The Bayesian Networks Applied to a Steering Gear System Fault Diagnostics

In this paper it is presented a brief description of a method that consists in using Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) created by converting Fault Trees (FT) to determine the most probable causes of a failure in a system given some evidence through observation. In addition, it is presented an example based on the steering gear system of a containership focusing on the cases in which the vessel is operating in restricted waters or performing the procedure for mooring/unmooring. The steering gear system was chosen due to its importance to restricted water navigation and to the mooring operation. The system must be completely available for these situations; otherwise, the ship security and the crew safety are implicated.

Collision Character Research for Semi-Submersible Through Model Test, Simplified Analytical and Numerical Simulation Method

The characters of the collision scenario when a semi-submersible is struck by a containership are studied in this paper, through the model test, simplified analytical method and numerical simulation. The model test is conducted in the Deepwater Offshore Basin in Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Two special devices are designed to fulfill the model test. One is Ship Launching Device, simplified as SLD, who can launch the striking ship with controllable velocity and in any horizontal direction. The other is Energy Absorbing Device, simplified as EAD, who can simulate the buffer effect of the column structure and collect the collision force as well. A numerical simulation is completed to get the approximate stiffness of the column structure, which is used to adjust the property of EAD. The motions of semi-submersible are obtained, and the collision force and the tension forces of mooring lines are also got. Collision scenario characters for semi-motion and tension force are summarized by the analysis of the model test results. The second collision phenomenon is observed. The collision force dominates the collision moment and the tension force of the mooring lines lags behind. A NTNU in-house program developed by analytical simplified method is also verified by the model test result. The comparison proves the feasibility of the program.

Research on Corner Structure Under Explosive Loading for War-Ship Cabin

For the warship cabin under explosive loading, the detail structure in cabin corner can easily be torn by the high-strength shock wave converging at the structure corner. In order to avoid that the crevasse occurs at the corner firstly, three strengthening structure forms were designed for the cabin corner: thickening connection, circular connection and inclined plate connection. Failure process of the joint in the two-cabin structure under the explosive loading was simulated by the nonlinear dynamic software DYTRAN. Comparing the response of the corner strengthening structure to that of the conventional structure, it was concluded that three strengthening structure forms changed failure mode of the cabin structure effectively and the crevasse initiated at the explosion pressure release hole on the transverse bulkhead, which reduced the tearing of the cabin corner. To seek more reasonable corner strengthening structure, the pressure and the stress on the bulkhead under the explosive loading of the three corner strengthening structures were compared. The results showed the inclined plate connection can prevent the shock wave from concentrating at the corner, decrease the stress on the longitudinal bulkhead, and resist the shock wave spreading into the inner cabins most effectively in the three strengthening forms.

Fatigue Analysis on Key Components of Semi-Submersible Platform

Fatigue damage is one of the main reasons of the failure of Semi-Submersible platform. As the complex of random loading, it is difficult to analyze fatigue life accurately and determine the sensitivity of parameters. In this paper, the fatigue life on key-components of semi-submersible platform is analyzed with Spectral-based analysis method. Firstly, the stress responses of whole model platform under the random wave loads are calculated. The calculation results of whole model platform for cut-boundary interpolation are used in local model to calculate the key-component stress responses of local model. Generating the fatigue stress energy spectrum by scaling the wave energy spectrum and the complex fatigue stress transfer function in detail local model is described next. The stress response of short-term sea-state is assumed to obey Rayleigh distribution, and the spectral moments are calculated. Finally, the fatigue life of key components is analyzed according to S-N curve and Palmgren-Miner’s rule. The results show that the fatigue life of the connection meets the specification requirements, and the key components are the fatigue sensitive areas of semi-submersible platform.

Sensitivity Study of Critical Parameters Influencing the Uncertainty of Fatigue Damage in Steel Catenary Risers

The most challenging aspect of a deepwater development is the riser system, and a cost-effective choice is the Steel Catenary Riser (SCR). Fatigue is often a governing design consideration, and it is usually most critical at the touchdown point (TDP) where static and dynamic bending stresses are highest. Unfortunately, it is also at this region that uncertainty is the maximum. The increased uncertainty casts doubt on the applicability of generic safety factors recommended by design codes, and the most consistent way of ensuring the structural safety of the SCR is to employ a reliability-based approach, which has so far not received attention in SCR design. As the number of basic random variables affects the complexity of a reliability analysis, these variables should be selected with caution. To this end, the aim of this paper is to draw up a comprehensive list of design parameters that may contribute meaningfully to the uncertainty of the fatigue damage. From this list, several parameters are selected for sensitivity studies using the commercial package Orcaflex. It is found that variations in seabed parameters such as soil stiffness, soil suction and seabed trench can have a pronounced influence on the uncertainty of the fatigue damage at the touchdown point.

Effects of Wind on the Heat Flow of FPSO Topsides Subject to Fire: An Experimental and Numerical Study

The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of wind on the thermal diffusion characteristics of floating production storage and offloading (FSPO) topside models subject to fire. It is motivated by the need to identify the fire loads on FPSO topsides, taking into account the effects of wind speed and direction. The results of an experimental and numerical study undertaken for these purposes are reported here. This paper is part of Phase II of the joint industry project on explosion and fire engineering of FPSOs (EFEF JIP) [1]. An experiment was performed on a 1/14-scale FPSO topside model using a wind tunnel test facility. The locations of the heat source of the fire were varied, as were the speed and direction of the wind, and the temperature distribution was measured. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using the ANSYS CFX program were performed on the test model, with the results obtained compared with the experimental results. It is concluded that wind has a significant effect on the thermal diffusion characteristics of the test model and that the CFD simulations are in good agreement with the experimental results. The insights developed in this study will be very useful for the fire engineering of FPSO topsides.

Load Characteristics of Steel and Concrete Tubular Members Under Jet Fire: An Experimental and Numerical Study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the load characteristics of steel and concrete tubular members under jet fire, with the motivation to investigate the jet fire load characteristics in FPSO topsides. This paper is part of Phase II of the joint industry project on explosion and fire engineering of FPSOs (EFEF JIP) [1]. To obtain reliable load values, jet fire tests were carried out in parallel with a numerical study. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was used to set up an adiabatic wall boundary condition for the jet fire to model the heat transfer mechanism. A concrete tubular member was tested under the assumption that there is no conduction effect from jet fire. A steel tubular member was tested and considered to transfer heat through conduction, convection, and radiation. The temperature distribution, or heat load, was analyzed at specific locations on each type of member. ANSYS CFX [2] and Kameleon FireEx [3] codes were used to obtain similar fire action in the numerical and experimental methods. The results of this study will provide a useful database to determine design values related to jet fire.

Thermal Protection and Microclimate of SOLAS Approved Lifeboats

Lifeboats are used as an evacuation system on a wide variety of offshore structures and marine vehicles. Currently, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Lifesaving Appliances (LSA) Code does not specify thermal protection and ventilation criteria for lifeboats. A test program was conducted to assess the system thermal protection and microclimate of SOLAS approved lifeboats for the Arctic environment. Some of the research findings of the first phase experiments are reported in this paper. In conducting experiments with a 72-person SOLAS approved lifeboat, the study found that the lifeboat only had a ventilation rate of 2 litres per second with vents open only, which may not be adequate. Inadequate ventilation will result in high concentration of carbon dioxide, causing headache, dizziness, restlessness, breathing difficulty, sweating, and increased heat rate, cardiac output and blood pressure. All of these may adversely affect lifeboat occupants in performing survival tasks. Using a thermal manikin, only slight decrease in thermal resistance (less than 10%) was observed in many test cases, when active ventilation was implemented (ventilation rate of 31 and 42 litres per second) and when side hatches were opened (ventilation rate of 95 litres per second). This suggests that reasonable increase in ventilation rate may be implemented without trading off much in thermal protection. However, a more noticeable decreases in thermal resistance (15% to over 30%) were observed when clothing was wet. This suggests it is critical to stay dry. A mathematical model was also developed to assess heat and cold stress of lifeboat occupants under different environment, lifeboat, occupant and ventilation conditions.

Analysis of a Struck Ship With Damage Opening: Influence From Model and Material Properties Uncertainties

The conditions for damage stability and survivability of a ship struck in a collision in arbitrary sea-state are, from a structural point of view, determined by the size and shape of the damage opening in its side shell. In the current investigation, explicit finite element analyses (FEA) are presented of a ship-to-ship collision scenario in which the damage opening of a struck ship is calculated for a selection of damage degradation models and realistic material properties, here referred to as model and material properties uncertainties. The model uncertainty is considered as a possible (user-related) insecurity in the selection of the most appropriate damage criterion for the analysis; the shear failure and the forming limit diagram (FLD) criteria were compared in the current investigation. The uncertainty in material properties is accounted for in the constitutive material model description and the material parameters used in the two criteria. The size and shape of the damage openings predicted by the FEA are used in damage stability analyses in which the struck ship is subjected to wave motions in an arbitrary sea-state and flooding into the damage opening. The survivability of the struck ship is estimated for all of the damage opening cases. One of the main conclusions is that the high degree of accuracy that a researcher on structure analysis strives for has to be considered together with the natural variation of the sea-state that defines the characteristics in the following damage stability analysis. Consequently, by adoption of a holistic approach, in which structural integrity and damage stability research are combined using a systematic parameter (sensitivity) and collision-scenario-based analysis, simplified models and criteria can be developed more efficiently and with higher precision. It will also be clearer which variables are the most important to focus on when analyzing the survivability or risk for capsizing.

A Time-Variant Reliability Evaluation Method on Fatigue of Riser System

Riser has been and will be an important part of the offshore production system. Due to the complexity of environment, reliability evaluation is needed for the riser system to ensure the safety and durability. The analysis of the failure modes of riser system was studied in this article, firstly, the main factors of which may lead to failure of riser system were analyzed and classified; secondly, a time-variant reliability evaluation method was proposed to calculate fatigue reliability of riser system; finally, riser fatigue reliability of a certain FPSO is calculated by the proposed method, the results showed that time-variant reliability can better externalize safety of riser during structural service. The proposed method of this paper was significance in safety and integrity assessment of riser system.