Advances in Offshore Structural Analysis Using Response-Based Time-Domain Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johyun Kyoung ◽  
Sagar Samaria ◽  
Jeffrey O’Donnell ◽  
Sudhakar Tallavajhula

Abstract Demand for life extension assessments of floating offshore platforms continues to grow worldwide. Conventional structural analysis methods have limited ability to accurately capture non-linear environmental loading, non-linear loading by the mooring and riser systems, and resulting higher order hull responses. The uncertainties are typically managed by the factors of safety applied in the structural analysis. Time domain structural analyses have long promised to improve analysis accuracy and reduce these uncertainties. This paper describes a comprehensive and practical time domain structural analysis methodology applied to a deep-water semi-submersible-type floating platform including results for structural strength and fatigue. In addition, the time domain structural analysis was extended for use in fracture mechanics and the assessment of notional weld flaws to facilitate specification of impactful non-destructive examination (NDE). Present time domain structural analysis methodology employs a response-based finite element analysis (FEA) conducted in the time domain. All external environmental loads and inertial forces are converted to a response-based stress-time history. Previously, conventional time domain structural analysis involves massive computation resources to resolve solutions at every time interval. Present methodology significantly improves computational efficiency to be practical in real-world problems. The improvement is achieved by decomposing the structural response into a set of multiple load components selected on the bases of function for hull motion response and environmental loadings. Structural response in time domain is directly obtained by synthesizing the load components. An actual time domain structural response is captured effectively and efficiently to simulate the strength and fatigue criterion for the structure with consistent environmental loads and hull responses. Utilizing the level of detail provided by the time domain structural analysis methodology, a fracture mechanics evaluation of notional initial flaws (engineering criticality assessments – ECAs) can be conducted providing meaningful technical basis for in-service NDE and life extension assessments. The procedures for fatigue crack growth and fracture documented in BS 7910 were employed to derive the smallest initial flaws (critical initial flaws) that may result in structural failure during a facility's lifetime. A comparison indicates that conventional structural analysis methods provide conservative results for both structural strength and fatigue damage calculations resulting from the linear assumption of environmental loads and hull responses. Present time domain structural analysis methodology provides an innovative, cutting-edge approach providing accuracy and fewer uncertainties, which can be pragmatically used during a typical project.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey O’Donnell ◽  
Johyun Kyoung ◽  
Sagar Samaria ◽  
Anil Sablok

Abstract This paper presents a time-domain S-N fatigue analysis and an approach to reliable and robust engineering criticality assessments to supplement or provide an alternative to S-N fatigue assessments of offshore platform structures based on time domain structural response analysis. It also provides recommendations for industry standards to improve guidance for structural integrity assessments of offshore platforms using fracture mechanics. Demand continues to grow in the offshore industry to attain value from captured operational data for a number of purposes, including the reduction of uncertainties in structural integrity assessments during design and over the operational lifetime of floating offshore platforms. Recent advances in time domain structural analysis technology demonstrate substantially more accurate assessments of non-linear platform loadings and responses with enhanced computational efficiency. The current S-N approach for fatigue design and integrity assessments calculates a fatigue damage factor that does not address how loading occurs over time (ABS, DNVGL-RP-C203). For the present study, engineering criticality assessments (ECAs) based on fracture mechanics theory (BS 7910) are applied utilizing time-domain loading information theory. The ECA returns the smallest initial flaws that can grow to a critical size during a design lifetime, which can serve as an indicator of acceptability during design, a technical basis for in-service inspection intervals and facilitates asset integrity and life extension assessments. Critical initial flaws are calculated using the Paris Law (BS 7910) and cumulative fatigue crack growth in two ways: with and without an integrated and consistent check for fracture instability. The results are compared with those from S-N fatigue analyses and recommendations are provided.


Author(s):  
Fabien Bigot ◽  
François-Xavier Sireta ◽  
Eric Baudin ◽  
Quentin Derbanne ◽  
Etienne Tiphine ◽  
...  

Ship transport is growing up rapidly, leading to ships size increase, and particularly for container ships. The last generation of Container Ship is now called Ultra Large Container Ship (ULCS). Due to their increasing sizes they are more flexible and more prone to wave induced vibrations of their hull girder: springing and whipping. The subsequent increase of the structure fatigue damage needs to be evaluated at the design stage, thus pushing the development of hydro-elastic simulation models. Spectral fatigue analysis including the first order springing can be done at a reasonable computational cost since the coupling between the sea-keeping and the Finite Element Method (FEM) structural analysis is performed in frequency domain. On the opposite, the simulation of non-linear phenomena (Non linear springing, whipping) has to be done in time domain, which dramatically increases the computation cost. In the context of ULCS, because of hull girder torsion and structural discontinuities, the hot spot stress time series that are required for fatigue analysis cannot be simply obtained from the hull girder loads in way of the detail. On the other hand, the computation cost to perform a FEM analysis at each time step is too high, so alternative solutions are necessary. In this paper a new solution is proposed, that is derived from a method for the efficient conversion of full scale strain measurements into internal loads. In this context, the process is reversed so that the stresses in the structural details are derived from the internal loads computed by the sea-keeping program. First, a base of distortion modes is built using a structural model of the ship. An original method to build this base using the structural response to wave loading is proposed. Then a conversion matrix is used to project the computed internal loads values on the distortion modes base, and the hot spot stresses are obtained by recombination of their modal values. The Moore-Penrose pseudo-inverse is used to minimize the error. In a first step, the conversion procedure is established and validated using the frequency domain hydro-structure model of a ULCS. Then the method is applied to a non-linear time domain simulation for which the structural response has actually been computed at each time step in order to have a reference stress signal, in order to prove its efficiency.


Author(s):  
Yoshiyuki Inoue ◽  
Md. Kamruzzaman

The LNG-FPSO concept is receiving much attention in recent years, due to its active usage to exploit oil and gas resources. The FPSO offloads LNG to an LNG carrier that is located close to the FPSO, and during this transfer process two large vessels are in close proximity to each other for daylong periods of time. Due to the presence of neighboring vessel, the motion response of both the vessels will be affected significantly. Hydrodynamic interactions related to wave effects may result in unfavorable responses or the risk of collisions in a multi-body floating system. Not only the motion behavior but also the second order drift forces are influenced by the neighboring structures due to interactions of the waves among the structures. A study is made on the time domain analysis to assess the behavior and the operational capability of the FPSO system moored in the sea having an LNG carrier alongside under environmental conditions such as waves, wind and currents. This paper presents an analysis tool to predict the dynamic motion response and non-linear connecting and mooring forces on a parallel-connected LNG-FPSO system due to non-linear exciting forces of wave, wind and current. Simulation for the mooring performance is also investigated. The three-dimensional source-sink technique has been applied to obtain the radiation forces and the transfer function of wave exciting forces on floating multi-bodies. The hydrodynamic interaction effect between the FPSO and the LNG carrier is included to calculate the hydrodynamic forces. For the simulation of a random sea and also for the generation of time depended wind velocity, a fully probabilistic simulation technique has been applied. Wind and current loads are estimated according to OCIMF. The effects of variations in wave, wind and current loads and direction on the slowly varying oscillations of the LNG and FPSO are also investigated in this paper. Finally, some conclusions are drawn based on the numerical results obtained from the present time domain simulations.


Author(s):  
Jiajun Song ◽  
Ossama Abdelkhalik ◽  
Shangyan Zou

Abstract This paper presents an optimization approach to design ax-isymmetric wave energy converters (WECs) based on a nonlinear hydrodynamic model. This paper shows optimal nonlinear shapes of buoy can be generated by combing basic shapes in an optimal sense. The time domain non-linear Froude-Krylov force can be computed for a complex buoy shape, by adopting analytical formulas of its basic shape components. The time domain Forude-Krylov force is decomposed into its dynamic and static components, and then contribute to the calculation of the excitation force and the hydrostatic force. A non-linear control is assumed in the form of the combination of linear and nonlinear damping terms. A variable size genetic algorithm (GA) optimization tool is developed to search for the optimal buoy shape along with the optimal control coefficients simultaneously. Chromosome of the GA tool is designed to improve computational efficiency and to leverage variable size genes to search for the optimal non-linear buoy shape. Different criteria of wave energy conversion can be implemented by the variable size GA tool. Simulation results presented in this paper show that it is possible to find non-linear buoy shapes and non-linear controllers that take advantage of non-linear hydrodynamics to improve energy harvesting efficiency with out adding reactive terms to the system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 153 (A2) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Mortola ◽  
A Incecik ◽  
O Turan ◽  
S.E. Hirdaris

A non linear time domain formulation for ship motions and wave loads is presented and applied to the S175 containership. The paper describes the mathematical formulations and assumptions, with particular attention to the calculation of the hydrodynamic force in the time domain. In this formulation all the forces involved are non linear and time dependent. Hydrodynamic forces are calculated in the frequency domain and related to the time domain solution for each time step. Restoring and exciting forces are evaluated directly in time domain in a way of the hull wetted surface. The results are compared with linear strip theory and linear three dimensional Green function frequency domain seakeeping methodologies with the intent of validation. The comparison shows a satisfactory agreement in the range of small amplitude motions. A first approach to large amplitude motion analysis displays the importance of incorporating the non linear behaviour of motions and loads in the solution of the seakeeping problem.


2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1970-1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Ling ◽  
Zhao Feng ◽  
Daojin Yao ◽  
Xiaohui Xiao

In this paper, a position domain cross-coupled iterative learning controller combining proportional–integral–derivative (PID)-type iterative learning control (ILC) and proportional–derivative (PD)-type cross-coupling control (CCC) is presented aiming at non-linear contour tracking in multi-axis motion systems. Traditional individual control methods in the time domain suffer from poor synchronization of relevant motion axes. The complicated computation of coupling gains in CCC and cross-coupled ILC (CCILC) restricts their applications for non-linear contour. The proposed position domain CCILC (PDCCILC) approach introduces a position domain design concept into CCILC to improve synchronization and performance for non-linear contour tracking and it relies less on the accuracy of coupling gains than conventional CCILC. The stability and performance analysis are conducted using a lifted system representation. The contour error vector method is applied to estimate the coupling gains in simulations and experiments. Simulation and experimental results of three typical non-linear contour tracking cases (i.e. semi-circle, parabola and spiral) based on a two-axis micro-motion stage demonstrate superiority and efficacy of the proposed feedback PID and feedforward PDCCILC compared with existing ILC and CCILC in the time domain.


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