North Sea Mooring Systems: How Reliable Are They?

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Brindley ◽  
Andrew P. Comley
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Recent Decade ◽  
Mooring Line ◽  
Mooring System ◽  
Failure Rates ◽  
Floating Structure ◽  
Strength Capacity ◽  
Failure Statistics ◽  
Overall Reliability

In recent years a number of high profile mooring failures have emphasised the high risk nature of this element of a floating structure. Semi-submersible Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) operating in the harsh North Sea environment have experienced approximately 3 mooring failures every 2 years, based on an average population of 34 units. In recognition of the high mooring failure rates, the HSE has introduced recommendations for more stringent mooring strength requirements for units operating on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) [17]. Although strength requirements are useful to assess the suitability of a mooring design, they do not provide an insight into the question: what is the reliability of the mooring system? This paper aims to answer this question by evaluating failure statistics over the most recent decade of available data. Mooring failure rates are compared between the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), the UKCS, and with industry code targets to understand how overall reliability is related to the strength capacity of a mooring system. The failure statistics suggest that a typical MODU operating in the UKCS would experience a mooring line failure in heavy weather approximately every 20 operating years. This failure rate appears to be several orders of magnitude greater than industry targets used to calibrate mooring codes. Despite the increased strength requirements for the NCS, failure rates do not appear to be lower than the UKCS. This suggests that reliability does not correlate well with mooring system strength. As a result, designing to meet the more rigorous HSE requirements, which would require extensive upgrades to existing units, may not significantly increase mooring system reliability. This conclusion needs to be supported with further investigation of failure statistics in both the UKCS and NCS. In general, work remains to find practical ways to further understand past failures and so improve overall reliability.

A Concise Methodology for the Design of Statically-Equivalent Deep-Offshore Mooring Systems

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ikpoto E. Udoh
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Dynamic Responses ◽  
Mooring Line ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Mooring System ◽  
Static Properties ◽  
Floating Structure ◽  
Restoring Forces

Model testing of deepwater offshore structures often requires the use of statically-equivalent deepwater mooring systems. The need for such equivalent systems arises due to the spatial limitations of wave basins in accommodating the dimensions of the direct-scaled mooring system. With the equivalent mooring system in place and connected to the model floater, the static global restoring forces and global stiffness of the prototype floating structure can be matched (to within some tolerance) by those of the model for specified offsets in the required degrees of freedom. A match in relevant static properties of the system provides the basis for comparisons of dynamic responses of the model and prototype floaters. Although some commercial programs are capable of designing equivalent mooring systems, the physics applied in these programs are protected by intellectual property, and their methodologies are generally inflexible. This paper illustrates a concise approach to the design of statically-equivalent deepwater mooring systems. With this approach, either manual or advanced optimization techniques can be applied as needed based on the complexity of the equivalent system to be designed. A simple iterative scheme is applied in solving the elastic catenary equations for the optimal static configuration of each mooring line. Discussions cover the approach as applied in developing a fit-for-purpose tool called STAMOORSYS, its validation, and its application to the design of an equivalent mooring system for a spar platform in deepwater. The spar model parameters are representative of a structure which could be tested in the Offshore Technology Research Center, College Station, Texas, USA. Results show that the method is capable of producing good design solutions using manual optimization and a genetic algorithm.

Numerical Investigation on Interaction Between a Semi-Submersible Platform and its Mooring System

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanchuan Liu ◽  
Yao Peng ◽  
Decheng Wan
Keyword(s):  
Mooring Line ◽  
Mooring System ◽  
Floating Structure ◽  
Mooring Lines ◽  
Flow Solver ◽  
Floating Structures ◽  
Marine Renewable Energy ◽  
Motion Responses ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Energy Engineering

With the increasing demand of floating structures in offshore, coastal and marine renewable energy engineering, the interaction between the mooring system and floating structure becomes more and more important. In this paper, motion responses of a semi-submersible platform with mooring system under regular wave conditions are investigated numerically by a viscous flow solver naoe-FOAM-SJTU based on the open source toolbox OpenFOAM. Influence of the mooring system on the platform motion responses is evaluated in two different ways. Investigations are covered for analysis methods adopted for solving mooring lines and the length of each part of a multi-component mooring line. Several important conclusions are drawn.

Mooring System Calibration of the Intact Condition, Ultimate Limit State (ULS)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torfinn Hørte ◽  
Siril Okkenhaug ◽  
Øivind Paulshus
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Reliability Analysis ◽  
Time Domain ◽  
Structural Reliability ◽  
Mooring Line ◽  
Mooring System ◽  
Safety Factors ◽  
Reliability Level ◽  
Norwegian Continental Shelf

Structural reliability analysis (SRA) has been used to calculate the probability of mooring line failure in an intact mooring system as a function of the magnitude of the safety factor applied in design. A range of different units have been considered, comprising ship shaped units and semisubmersibles at different water depths from 100 m to 2200 m. Environmental conditions representative for the Norwegian continental shelf and the Gulf of Mexico are used in the analyses, and the characteristics of the results in the different environments are compared and discussed. Analyses for Brazilian environment are currently ongoing, but not included here. Time domain analysis is applied to obtain the short-term, extreme value distribution of line tension, conditional on stationary metocean conditions. A large number of different conditions are considered. A response surface is used to interpolate on the distribution parameters in order to describe the tension response in varying conditions. Joint probabilistic models of the metocean environment corresponding to the different geographical locations have been applied, taking account of wind, wave and current and their respective heading angles. A continuous model is used for the metocean conditions at the Norwegian continental shelf, whereas a hurricane model is used in the Gulf of Mexico. The effects of uncertainties in the response calculation are included. The mooring line component strength is based on strength data from break load tests. Conventional catenary chain-wire chain systems as well as polyester moorings are considered. With the probability of failure as a function of the safety factor, it is shown that present regulations result in a significant scatter in reliability level between the cases. Safety factors have been calibrated considering all cases. Alternative design formats are proposed and tested including a format with 2 safety factors. Calibration results are provided as a function of the target reliability level. The final recommendation on target reliability level is given in an accompanying paper at OMAE 2017, comprising both the ULS and the ALS. It is demonstrated that alternative design formats can provide a more consistent safety level across the cases. A different design philosophy is needed for the Gulf of Mexico in order to achieve acceptable risk. Options for design are discussed. The present work provides a unique and comprehensive set of results, where advanced reliability methods are used in combination with detailed response calculations in the time domain. The results provide a basis for calibration of mooring design for ULS and subsequently for regulators to update their rules. The work has been carried out as part of the NorMoor Joint Industry Project, with participants from oil companies, engineering companies, rig-owners, manufacturers and marine authorities. This paper is the first one in a series of three at OMAE 2017, where the second deals with structural reliability analysis of the ALS and the third one provides summary and recommendations for safe mooring design in ULS and ALS.

Optimization of Mooring System for Multi-Arrayed Tidal Turbines in a Strong Current Area

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-ho Rho ◽  
Chul-hee Jo ◽  
Do-youb Kim
Keyword(s):  
Power Systems ◽  
Tidal Current ◽  
Mooring Line ◽  
Limited Area ◽  
Mooring System ◽  
Ocean Energy ◽  
Floating Structure ◽  
Energy Potential ◽  
Mooring Lines ◽  
Floating Structures

Recently, focus has been placed on ocean energy resources as environmental concerns regarding the exploitation of hydrocarbons are increasing. The enormous energy potential in tidal current power fields has been exploited by installing floating tidal current power turbines. Due to other floating structures operating within a limited area, stationkeeping is needed in order to keep the motions of the floating structures within permissible limits. In this study, methods for selecting and optimizing the mooring system for floating tidal current power systems in shallow water are investigated. The mooring system provides restoring forces and moments on a floating structure, pulling the structure back toward its equilibrium position. Typically, the mooring lines are segmented in order to optimize the force and displacement characteristics known as the mooring line characteristics. The mooring system concepts investigated in this study include the distributed mass, clump weight, and buoyancy element mooring systems.

scholarly journals Transient Responses Evaluation of FPSO with Different Failure Scenarios of Mooring Lines

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Dongsheng Qiao ◽  
Binbin Li ◽  
Jun Yan ◽  
Yu Qin ◽  
Haizhi Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Condition ◽  
Mooring Line ◽  
Mooring System ◽  
Transient Effects ◽  
Floating Platform ◽  
Transient Responses ◽  
Mooring Lines ◽  
Performance Deterioration ◽  
Steady State Responses ◽  
Influence Process

During the long-term service condition, the mooring line of the deep-water floating platform may fail due to various reasons, such as overloading caused by an accidental condition or performance deterioration. Therefore, the safety performance under the transient responses process should be evaluated in advance, during the design phase. A series of time-domain numerical simulations for evaluating the performance changes of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) with different broken modes of mooring lines was carried out. The broken conditions include the single mooring line or two mooring lines failure under ipsilateral, opposite, and adjacent sides. The resulting transient and following steady-state responses of the vessel and the mooring line tensions were analyzed, and the corresponding influence mechanism was investigated. The accidental failure of a single or two mooring lines changes the watch circle of the vessel and the tension redistribution of the remaining mooring lines. The results indicated that the failure of mooring lines mainly influences the responses of sway, surge, and yaw, and the change rule is closely related to the stiffness and symmetry of the mooring system. The simulation results could give a profound understanding of the transient-effects influence process of mooring line failure, and the suggestions are given to account for the transient effects in the design of the mooring system.

Experimental Investigation vs Numerical Simulation of the Dynamic Response of a Moored Floating Structure to Waves

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Dessi ◽  
Sara Siniscalchi Minna
Keyword(s):  
Dynamical Behavior ◽  
Irregular Waves ◽  
Mooring Line ◽  
Floating Structure ◽  
Mooring Lines ◽  
Wave Energy Converters ◽  
Time Histories ◽  
Actual Configuration ◽  
Proper Orthogonal ◽  
Dynamic Wave

A combined numerical/theoretical investigation of a moored floating structure response to incoming waves is presented. The floating structure consists of three bodies, equipped with fenders, joined by elastic cables. The system is also moored to the seabed with eight mooring lines. This corresponds to an actual configuration of a floating structure used as a multipurpose platform for hosting wind-turbines, aquaculture farms or wave-energy converters. The dynamic wave response is investigated with numerical simulations in regular and irregular waves, showing a good agreement with experiments in terms of time histories of pitch, heave and surge motions as well as of the mooring line forces. To highlight the dynamical behavior of this complex configuration, the proper orthogonal decomposition is used for extracting the principal modes by which the moored structure oscillates in waves giving further insights about the way waves excites the structure.

Validation of Mooring Simulations (for Mooring Integrity Assessment) With In-Service Tension Measurements

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willemijn Pauw ◽  
Remco Hageman ◽  
Joris van den Berg ◽  
Pieter Aalberts ◽  
Hironori Yamaji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Models ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Mooring Line ◽  
Mooring System ◽  
Mooring Lines ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Motion Data ◽  
Load Cells ◽  
Line Loads

Abstract Integrity of mooring system is of high importance in the offshore industry. In-service assessment of loads in the mooring lines is however very challenging. Direct monitoring of mooring line loads through load cells or inclinometers requires subsea installation work and continuous data transmission. Other solutions based on GPS and motion monitoring have been presented as solutions to overcome these limitations [1]. Monitoring solutions based on GPS and motion data provide good practical benefits, because monitoring can be conducted from accessible area. The procedure relies on accurate numerical models to model the relation between global motions and response of the mooring system. In this paper, validation of this monitoring approach for a single unit will be presented. The unit under consideration is a turret-moored unit operating in Australia. In-service measurements of motions, GPS and line tensions are available. A numerical time-domain model of the mooring system was created. This model was used to simulate mooring line tensions due to measured FPSO motions. Using the measured unit response avoids the uncertainty resulting from a prediction of the hydrodynamic response. Measurements from load cells in various mooring lines are available. These measurements were compared against the results obtained from the simulations for validation of the approach. Three different periods, comprising a total of five weeks of data, were examined in more detail. Two periods are mild weather conditions with different dominant wave directions. The third period features heavy weather conditions. In this paper, the data set and numerical model are presented. A comparison between the measured and numerically calculated mooring line forces will be presented. Differences between the calculated and measured forces are examined. This validation study has shown that in-service monitoring of mooring line loads through GPS and motion data provides a new opportunity for mooring integrity assessment with reduced monitoring system complexity.

scholarly journals Annual cycles of chlorophyll-<i>a</i>, non-algal suspended particulate matter, and turbidity observed from space and in-situ in coastal waters

Ocean Science ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 705-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Gohin
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Suspended Particulate Matter ◽  
Chlorophyll Concentration ◽  
Statistical Characteristics ◽  
Monitoring Networks ◽  
Suspended Particulate

Abstract. Sea surface temperature, chlorophyll, and turbidity are three variables of the coastal environment commonly measured by monitoring networks. The observation networks are often based on coastal stations, which do not provide a sufficient coverage to validate the model outputs or to be used in assimilation over the continental shelf. Conversely, the products derived from satellite reflectance generally show a decreasing quality shoreward, and an assessment of the limitation of these data is required. The annual cycle, mean, and percentile 90 of the chlorophyll concentration derived from MERIS/ESA and MODIS/NASA data processed with a dedicated algorithm have been compared to in-situ observations at twenty-six selected stations from the Mediterranean Sea to the North Sea. Keeping in mind the validation, the forcing, or the assimilation in hydrological, sediment-transport, or ecological models, the non-algal Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) is also a parameter which is expected from the satellite imagery. However, the monitoring networks measure essentially the turbidity and a consistency between chlorophyll, representative of the phytoplankton biomass, non-algal SPM, and turbidity is required. In this study, we derive the satellite turbidity from chlorophyll and non-algal SPM with a common formula applied to in-situ or satellite observations. The distribution of the satellite-derived turbidity exhibits the same main statistical characteristics as those measured in-situ, which satisfies the first condition to monitor the long-term changes or the large-scale spatial variation over the continental shelf and along the shore. For the first time, climatologies of turbidity, so useful for mapping the environment of the benthic habitats, are proposed from space on areas as different as the southern North Sea or the western Mediterranean Sea, with validation at coastal stations.

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