Mooring analysis of a weather vaning FPSO in bi-birectional sea states

• Published in: Volume 6: Materials Technology; C.C. Mei Symposium on Wave Mechanics and Hydrodynamics; Offshore Measurement and Data Interpretation
• Main Authors: Chillamcharia, G. K., Thiagarajan, K. P., Winsor, F.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: Bi-directional sea statesMoored Structure; Canada; Turret; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1115/OMAE2009-80053; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/accepted/?id=992bd8e8-f31e-4935-987e-45773c15321e; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=992bd8e8-f31e-4935-987e-45773c15321e; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=992bd8e8-f31e-4935-987e-45773c15321e

Experimental studies were carried out at the Institute for Ocean Technology, Canada, in collaboration with the University of Western Australia (UWA) to assess the response of a moored 1:60 scaled Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) model in bi-directional seastates. The seastates comprise of a regular swell approaching in the head sea condition, and a JONSWAP wind sea approaching at various angles. The FPSO was moored in position by four spring-loaded mooring lines attached to an internal turret about which the model could weathervane. Previous papers by the authors have described the unpredictable yaw instability of the FPSO driven by long period swells, which was evidenced in the experiments. This creates difficulties in comparing motions from unidirectional and bi-directional seas, because the headings alter the response. However, the mooring tensions are relatively immune to yaw instabilities and this paper discusses effects of bi-directional seas on the mooring tensions. Numerical simulations are conducted using a time domain analysis software which simulates the motions of floating and moored structures in response to irregular seas. Simulations based on the software when compared with model tests at 45, 60 and 90 deg separation between the sea and swell shows reasonable agreement in terms of mooring tensions. Simulations are then conducted for a range of separation angles, and the effects of bi-directionality are further evaluated. It is found that a linear addition of the individual seastates can produce non-conservative results, which reinforces the fact that bi-directional seastates are important considerations for offshore operations of an FPSO. Peer reviewed: No NRC publication: Yes