Static Analysis of Collision Strength of Offshore Platform

In this paper a numerical analysis method combining FEM incemental technique with limit analysis concept is proposed for the study of the static strength of offshore platform in collision. Large deformation and plasticity are accounted for and the limit yield surface expressed by generalized stress for a tubular section is derived. The modified stiffness matrix of space beam element is formulated by Plastic Node Method. The buckling behavior of beam columns can also be taken into account. It can trace the generation of plastic hinges during loading and finally the ultimate strength of offshore platform against collision is obtained.

Application of GNSS-PPP on Dynamic Deformation Monitoring of Offshore Platforms

The real-time dynamic deformation monitoring of offshore platforms under environmental excitation is crucial to their safe operation.Although Global Navigation Satellite System-Precise Point Positioning(GNSS-PPP)has been considered for this purpose,its monitoring accuracy is relatively low.Moreover,the influence of background noise on the dynamic monitoring accuracy of GNSS-PPP remains unclear.Hence,it is imperative to further validate the feasibility of GNSS-PPP for deformation monitoring of offshore platforms.To address these concerns,vibration table tests with different amplitudes and frequencies are conducted.The results demonstrate that GNSS-PPP can effectively monitor horizontal vibration displacement as low as±30 mm,which is consistent with GNSS-RTK.Furthermore,the spectral characteristic of background noise in GNSS-PPP is similar to that of GNSS-RTK(Real Time Kinematic).Building on this observation,an improved Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise(CEEMDAN)has been proposed to de-noise the data and enhance the dynamic monitoring accuracy of GNSS-PPP.Field monitoring application research is also undertaken,successfully extracting and analyzing the dynamic deformation of an offshore platform structure under environmental excitation using GNSS-PPP monitoring in conjunction with improved CEEMDAN de-noising.By comparing the de-noised dynamic deformation trajectories of the offshore platform during different periods,it is observed that the platform exhibits reversible alternating vibration responses under environmental excitation,with more pronounced displacement deformation in the direction of load action.The research results confirm the feasibility and potential of GNSS-PPP for dynamic deformation monitoring of offshore platforms.

Condition Assessment Techniques for Aged Fixed-Type Offshore Platforms Considering Decommissioning:a Historical Review

In this study,the technical papers on structural condition assessment of aged fixed-type offshore platforms reported over the past few decades are presented.Other ancillary related works are also discussed.Large numbers of researches are available in the area of requalification for life extension of offshore jacket platforms.Many of these studies involve reassessment of existing platforms by means of conducting pushover analysis,a static nonlinear collapse analysis method to evaluate the structure nonlinear behaviour and capacity beyond the elastic limit.From here,the failure mechanism and inherent reserve strength/capacity of the overall truss structure are determined.This method of doing reassessment is described clearly in the industry-adopted codes and standards such the API,ISO,PTS and NORSOK codes.This may help understand the structural behaviour of aged fixed offshore jacket structures for maintenance or decommissioning.

Calibration of LRFD Format for Steel Jacket Offshore Platforms in China Offshore Area(1) :Statistical Parameters of Loads and Resistances

The statistical characteristics and parameters of loads and resistances are systematically studied for the development of probabilistic limit state design method for steel jacket offshore platforms in the China offshore area. The mean value, standard variance and distribution pattern of resistances and loads in different base perieds are presented. The statistical parameters of structural member resistance, self-weight, deck live load, and environmental loads such as wind, wave, current and ice, which are drawn on a large amount of observatian data of offshore environmental factors, and the design data of platforms in China Bohai Sea form the data set, providing a necessary basis for the calibration of load and resistance factors to realize the reliability-based design of jacket platform structures.

A Crashworthy Device Against Ship-OWT Collision and Its Protection Effects on the Tower of Offshore Wind Farms

At present, more and more offshore wind farms have been built anti ntnnerous projects are on the drawing tables. Therefore, the study on the safety of collision between ships and offshore wind turbines （OWT） is of great practical signifieance. The present study takes the advantage of the famous LS-DYNA explicit code to simulate the dynamic proeess of the collision between a typical 3MW offshore wind turbine model with monopile fi）undation and a simplified 2000t-class ship model. In the simulation, the added mass effect of the ship, contact nonlinearity of collision, material nonlinearity of steel and aluminum foam and adaptive mesh tectmique for large structure deformation have been taken into considera- tion. Proposed is a crashworthy device for OWF of new conceptual steel sphere shell-cireular ring aluminum foam pad, and the good pe.rfurmanee of the device under the conditions of ship-OWT front impact and side impact has been verified from the views of theoretical analysis and numerical results. The new crashworthy device can effectively smooth the contact force and reduce the top structure dynamic response, using its own structure plastic deformation to absorb most of the ship collision enerty. As a result, the main structure of the OWF and the inside key electric control equipments can be saved by scarifying the structural plastic deformation of new sphere crashworthy device. What is more, the sphere configuratiun design of the crashworthy device can effectively guide the ship to run away from the main OWT structure and reduce the damage of the ship and OWT to some degree during side impact.

A Global Reliability Assessment Method on Aging Offshore Platforms with Corrosion and Cracks

Corrosion and fatigue cracks are major threats to the structural integrity of aging offshore platforms. For the rational estimation of the safety levels of aging platforms, a global reliability assessment approach for aging offshore platforms with corrosion and fatigue cracks is presented in this paper. The base shear capacity is taken as the global ultimate strength of the offshore platforms. It is modeled as a random process that decreases with time in the presence of corrosion and fatigue crack propagation. And the corrosion and fatigue crack growth rates in the main members and key joints are modeled as random variables. A simulation method of the extreme wave loads which are applied to the structures of offshore platforms is proposed too. Furthermore, the statistics of global base shear capacity and extreme wave loads are obtained by Monte Carlo simulation method. On the basis of the limit state equation of global failure mode, the instantaneous reliability and time dependent reliability assessment methods are both presented in this paper. Finally the instantaneous reliability index and time dependent failure probability of a jacket platform are estimated with different ages in the demonstration example.

Seismic Response Reduction for Fixed Offshore Platform by Tuned Liquid Damper

An approach to seismic response reduction for offshore platforms by the use of the tuned liquid damper is presented in this paper. First of all, the effects of the tuned frequency ratio and excited frequency ratio on the seismic response reduction of the platform structure are investigated. Based on the results, a mechanical model and equation of motion for the TLD-platform system are established. And then effectiveness of the appraoch is verified by numerical calculation.

Numerical Simulation of Float-Over Installation for Offshore Platform

In this paper,a numerical investigation of a float-over installation for an offshore platform is presented to verify the feasibility of the actual installation.The hydrodynamic performance of a T-barge is investigated in the frequency domain,and the coupled motions are analyzed in the time domain.We then compare with those of the model test and determine that the response amplitude operator and the time series agree quite well.The barge exhibits favorable hydrodynamic behavior in the considered sea state,and the equipment loads are allowable.Themooring systemand sway fender forces are within the permissible range.Based on these results,we can verify that the actual installation of the offshore platform is feasible.We accurately simulated many important factors and effectively reduced the risk associated with the offshore installation,which is of great importance.As such,we demonstrate that the numerical simulation of the float-over installation for offshore platforms has practical engineering significance.

Dynamic Simulation on Collision Between Ship and Offshore Wind Turbine

By using ABAQUS/Explicit, the dynamic process of an offshore wind turbine(OWT) stricken by a ship of 5000DWT in the front direction is simulated. The OWT is located on a large-scale prestressing bucket foundation constructed by an integrated installation technique. According to the simulation results, under the ship collision, a certain range of plastic zone appears within a local area of arc transition structure of the bucket foundation, and the concrete plastic zone is seriously damaged. As the stress level of OWT tower is relatively low, the OWT tower is less affected. A great inertial force is generated at the top of the OWT tower as the mass of nacelle and blades is up to 400 t. The displacement of the tower is in the opposite direction of the ship collision at the end of 1 s under the action of inertial force. There is only a minor damage in the ship bow. Most of the kinetic energy is transformed into the plastic dissipation and absorbed by the arc transition structure of bucket foundation.

Semi-Active TLCD Control of Fixed Offshore Platforms Using Artifical Neural Networks

In this paper, the control method for fixed offshore platforms using semi-active tuned liquid column damper (TLCD) is presented. The equation of motion for the platform-TLCD control system is given and the semi-active control strategy is established. A back propagation artificial neural network (ANN) is used to adjust the orifice opening of TLCD because of the nonlinear motion of liquid in TLCD. The effectiveness of the control method is verified by numerical examples.

Ship collision impact on the structural load of an offshore wind turbine

When a maintenance and operations ship is berthing,there is a chance the ship may collide into the wind turbine.When these ships collide into wind turbine structures,this can result in significant changes to the foundation and structure of the wind turbine.In this paper,the structural load of a 4 MW offshore wind turbine was analyzed during a collision with an operations and maintenance ship.The variations in the wind speeds on hub height,waves,and the sea currents were measured.The dynamic simulation of the wind turbine was carried out using the test data as the input parameters.As a result,the load condition of the turbine without a collision was obtained.Finally,the measured turbine load was compared with the simulation results.This study shows that the collision of the operation and the maintenance ship increases the bending moments at the tower’s bottom and the blade’s roots.

Study on Collision Characters for SPAR Platform

This paper presents the research on the external mechanism of collision characters for a SPAR platform. The collision characters of SPAR platform have not attracted so much attention as that of ships in the past, because short of this kind of collision accidents reported. But with the increasing number of SPAR platforms in the world, the possibility of such kind of accident also increases. Therefore, it is necessary to master the character of SPAR collision. Model test technique is employed to study the external mechanism. The collision scenario is a ship colliding with a SPAR platform moored in the site with 1500 meters water depth. The striking ship hits the SPAR platform on the hard tank near water surface in its longitudinal direction. The specifics of the SPAR＇s motions and the tension forces of the mooring lines are collected to summarize the hydrodynamic characters in the collision scenario. It is found that the maximal displacements and the maximal pitch angles of the SPAR platform, and the maximal tension forces of mooring lines are all linearly proportional to the initial velocity of the striking ship basically. Mooring lines play elastic roles in the collision course.

A new bracing system for improvement of seismic performance of steel jacket type offshore platforms with float-over-deck

In this paper, the seismic response of a newly designed steel jacket offshore platform with a float over deck （FOD） system in the Persian Gulf was investigated through incremental dynamic analysis. Comparison of incremental dynamic analysis results for both directions of the platform shows that the lateral strength of the platform in the float over direction is less than its lateral strength in other direction. Dynamic characteristics measurement of a scale model of platform was also performed using forced vibration tests. From experimental measurement of the scaled model, it was observed that dynamic characteristic of the platform is different in the float over direction compared to the other direction. Therefore, a new offshore installed bracing system for the float over direction was proposed for improvement of seismic performance of this type of platform. Finally, the structure with the modified system was assessed using the probabilistic seismic assessment method as well as experimental measurement of its dynamic characteristics. It was observed that the proposed offshore installed bracing system improves the performance of platforms subjected to strong ground motion.

Dynamic Plastic Analysis of Ship-Platform Collision

This paper studies intensively the problems of ship-platform collision. The ship and platform are treated as one structural system connected with spring elements and then motion equation of the collision system is established. A nonlinear force-displacement relationship is derived for the simulation of local dent in a hit member and the yield surface of a dented tubular section is developed to consider the reduction of load carrying capacity of hit members. Large deformations, plasticity and strain-hardening of the beam-column element are taken into account by combining the elastic large displacement analysis theory with the plastic node method. The effect of the hydrodynamic forces acting on the platform, the rubber fender the property of the local dent and the buckling behavior of beam-column on collision are analyzed. The numerical simulation of the nonlinear dynamic response is carried out by Wilson theta method with updated Newton-Raphson iteration. And the numerical example of the dynamic response of a offshore platform in ship-platform collision is also present.

Investigation of Allowable Stresses for Fatigue Design of Fixed Offshore Platforms

Fatigue design method is usually used for estimating whether a platform structure meets the requirements of fatigue resistance. It is described in API RP-2A and ZC rules for fixed offshore platforms, in which the allowable stresses for fatigue design are defined. In this paper discussed are the allowable stresses related factors, such as wave climate, structural response, fatigue behaviour of structural members.

An Improved CHC Algorithm for Damage Diagnosis of Offshore Platforms

An improved CHC algorithm is proposed in the paper and it could be used for the damage diagnosis of structures. It breaks the bottle neck of genetic algorithm in the damage diagnosis of large structures and takes a shorter time than the SGA (Stan- dard Genetic Algorithm) in diagnosing structural damage with the same level of error. The case studies show that the algorithm is rapid in convergence and produces satisfactory results in diagnosing both fixed-end beams and jacket offshore platforms.

Stochastic Response Analysis of Piled Offshore Platform Excited by Stationary Filtered White Noise

In this paper, the analysis method of stochastic response of piled offshore platform excited by stationary filtered white noise is presented. With this method, the strong ground motion is considered as three direction stationary filtered white noise process, the theoretic solutions of three special integration equations are derived with the residue theorem, and the expression of response nodal displacements and member forces of offshore platform excited by the stationary filtered white noise is put forward. The stochastic response of a piled offshore platform excited by the stationary filtered white noise, which is located 114.3 m in water depth, is computed. The results are compared with those obtained with the response spectrum analysis method and the stationary white noise model analysis method, and the corresponding conclusion is drawn.

A preliminary study on seismic design criteria of offshore platforms in Bohai Sea of China

This paper analyzes the seismicity in Bohai Sea,introducing a shape factor K to characterize the seismic risk distribution in sub-regions of the sea. Based on the seismic design ground motions for 46 platforms located in the Bohai Sea,a statistical analysis was performed for different peak ground acceleration (PGA) ratios at two different probability levels. In accordance with the two-stage design method,a scheme of two seismic design levels is proposed,and two seismic design objectives are established respectively for the strength level earthquake and the ductility level earthquake. By analogy with and comparison to the Chinese seismic design code for buildings,it is proposed that the probability level for the strength level earthquake and ductility level earthquake have a return period of 200 and 1000 - 2500 years,respectively. The validity of these proposed values is discussed. Finally,the PGAs corresponding to these two probability levels are calculated for different sub-regions of the Bohai Sea.

Collision Analysis Between Spudcan and Seabed During the Process of Jack-up Platform Lowering Jack-up Legs

In the leg-lowering process,the offshore jack-up platform is in a floating state,and the spudcan may collide with the seabed due to the platform motion in waves,thereby threatening the safety and stability of the platform.This paper first analyzed the hydrodynamic response of a jack-up platform under different sea states.Then a finite-element model was established which considered the material and geometrical nonlinearity in the structure and the nonlinear interaction between soil and structure to investigate the collision response between the spudcan and seabed during lowering jack-up legs.The results show that the dynamic response of the platform decreases and gradually tends to be stable as the wave period increases.The motion response of the platform reach the largest value when the wave period is 8 s and the wave direction is 0°.The collision angle between the spudcan and seabed has a large influence on the collision response,while the velocity of leg-lowering has little influence on the collision response.The collision response is also significantly affected by soil conditions.For clay,the increase in undrained shear strength and Young’s modulus will increase the impact force.

Finite Element Method for Design of Reinforced Concrete Offshore Platforms

A design method of reinforced concrete (R. C.) offshore platforms with nonlinear finite element analysis is proposed. According to the method, a computer program is developed. In this program nonlinear constitutive relationships and strength criteria of concrete and steel bars are included, and the progressive cracking and crushing of the concrete are taken into account. Based on the stress distribution obtained by the nonlinear finite element analysis, the amount of reinforcement in the control sections can be computed and adjusted automatically by the program to satisfy the requirement of the design. The amount of reinforcement required in the control sections, which are obtained with the nonlinear finite element analysis, is agreeable to that obtained in the experiment. This shows that the design method of R. C. offshore platform with the nonlinear finite element method proposed by the authors is reliable for practical use.