are considered to study the wave, wind, and current loads simultaneously. Then, the impact analysis studies of air gap motion regarding the length, elasticity, and type of the mooring line are performed in the time domain under the beam wave, head wave, and oblique wave conditions.

Dynamics of Large-Truncated Mooring Systems Coupled with A Catenary Moored Semi-Submersible

With the floating structures pushing their activities to the ultra-deep water, model tests have presented a challenge due to the limitation of the existing wave basins. Therefore, the concept of truncated mooring system is implemented to replace the full depth mooring system in the model tests, which aims to have the same dynamic responses as the full depth system. The truncated mooring system plays such a significant role that extra attention should be paid to the mooring systems with large truncation factor. Three different types of large truncation factor mooring system are being employed in the simulations, including the homogenously truncated mooring system, non-homogenously truncated mooring system and simplified truncated mooring system. A catenary moored semi-submersible operating at 1000 m water depth is presented. In addition, truncated mooring systems are proposed at the truncated water depth of 200 m. In order to explore the applicability of these truncated mooring systems, numerical simulations of the platform’s surge free decay interacting with three different styles of truncated mooring systems are studied in calm water. Furthermore, the mooring-induced damping of the truncated mooring systems is simulated in the regular wave. Finally, the platform motion responses and mooring line dynamics are simulated in irregular wave. All these simulations are implemented by employing full time domain coupled dynamic analysis, and the results are compared with those of the full depth simulations in the same cases. The results show that the mooring-induced damping plays a significant role in platform motion responses, and all truncated mooring systems are suitable for model tests with appropriate truncated mooring line diameters. However, a large diameter is needed for simplified truncated mooring lines. The suggestions are given to the selection of truncated mooring system for different situations as well as to the truncated mooring design criteria.

Probabilistic Analysis and Fatigue Damage Assessment of Offshore Mooring System due to Non-Gaussian Bimodal Tension Processes

Both wave-frequency(WF) and low-frequency(LF) components of mooring tension are in principle non-Gaussian due to nonlinearities in the dynamic system.This paper conducts a comprehensive investigation of applicable probability density functions(PDFs) of mooring tension amplitudes used to assess mooring-line fatigue damage via the spectral method.Short-term statistical characteristics of mooring-line tension responses are firstly investigated,in which the discrepancy arising from Gaussian approximation is revealed by comparing kurtosis and skewness coefficients.Several distribution functions based on present analytical spectral methods are selected to express the statistical distribution of the mooring-line tension amplitudes.Results indicate that the Gamma-type distribution and a linear combination of Dirlik and Tovo-Benasciutti formulas are suitable for separate WF and LF mooring tension components.A novel parametric method based on nonlinear transformations and stochastic optimization is then proposed to increase the effectiveness of mooring-line fatigue assessment due to non-Gaussian bimodal tension responses.Using time domain simulation as a benchmark,its accuracy is further validated using a numerical case study of a moored semi-submersible platform.

Nonlinear Coupled Analysis of a Single Point Mooring System

Coupled effects on a single point mooring(SPM) system subjected to the combined action of wind,waves and current are studied in this paper. Due to the complicatedness of the sea state and the huge size of the vessel,physical experimental study is both time consuming and uneconomical,whereas the numerical study is cost-effective and DNV software provides powerful SESAM software in solving the issues. This paper focuses on the modeling process of the SPM system,catenary equilibrium calculation,static analysis of the vessel in three different scenarios,and dynamic response simulation of the SPM system under environmental excitations. The three scenarios in study are as follows:the SPM is under the combined function of(a) wind,waves and current,(b) wind and waves,(c) current and waves. They are so set that one can compare the contributions of different types of loads in both static and dynamic studies. Numerical study shows that wind and current are the two major factors contributing to the mooring line tension,and surge and sway are the two dominant motions of the moored vessel subjected to environmental excitations.

A Mooring System Deployment Design Methodology for Vessels at Varying Water Depths

In this paper,a methodology for designing mooring system deployment for vessels at varying water depths is proposed.The Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II(NSGA-II)is combined with a self-dependently developed vessel-mooring coupled program to find the optimal mooring system deployment considering both station-keeping requirements and the safety of the mooring system.Two case studies are presented to demonstrate the methodology by designing the mooring system deployments for a very large floating structure(VLFS)module and a semi-submersible platform respectively at three different water depths.It can be concluded from the obtained results that the mooring system can achieve a better station-keeping ability with relatively shorter mooring line when deployed in the shallow water.The safety factor of mooring line is mainly dominated by the maximum instantaneous tension increment in the shallow water,while the pre-tension has a decisive influence on the safety factor of the mooring line in the deep water.

Dynamic Response Analysis of a Floating Mooring System

An innovative floating mooring system with two or more independent floating mooring platforms in the middle and one rigid platform on each side is proposed for improving efficiency and safety in shallow water. For this new system, most of collision energy is absorbed through the displacement of floating platforms. In order to illustrate the validity of the system, a series of model tests were conducted at a scale of 1:40. The coupled motion characteristics of the floating mooring platforms were discussed under regular and irregular waves, and the influences of wave direction and other characteristics on dynamic response of the system were analyzed. The results show that the mooring system is safest at 0° of wave incident angle, whereas the most dangerous mooring state occurs at 90° of wave incident angle. Motion responses increase with the increase of wave height, but are not linearly related to changes in wave height.

Design Curves for Mooring Lines of Turret Mooring Systems

This paper presents a series of design curves to aid in the selection of turret mooring systems for tankers based Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) systems. These curves are appropriate to water depths ranging from 100 m to 600 m. The curves can be used as a preliminary design tool, allowing the designer to quickly evaluate alternative mooring system configurations, including the number of mooring lines, the characteristics of chain and wire rope to be deployed and the. initial tension. With a knowledge of the total environmental force and vessel motion characteristics, the designer can determine the appropriate system for closer evaluation.

Study on the Characteristics of A New Hybrid Mooring System for DualPlatform Joint Operations

As the sustainable exploitation of marine resources develops,dual-platform joint operation has caught increasing attention.Dual-platform joint operation requires smaller relative motion between the two sub-platforms,which is normally difficult to be satisfied by the traditional mooring system.Therefore,a new hybrid mooring system is developed and studied in this article.To ensure safety during platform movements,both the number of anchor chains and the relative motion between the two sub-platforms are reduced in the new hybrid mooring system.By performing numerical simulations based on three-dimensional potential flow theory in AQWA and physical experiments,the performances of both the new hybrid and traditional mooring systems under two different wave conditions(i.e.,working wave and freak wave conditions) are systematically investigated.Regarding the new hybrid mooring system,the relative stability between the two sub-platforms of the new system is better,and the platforms can restore stability faster when affected by freak waves.

Investigation on Optimization Design of an Equivalent Water Depth Truncated Mooring System Based on INSGA-Ⅱ

At present,equivalent water depth truncated mooring system optimization design is regarded as the priority of hybrid model testing for deep sea platforms,and will replace the full depth system test in the future.Compared with the full depth system,the working depth and span are smaller in the truncated one,and the other characteristics maintain more consistency as well.In this paper,an inner turret moored floating production storage ＆ offloading system（FPSO） which works at a water depth of 320m,was selected to be a research example while the truncated water depth was 80m.Furthermore,an improved non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm（INSGA-II） was selected to optimally calculate the equivalent water depth truncated system,considering the stress condition of the total mooring system in both the horizontal and vertical directions,as well as the static characteristic similarity of the representative single mooring line.The results of numerical calculations indicate that the mathematical model is feasible,and the optimization method is fast and effective.

The motion performance and mooring system of deepwater semi-submersible drilling unit

This paper analyzes the motion performance and mooring system of deepwater semi-submersible drilling unit in the district of the South China Sea using the MOSES procedure system. After the 3-D panel model of the unit was built, the 3-D diffraction-radiation theory was used to obtain the hydrodynamic loads on the wet surfaces and the response amplitude operators （RAO） of the unit. According to the environmental data, the short-term motion response to motion performance of the unit is predicted by the spectral method. Then a time-domain calculation was done to analyze the motion of the unit with its mooring system. The research results can be a reference for the model test of unit.