Abstract
One of the critical phases that drive allowable seastates during suction pile installation is the splash zone crossing (SPZC). Offshore experience shows that anticipated loads and slack events are often over predicted, which directly affect installation vessel operability. If conservatism is required to prevent damaging installation assets, a better risk balance is required to avoid unnecessary asset stand-by. Despite the above, basin tests have shown that the peak load/slack criteria can also be under-estimated with the current methodology which may lead to a dangerous situation offshore.
Because the applicable methodology is regardless of the installation crane capacity (i.e. slack) and because it does not account for the entrapped water dynamics, it cannot accurately predict the loads on the crane. We present here a physics based model of the free surface inside the suction pile that provides the loads applied on the crane while crossing the splash zone. This allows mitigation to be incorporated from day-1 of design phase and avoid late change from installation contractor while pile are fabricated and increase their vessel operability in the meantime. The model accounts for the entrapped air compressibility, the air/water flow through the pile openings, the vessel motion and the surrounding wave field. The numerical implementation has been performed in Python and packaged as an Orcaflex module. Some of the model physical parameters such as the opening pressure drop coefficients have been derived with the help of CFD. The impact of the free surface on the pile top cap is modelled as a polynomial function of the impact velocity and the coefficients values have been derived using CFD. The model has been validated against model tests and compared to field measurements and observations.
The numerical results have shown good agreement with both model tests and offshore measurements at a qualitative level (the observed phenomenon are properly reproduced) and at a quantitative level. The application of the validated model to projects will allow broadening of the operating envelope and the optimization of the installation vessel planning by reducing the standby time.
This new methodology shows some high potential and could be applied to projects on a more regular basis.
LARGE AND SMALL SCALE WAVE OVERTOPPING MEASUREMENTS FOR AFSLUITDIJK REHABILITATION PROJECT