Experimental Study on Flexible Bare Pipe Arrays Undergoing Vortex-Induced Vibrations

Vortex-induced vibration (VIV) excited by current is a major contributor to the fatigue accumulation of marine risers. For deepwater operations, several risers are often arranged together in an array configuration. In this study, a set of four identical flexible pipes of a rectangular arrangement were tested in a water tunnel. By comparing the dynamic responses of a pipe in an array with that of a single isolated pipe, the effects of the current speed and the center-to-center distance between the up-stream and downstream pipes on their dynamic responses were investigated. Fatigue damages accumulated on each pipe in an array was calculated and a factor, termed “fatigue damage amplification factor”, was defined as a ratio between the fatigue damage rate of pipe in an array and the fatigue damage rate of a single pipe at a same current condition. The results showed that for bare pipes (i.e., without helical strakes), the downstream pipes in an array configuration may have larger dynamic responses and fatigue damage rates than those of a single pipe; and, it is not always conservative to assume that the fatigue damage rate estimated for a single pipe can be used to represent the fatigue damage rates of pipes in an array. This preliminary study provided some meaningful results for the design, analysis and operation of marine riser arrays.

A Flexible Connector Design for Multi-Modular Floating Structures

The paper aims to provide a novel flexible connector model for the connection of a multi-modular floating platform. The structural model of the connector is presented. To evaluate connector loads, the governing equation for a modularized floating platform is established using the Rigid Module Flexible Connector (RMFC) model. The dynamic analysis for a two-module floating platform is carried out by using the frequency domain approach in random waves and the extreme loads of the flexible connector are estimated. The finite element method is applied for strength and stiffness analysis to assess the performance of the connector.

Structural Dynamic Analysis of a Tidal Current Turbine Using MBDyn

In recent years, tidal current energy has gained wide attention for its abundant resource and environmentally friendly production. This study focuses on analyzing dynamic behavior of a three-bladed vertical axis tidal current turbine. The multibody dynamics code MBDyn is used in the numerical simulation. It performs the integrated simulation and analysis of nonlinear mechanical, aeroelastic, hydraulic and control problems by numerical integration. In this study, tidal current turbine is idealized as an assembly of flexible beams including axis of rotation, arms and blades. We firstly conduct a modal analysis on the tidal current turbine and validate the model with the results obtained by ANSYS. The natural frequencies of blades with different size parameters are compared and the corresponding mode shapes are presented. Next, a parametric study was performed to investigate the effect of internal force on the dynamic response. It is concluded that the proposed method is accurate and efficient for structural analysis of tidal current turbine and this flexible multibody model can be used in the fluid-structure-interaction analysis in the future.

Damage Detection of Offshore Platform Mooring Line Using Artificial Neural Network

Station-keeping using mooring lines is an important part of the design of floating offshore platforms, and has been used on most types of floating platforms, such as Spar, Semi-submersible, and FPSO. It is of great interest to monitor the integrity of the mooring lines to detect any damaged and/or failures. This paper presents a method to train an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for damage detection of mooring lines based on a patented methodology that uses detection of subtle shifts in the long drift period of a moored floating vessel as an indicator of mooring line failure, using only GPS monitoring. In case of an FPSO, the total mass or weight of the vessel is also used as a variable. The training of the ANN model employs a back-propagation learning algorithm and an automatic method for determination of ANN architecture. The input variables of the ANN model can be derived from the monitored motion of the platform by GPS (plus vessel’s total mass in case of an FPSO), and the output of the model is the identification of a specific damaged mooring line. The training and testing of the ANN model use the results of numerical analyses for a semi-submersible offshore platform with twenty mooring lines for a range of metocean conditions. The training data cover the cases of intact mooring lines and a damaged line for two selected adjacent lines. As an illustration, the evolution of the model at various training stages is presented in terms of its accuracy to detect and identify a damaged mooring line. After successful training, the trained model can detect with great fidelity and speed the damaged mooring line. In addition, it can detect accurately the damaged mooring line for sea states that are not included in the training. This demonstrates that the model can recognize and classify patterns associated with a damaged mooring line and separate them from patterns of intact mooring lines for sea states that are and are not included in the training. This study demonstrates a great potential for the use of a more general and comprehensive ANN model to help monitor the station keeping integrity of a floating offshore platform and the dynamic behavior of floating systems in order to forecast problems before they occur by detecting deviations in historical patterns.

Drilling Riser Disconnection Challenges in Ultra-Deep Water

With the extension of the offshore drilling operations to water depths of 10,000 ft and beyond, the technical challenges involved also increased considerably. In this context, the management of the riser integrity through the application of computational simulations is capital to a safe and successful operation — particularly in harsh environments. One of the main challenges associated with keeping the system under safe limits is the recoil behavior in case of a disconnection from the well. The risk that an emergency disconnect procedure can take place during the campaign is imminent, either due to failure of the dynamic positioning system or due to extreme weather in such environments. Recent work [1] in the field of drilling riser dynamic analysis has shown that the recoil behavior of the riser after a disconnection from the bottom can be one of the main drivers of the level of top tension applied. Tension fluctuations can be very large as the vessel heaves, especially in ultra-deep waters where the average level of top tension is already very high. In order to be successful, a safe disconnection must ensure that the applied top tension is sufficient for the Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP) to lift over the Blow-Out Preventer (BOP) with no risk of interference between the two. This tension should also not exceed a range in which the riser will not buckle due to its own recoil, that the telescopic joint will not collapse and transfer undesirable loads onto the drilling rig or that the tensioning lines will not compress. A good representation of such behavior in computational simulations is therefore very relevant to planning of the drilling campaign. A case study is presented herein, in which a recoil analysis was performed for a water depth of 11,483ft (3,500m). Numerical simulations using a finite element based methodology are applied for solving the transient problem of the riser disconnection in the time domain using a regular wave approach. A detailed hydro-pneumatic tensioning system model is incorporated to properly capture the effect of the anti-recoil valve closure and tension variations relevant during the disconnection. A reduction of conservativism is applied for the regular wave approach, where the maximum vessel heave likely to happen in every 50 waves is applied instead of the usual maximum in 1000 waves approach. ISO/TR 13624-2 [4] states that using the most probable maximum heave in 1000 waves is considered very conservative, as the event of the disconnection takes place in a very short period of time. The challenges inherent to such an extreme site are presented and conclusions are drawn on the influence of the overall level of top tension in the recoil behavior.

Discussions on the Convergence of the Seakeeping Simulations Based on the Panel Methods

Numerical problems related to the convergence of the classical panel methods which are employed for the diffraction-radiation simulations are discussed. It is well known that, for the panel methods, the convergence issues are not exclusively related to the physical parameters (wave length, body shape, draught ...) but also to the one purely numerical phenomenon which occurs when the Boundary Integral Equation Method (BIEM) based on the use of Kelvin (wave) type Green’s function is used. Indeed, due to the fact that the Green’s function satisfies the free surface condition in the whole fluid domain below z = 0, the numerical solution is polluted, at some particular frequencies, by the solution of the unphysical problem inside the body. This phenomenon which is purely numerical, is known as the problem of irregular frequencies. From practical point of view, it is not always easy to distinguish if the irregularities in the final solution are coming, from the body mesh which is not fine enough, from the physical resonance of the system, from the problem of irregular frequencies or from something else!? In this paper the authors discuss these issues in the context of the evaluation of the seakeeping behavior of one typical FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading). Both the linear (first order) as well as the second order quantities are of concern and the different methods for the elimination of the irregular frequencies are discussed. Special attention is given to the calculations of the different physical quantities at very high frequencies. The numerical tool used within this research is the Bureau Veritas numerical code HYDROSTAR which is based on the panel method with singularities of constant strength.

DP-Stability During Heavy Lift Operations Using a Modified Kalman Filter

During heavy lift operations, staying on position using a Dynamic Positioning (DP) system offers many advantages compared with a mooring system. However, when the vessel is connected to another fixed or floating object during the lifting operation through its hoist wires it may experience instabilities in the DP-system. These DP-instabilities are caused by the inability of the DP system to handle the relatively stiff external spring of the hoist wire correctly. This phenomenon is well known and mitigating measures such as Heavy Lift Mode have been developed over the years that work well for stationary vessels. However, when two vessels are lifting a single object together (e.g. QUAD lift), existing solutions to prevent this DP-instability are insufficient, as the nature of such lift requires a synchronous move on DP. During studies to the fundamental behavior of a DP system during heavy lift operations it is found that modifications to the Kalman filter can prevent these DP-instabilities. Heerema Marine Contractors presented the DP-stability challenges to Kongsberg Maritime, and a joint effort resulted in an implementation of a modified Kalman filter in the Kongsberg Maritime DP system. Also a dedicated engineering analysis to predict risk of DP-instabilities for specific lift configurations has been developed. The modified DP-system is tested in large number of simulations (both desktop and a full mission simulator) to test the ability of the updated DP-system to deal with a wide range of specific heavy lift conditions. Results were evaluated between Heerema office, Kongsberg and offshore personnel for developing the optimum Kalman filter parameters. Finally, the system is tested during a dedicated DP-trial program onboard Thialf. As the results of all these tests were very successful, the new High Kalman filter was made available onboard Thialf as a permanent option next to the original functionalities. The paper addresses the steps followed to define the new Kalman filter settings, the simulations performed to test the new filter as well as to show results of the offshore tests that were done to validate the numerical analysis.

Safe Operation of Jacket Platforms in a Major Oil Field in the North Sea

Offshore Structures operate for decades in extremely hostile environments. It is important during this period that the structural integrity is efficiently managed to ensure continuous and safe operation. Increased use of enhanced oil and gas recovery means it is likely that many existing installations will remain operational for a significant period beyond the original design life. The operator needs to capture, evaluate and, if necessary, mitigate design premise changes which inevitably occur during the life of a structure. Further, advances in knowledge and technology may imply changes in codes and standards as well as in analysis methodologies. Changes in corporate structures, transfer of operator responsibility and retirement of experienced engineers call for reliable means to transfer historical data and experience to new stakeholders. Effective emergency preparedness capabilities, structural integrity assessments and inspection planning presuppose that as-is analysis models and corresponding information are easily accessible. This paper presents an implementation of the in-service integrity management process described in the new revision of NORSOK standard N-005 [1] for a large fleet of jackets at the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The process, comprising management of design premise changes as well as state-of-the-art technical solutions over a range of disciplines, has enabled the operator to prolong the service life with decades at minimum investments. A structure integrity management system (SIMS) has been developed and digitized over years and streamlined to meet the needs and challenges in the operation and management of the jacket platforms. SIMS enables a rather lean organization to control the structural integrity status of all load-bearing structures at any time. Platform reinforcements and modifications along with other operational risk reducing measures like unman the platforms in severe storms enable continued use with the same level of safety as for new manned platforms. Advanced analyses are used to document regulatory compliance. Modern fatigue and reliability based inspection planning analyses have reduced the costs needed for inspection of fatigue cracks significantly. The benefits from the SIMS system are substantial and the resulting safety and productivity gains are apparent. The continuity of knowledge and experience is maintained, reducing risk to safety and regularity. The digital transformation related to management of structural integrity status as described in NORSOK standard N-005 is realized through SIMS.

On the Validity and Sensitivity of CFD Simulations for a Deterministic Breaking Wave Impact on a Semi Submersible

To assess the integrity and safety of structures offshore, prediction of run-up, green water, and impact loads needs to be made during the structure’s design. For predicting these highly non-linear phenomena, most of the offshore industry relies on detailed model testing. In the last couple of years however, CFD simulations have shown more and more promising results in predicting these events, see for instance [1]–[4]. To obtain confidence in the accuracy of CFD simulations in the challenging field of extreme wave impacts, a proper validation of such CFD tools is essential. In this paper two CFD tools are considered for the simulation of a deterministic breaking wave impact on a fixed semi submersible, resulting in flow phenomena like wave run-up, horizontal wave impact and deck impacts. Hereby, one of the CFD tools applies an unstructured gridding approach and implicit free-surface reconstruction, and uses an implicit time integration with a fixed time step. The other CFD tool explicitly reconstructs the free surface on a structured grid and integrates the free surface explicitly in time, using a variable time step. The presented simulations use a compact computational domain with wave absorbing boundary conditions and local grid refinement to reduce CPU time. Besides a typical verification and validation of the results, for one of the CFD tools a sensitivity study is performed in which the influence of small variations in the incoming breaking wave on the overall results is assessed. Such an analysis should provide the industry more insight in the to-be-expected sensitivity (and hence uncertainty) of CFD simulations for these type of applications. Experiments carried out by MARIN are used to validate all the presented simulation results.

Assessment of Current Offshore Supply Vessel Capabilities for Crew Transfer Operations in the Flemish Pass

The Flemish Pass is a region off the coast of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in which large oil discoveries have been made in recent years, making it a promising site for future offshore oil and gas developments. The site is located approximately 200 kilometers North-East of the currently producing Jeanne D’Arc Basin. This results in some additional challenges, including: higher waves and rougher seas on average, longer transit time from shore to any potential production facilities, and an increased risk of sea ice. Crew transfers from Offshore Supply Vessels (OSVs) to current production platforms offshore Newfoundland and Labrador are typically accomplished with a FROG-6 personnel-transfer capsule lifted by a platform-board crane. In current practice, for fixed platforms, this is only done when there is a Significant Wave Height (Hs) of 4.0 m or less, regardless of the OSV being used. In the winter months, this general-purpose approach does not allow for an acceptably high operational fraction of time in which crew transfers could be completed in the Flemish Pass. The FROG-6 capsule has designated operational limits based on the relative velocity between the capsule and the vessel deck, which will vary based on ship size, loading condition, and sea-state. Considering this, a series of geometrically similar OSV hull forms are created to represent the range of currently operating vessels. The developed models are between 70.0–90.0 m long, have a maximum breadth between 17.0–22.0 m, and block coefficients ranging from 0.65–0.79. Using ShipMo3D, a potential flow / panel code seakeeping solver, a 20 minute time history of ship motions is determined for all the modelled OSVs, across the range of sea-states realistically expected in the Flemish Pass. Then, a MATLAB script is used to transform these motions into deck velocities. From these results, the operational limits for crew transfer can be re-defined as a function of ship size, loading condition, and sea-state. This results in higher operability percentages than those achieved from using the flat wave height limit alone, with relatively large variations between differently sized and loaded ships. Further work must be done to officially implement new limits, such as: analysis of additional wave period and height combinations, further analysis of the time between limit exceedances, computational fluid dynamics simulations, “smart crane” modelling, and/or full scale sea trials.