On dynamic coupling effects between a spar and its mooring lines

The responses of a spar constrained by slack mooring lines to steep ocean waves and tensions in the mooring lines are simulated using two different numerical schemes: a quasi-static approach (SMACOS) and a coupled dynamic approach (COUPLE). The two approaches are the same in computing wave loads on the structure. Their difference is in modeling dynamic forces of mooring lines; that is the dynamic forces are included in the computation of COUPLE but neglected in SMACOS. The numerical simulation is examined against the laboratory measurements of the JIP Spar in a water depth of 318 m. The dynamic coupling effects between the JIP Spar and its mooring lines in different water depths (318, 618 and 1018 m) are investigated by the comparison of numerical simulations obtained using the quasi-static and coupled dynamic approaches. It is found that the damping of mooring lines reduces the slow-drift surge and pitch of the Spar, especially in deep water. The reduction in the amplitude of slow-drift surge can reach about 10% in a water depth of 1018 m. The tension in mooring lines may greatly increase in the wave frequency range when dynamic forces in mooring lines are considered. The mooring-line tension in the wave frequency range predicted by the coupled dynamic approach can be eight times as great as the corresponding prediction by the quasi-static approach in a water depth of 1018 m. This finding may have important implications for the estimation of the fatigue strength and life span of the mooring lines deployed in deep water oceans.     

Nonlinear response of a moored buoy

The nonlinear dynamic analysis of a multipoint slack moored buoy is performed under the action of first and second order wave forces. The nonlinearity of the system is caused by the geometric nonlinearity of the mooring lines. The resulting nonlinear equation of motion is solved by an incremental time marching scheme. The nonlinear responses of the system are analysed to investigate different kinds of dynamic instability phenomena that may arise due to the nonlinearity of the system. As an illustrative example, a hollow cylindrical buoy anchored to the sea bed by means of six slack mooring lines is considered. The responses of the system are obtained and analysed for three regular waves namely, 5 m/5 s, 12 m/10 s and 18 m/15 s. The results of the study show that different kinds of instability phenomena like nT subharmonic oscillations, symmetry breaking bifurcation and aperiodic responses may occur in slack mooring systems. Further, a second order wave force may considerably influence the dynamic stability of such systems.     

Fundamental analysis of deep sea mooring line in static equilibrium

The integrated equations of deep sea mooring lines in static equilibrium under consideration of gravity force and line elongation are obtained. The most useful forms of the equations for designing deep sea mooring system are those in which horizontal displacement and horizontal and vertical components of tension are obtained as functions of line length, water depth, critical tension and unit weight of line.When the dynamic simulation of a buoy system is carried out, line tensions acting on the buoy should be represented as a linear function of displacement. Therefore the linearisation method is introduced by use of linearisation coefficient matrix. Translation formulae for the matrix from two to three dimensions is also presented.The influence of line elongation on the horizontal component of tension in a taut mooring condition is important, therefore the elongation of stretched deep sea mooring line must be considered carefully. Also, the scaling law under consideration of line elongation in static equilibrium, which is necessary in estimation from a small sized experiment, is discussed.     

Large angular motions of tethered surface buoys

A three-dimensional coupled analysis of the interaction of a floating buoy and its mooring is studied. External loads include hydrodynamic forces, tether tensions, wind loads and system weight and buoyancy. Nonlinearities include large rotational and translational motions and non-conservative fluid loads. The mooring problem is formulated as a nonlinear two-point-boundary-value-problem. At each instant in time, the mooring problem is solved by direct integration using a successive iterative algorithm to satisfy boundary conditions. Buoy kinetic and kinematic equations are derived assuming large angles represented by Euler parameters. Coupling between the buoy and the mooring is enforced by matching the velocities of the tether and buoy at the attachment point. A predictor-corrector coupling algorithm is used with multiple sizes of time steps used to provide stability for the separate mooring and buoy models. Numerical results are compared to experimental responses of three types of buoys (sphere, spar and disc) subject to both regular and irregular waves.     

Reliability-based comparative study for mooring lines design criteria

The characteristic environmental load effect for the design of mooring systems of floating units can be defined by means of three procedures: (a) the one associated to an extreme sea state with a given return period, (b) the worst one from a set of sea states on a contour line associated to a return period or (c) the extreme one based on response statistics for a long-term period. This work presents the result of a reliability-based partial safety factor calibration study for a LRFD mooring line design criteria considering the three approaches mentioned above. The calibration exercise is applied to three FPSOs considering North Sea environmental conditions and different water depths: 200, 800 and 3000 m. The mooring systems investigated take into account mooring lines made up of chains and polyester ropes. It is shown that, among all cases investigated, the design procedure based on the long-term response is the one that presents less scattered reliability indices around the target level.     

Long-term response analysis of FPSO mooring systems

The design of mooring systems for floating production units usually considers extreme environmental conditions as a primary design parameter. However, in the case of FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading) units, the worst response for the mooring system may be associated with other sea state conditions due to the fact that its extreme response may be associated with a resonant period instead of an extreme wave height. The best way to deal with this problem is by performing long-term analysis in order to obtain extreme response estimates. This procedure is computationally very demanding, since many short-term environmental conditions, and their associated stochastic nonlinear time domain numerical simulations of the mooring lines, are required to obtain such estimates. A simplified approach for the long-term analysis is the environmental contour-line design approach. In this paper a Monte Carlo-based integration procedure combined with an interpolation scheme to obtain the parameters of the short-term response distribution is employed to hasten the long-term analysis. Numerical simulations are carried out for an FPSO at three different locations considering a North Sea joint probability distribution for the environmental parameters. The long-term analysis results are compared against those obtained using extreme environmental conditions and environmental contour-line methodology. These results represent the characteristic load effect for the design of mooring systems of floating units using the reliability analysis for mooring line. The results show that the long-term results are usually more critical than those obtained with the other approaches and even different mooring lines can be identified as the critical ones.     

Evaluation of fibre rope properties for offshore mooring

An examination has been conducted of fibre rope mechanical properties measured in laboratory tests on materials, constructions and terminations intended for deepwater mooring applications. This data, combined with field experience, provide a better understanding of rope behaviour and enhances the knowledge required to engineer fibre ropes for these demanding applications.This has also led to improved laboratory test techniques for measurement of mechanical properties relevant to mooring system response analyses required to meet regulatory requirements. Preliminary evaluation of the data also indicates that a post-test evaluation method to determine retained properties of insert strops removed from mooring lines may be possible.     

Fatigue reliability analysis of mooring system for fish cage

Fish cages in the open sea are exposed to cycle loads due to irregular wave climate during their service life, and thus the fatigue reliability assessment of mooring system should be conducted to ensure the safe operation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the fatigue failure probability of mooring system for fish cage. Numerical simulation of net cage in random waves is performed and the time dependent approach is applied to conduct the fatigue reliability analysis of shackle chains based on S-N curve method. The sensitivity analysis of fatigue reliability of mooring line to the uncertainty of random variables in the fatigue limit state is conducted. In addition, the system reliability for mooring system is analyzed and the effect of the initial pretension and safety factor on system reliability is investigated. The results indicate that a case without the initial pretension on anchor lines is helpful to decrease the failure probability of mooring system and the safety factor of mooring lines in the current regulation is conservative for the system reliability against fatigue damage.     

小型海洋调查浮标设计的若干问题

文章概述了国外浮标在恶劣海况下发生的恶性事故,从而提出确保浮标安全可靠的重要性和在设计中必须解决的若干问题:合理的选型;正确的计算;可靠的结构和安全的锚锭系统。文章最后指出小型海洋调查浮标有广阔发展的前景。     

Reliability assessment of mooring lines for floating structures considering statistical parameter uncertainties

This work focuses on the effect of parameter uncertainty on the reliability index and on the predictive reliability of mooring lines for floating structures under loading from extreme sea-states. A first-order analytic formulation is developed which takes into consideration uncertain parameters in the statistical models of the maximum dynamic tension and the breaking resistance of the mooring lines. Expressions are derived for the mean and the variance of the reliability index in terms of the mean values and the covariance matrix of the uncertain parameters, and of the sensitivity of the reliability index to the uncertain parameters. The predictive reliability index is expressed in terms of the mean and the variance of the reliability index. The formulation is applied to case studies of catenary and taut-leg mooring lines of an offshore structure and the relative effects of the sources of statistical uncertainty are assessed. The case studies demonstrated the applicability and capability of the formulation to capture and represent the relative contributions of the different sources of uncertainty on the predictive reliability and predictive failure probability, as well as on the statistics of the uncertain reliability index.     

Semi-analytical quasi-static formulation for three-dimensional partially grounded mooring system problems

A semi-analytical quasi-static formulation based on the catenary approach capable of solving three-dimensional partially grounded and fully suspended multi-leg mooring-system problems is presented in this paper. The advantage of the present formulation is that only a compact governing vector equation, derived in terms of grounded cable length and anchor tension vector, need to be solved for each mooring cable to determine its grounded and suspended body response, and only a small number of discrete segments are needed to predict its behaviour accurately due to its inherent slope continuity. In addition, it is capable of handling arbitrarily inclined seabed interaction effects, varying cross-sectional and material properties as well as external attachment objects. The generality of the present formulation allows quick parametric analysis of different forms of multi-leg mooring system configurations as well as different types of flexible riser systems to be carried out.     

一种浅海锚泊测流浮标系统的实验

早在五十年代,海洋科技工作者已开始利用浮标布设海洋调查仪器,进行海上观测的试验工作。目前被采用的浮标系统,大体有三种类型:(1)锚泊浮标系统,利用各类自含式海洋调査仪器进行测量,定期收回资料;(2)遥测浮标系统,利用无线电遥控和收发各种海洋观测数据;(3)漂移浮标系统,利用浮标本身的漂移,进行海流和其他要素的观测。本文主要介绍浅海锚泊浮标系统的设计和使用情况。 对锚泊浮标系统的研究和实验,许多国家已做了大量有成效的工作。目前关于浮标的设计和锚泊方法尚无統一意见,但是可以看出,大多趋向于采用水下浮标张缆锚泊。这种方法使得浮标系统比起遥测浮标系统来,较为轻小、经济、方便,适合于进行多站同步观测。国外在海洋调查中经常利用这种系统作较长期的海流观测。 我所在六十年代初就已开始了锚泊浮标系统的研究、实验,1964年进行了新的研究设计工作,并在“全国海洋仪器会战”期间,完成了整套系统的计算设计与海上实验,经过鉴定,建议作小批量生产。 近年来,国家海洋局第一海洋研究所、中国科学院南海海洋研究所利用该浮标系统作过多次海上试用,取得了海流长期观测资料,初步考验了该系统的性能。我们最近又对某些部件作了一定的改进,并进行了海上实验。但是,实验也表明:此方法不宜在渔场区和台风盛行季节使用,因易被渔网拖损和丢失。现综合报告如下。     

Note on wave parameters from moored wave buoys

For decades, the accelerometer wave buoy has been a preferred choice for offshore wave measurements. Although these measurements are accurate and robust, there are some issues of practical character that need to be inspected before using such measurements for detailed time-series investigations. Here three potential sources of inaccuracies are outlined which can appear due to improper mooring, limited high-frequency resolution or overly simple procedures for attaching measurement times (time stamps) to the measurements. The last two of these apply to all types of single-point wave-measuring devices.

An example of a wave-height series is given, in which part of the observed variation seems to be induced by the mooring. It is argued that unexpected semi-tidal modulations in measured wave-height can be an indication of a mooring that is too rigid. By truncating observed wave spectra from a deep-water location, it is demonstrated how the high-frequency cut-off limit of a wave measurement influences the most commonly used wave parameters. It is observed that the accuracy of common wave parameters remains acceptable up to a cut-off limit in the range of 0.30–0.35 Hz if the spectra above the cut-off frequency are replaced by a prognostic f⁻⁵ tail. Finally it is noted that the procedure of connecting time stamps to wave measurements can in some cases introduce an artificial time-lag compared to the real-time sea state.     

Hull/mooring/riser coupled dynamic analysis and sensitivity study of a tanker-based FPSO

A computer program is developed for hull/mooring/riser coupled dynamic analysis of a tanker-based turret-moored FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) in waves, winds, and currents. In this computer program, the floating body is modeled as a rigid body with six degrees of freedom. The first- and second-order wave forces, added mass, and radiation damping at various yaw angles are calculated from the second-order diffraction/radiation panel program WAMIT. The wind and current forces for various yaw angles of FPSO are modeled following the empirical method suggested by OCIMF (Oil Company International Marine Forum).

The mooring/riser dynamics are modeled using a rod theory and finite element method (FEM), with the governing equations described in a generalized coordinate system. The dynamics of hull, mooring lines, and risers are solved simultaneously at each time step in a combined matrix for the specified connection condition. For illustration, semi-taut chain-steel wire-chain mooring lines and steel catenary risers are employed and their effects on global FPSO hull motions are investigated. To better understand the physics related to the motion characteristics of a turret-moored FPSO, the role of various hydrodynamic contributions is analyzed and assessed including the effects of hull and mooring/riser viscous damping, second-order difference-frequency wave-force quadratic transfer functions, and yaw-angle dependent wave forces and hydrodynamic coefficients. To see the effects of hull and mooring/riser coupling and mooring/riser damping more clearly, the case with no drag forces on those slender members is also investigated. The numerical results are compared with MARIN's wave basin experiments.     

On the estimation of mooring line characteristic resistance for reliability analysis

The main aim of this work is to derive a correct formulation for the characteristic resistance of a mooring line segment with lognormally distributed component resistances and substitute an equation proposed by Vazquez-Hernandez et al. [Vazquez-Hernandez AO, Ellwanger GB, Sagrilo LVS. Reliability-based comparative study for mooring lines design criteria. Appl Ocean Res 2006; 28(6):398–406] in a paper published in this journal, which is not correct. The mooring line is considered as a series system and the resistances of individual components of a line segment are statistically independent and identically distributed; furthermore, the case of normally distributed component resistances is also discussed. A comparison with the corresponding equation proposed by DNV-OS-E301 is given. Results show that the formula proposed by Vazquez-Hernandez et al. [Vazquez-Hernandez AO, Ellwanger GB, Sagrilo LVS. Reliability-based comparative study for mooring lines design criteria. Appl Ocean Res 2006; 28(6):398–406] overestimates quite significantly the characteristic resistance of a mooring line segment.     

Artificial Neural Networks for the analysis of spread⿿mooring configurations for floating production systems

This work presents the development of Artificial Neural Networks for the analysis of any arbitrarily defined spread-mooring configuration for floating production systems (FPS), considering a given scenario characterized by the water depth, metocean data, characteristics of the platform hull, and the riser layout. The methodology is applied to recent designs of deepwater semi-submersible platforms connected to a large number of risers with asymmetrical layout. In such cases, the design variables may include values for the azimuthal spacing and mooring radius varying along the corners of the platform, besides the pretension and material of the lines. The results of the case study indicated that, given any mooring configuration characterized by the combination of all these design variables, the ANNs provide fairly accurate values for the parameters of the response that are required for the design of mooring systems (typically platform offsets and line tensions).     

Ship berthing and mooring monitoring system by pneumatic-type fenders

Ship berthing and mooring monitoring system by using pneumatic-type fenders has been proposed. This system consists of present berth monitoring system including a mooring line load monitoring system, and a fender load monitoring system. The fender loads such as fender deflection and reaction force are calculated by measuring inner air pressure of the pneumatic fenders, which have unique characteristics in performance. Furthermore both loads for the mooring lines and the fenders can be used to estimate moored ship motions simultaneously. Total ship monitoring system at jetty can be achieved and contributes safe ship berthing and mooring.     

Life evaluation of a 35-kV submarine power cable in a continuous flexing environment

This paper describes the life testing of a 35-kV power cable that will connect a single anchor leg mooring (SALM) buoy with a platform in several hundred feet of water. While there are many power cable installations to offshore platforms and between platforms, this system is unique because the cable will be constantly flexing in compression as the mooring buoy moves in the water. The buoy design includes an articulated leg with universal joints to which the cable is clamped. It is the loop in the cable where it crosses a universal joint that is flexed, and is a major cause of concern. To predict the effects of this constant flexure while energized, a flex simulator and electrical circuit were devised to duplicate the service environment as closely as possible. This paper describes the cable system, the test apparatus and procedure, and the results obtained.     

基于STAR-CCM+的浮标锚泊系统数值研究

浮标锚链因磨损而断裂会导致浮标丢失,所以针对浮标锚泊系统的研究对锚链设计具有重要意义。为解决锚链系泊力计算方法精度不足和锚链力学简化模型与锚链实际形态不一致的问题,通过VOF （Volume of Fluid） 界面捕捉法建立了三维风、浪耦合流场,基于流体力学计算软件STAR-CCM+对一种滚塑浮标及锚链进行数值仿真计算。在建立双链节锚链物理模型基础上,通过求解浮标在风、浪中的受力及浮标与锚链连接处的受力损失求取锚链系泊力。结果显示,风浪越大,锚链的系泊力损失越大,2、3、4 级海况下浮标阻力损失分别为17.1%、36.6%、55.8%。锚链的双链节受力并非均等,主受力链节在2、3 级海况时承担90%以上的锚链系泊力,次受力链节的系泊力随着总系泊力的增加而增加,可见双链节锚链规格应与单链节相同。     

深海锚泊浮标的二阶动力分析

计算了规则波上深海锚泊浮标的运动响应和锚泊线的动力响应。在对浮标的二阶漂移力计算时考虑了锚系的影响,并将浮标平均漂移的计算结果与不考虑锚系影响的结果进行了比较。本文计算所用浮标为单点系泊浮标,锚链由不同重量的分段组成。