Effects of mooring line drag damping on response statistics of vessels excited by first- and second-order wave forces

The drag-induced damping in a mooring cable due to combined first- and second-order wave excited motion of a moored vessel has been determined by statistical linearisation. A dynamic stiffness approach developed elsewhere is used to deal with the dynamics of the mooring cables. The power spectral densities of low- and wave-frequency responses are obtained which clearly show the influence of mooring line damping. The non-Gaussian probability density functions (pdf) and expected crossing rates of vessel responses and dynamic cable tensions are determined using the Kac–Seigert technique, and the influence of drag damping is highlighted.     

Dynamic modeling of nylon mooring lines for a floating wind turbine

As current attention of the offshore industry is drawn by developing pilot farms of Floating Wind Turbines (FWTs) in shallow-water between 50m and 100m, the application of nylon as a mooring component can provide a more cost-effective design. Indeed, nylon is a preferred candidate over polyester for FWT mooring mainly because of its lower stiffness and a corresponding capacity of reducing maximum tensions in the mooring system. However, the nonlinear behaviors of nylon ropes (e.g. load-elongation properties, fatigue characteristics, etc.) complicate the design and modeling of such structures. Although previous studies on the mechanical properties and modeling of polyester may be very good references, those can not be applied directly for nylon both on testing and modeling methods. In this study, first, an empirical expression to determine the dynamic stiffness of a nylon rope is drawn from the testing data in the literature. Secondly, a practical modeling procedure is suggested by the authors in order to cope with the numerical mooring analysis for a semi-submersible type FWT taking into account the dynamic axial stiffness of nylon ropes. Both the experimental and numerical results show that the tension amplitude has an important impact on the dynamic stiffness of nylon ropes and, as a consequence, the tension responses of mooring lines. This effect can be captured by the present modeling procedure. Finally, time domain mooring analysis for both Ultimate Limit State (ULS) and Fatigue Limit State (FLS) is performed to illustrate the advantages and conservativeness of the present approach for nylon mooring modeling.     

Model experiments on moored ships

At present the position keeping of ocean going vessels, offshore service vessels, etc., is performed by mooring systems to resist external forces under severe environments consisting of wave, current and wind. A variety of mooring systems are employed depending on the shape, principal dimensions, etc., of the vessels in addition to the surrounding conditions of the water areas. Ocean going ships are moored to the shore structures through a multiple system of moorings. The determination of the forces in the cables is essential for the design of moorings and the berthing structures. However, the ships engaged for offshore operations are moored by the mooring cables, spread around the ships with the other ends of the moorings anchored to the sea bed. In these cases, the required number and length of cables can be arrived for a given ship of known dimensions and environmental conditions. With the increased overall dimensions of the vessels, it is necessary to conduct a study on enhancing the accuracy in estimating the mooring system performance. Hence, the present work is mainly intended to carry out model tests to investigate the behaviour of moored ships that are subjected to wave and current loadings. These model experiments were conducted in a 30 m × 2 m × 1 m wave-current flume at the Ocean Engineering Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.     

Quasi-static three-dimensional analysis of suction anchor mooring system

The suction anchor has been widely used in taut or semi-taut mooring systems as an effective and economical solution to anchoring problems. To ensure high reliability, the profile of the mooring cable connecting the fairlead and the pad-eye must be accurately designed. However, previous studies have rarely considered the effect of cable slippage in soil on the mooring behavior, or embedded cables have been studied with an assumed tension at the seabed. This paper, by treating the cable suspended in water and the cable embedded in soil as a single cable, presents a two-dimensional (2D) static model and a three-dimensional (3D) quasi-static model for the cable during pretensioning and in service, respectively. The two models take into account the comprehensive effects of ocean currents, soil resistance and cable elasticity, all of which are critical for the design of a mooring system. Three examples are analyzed using the models and some useful conclusions are drawn.     

基于有限差分法的复合系泊链缆动力模型及其验证

具有链—缆—链结构的复合系泊链缆因其相对于全钢链质量和成本上的优势而在深水系泊中得以广泛应用。基于细长杆理论采用有限差分法建立了可以考虑链—缆—链结构的复合系泊缆数值模型,将其应用于不同工况下全钢链和复合链缆运动的数值模拟中,并开展了验证。首先,将单根钢链顶张力数值模拟结果与不同工况下的模型试验结果进行了对比,验证了数值预报程序应用于全钢链的准确性。然后,对于复合系泊链缆开展了静刚度和动刚度迭代数值模拟,并将模拟结果同已发表文章中的算例结果进行比较,验证了该数值模型在复合链缆模拟上的准确性。发现对于单根钢锚链的验证,激励半径越大,激励周期越小,一个周期内顶张力幅值及其极差越大,钢链运动就越剧烈。对于链—缆—链式复合系泊链缆的验证,发现静刚度迭代中数值模拟结果与算例结果差异较小;对于动刚度迭代,除个别大幅慢漂工况外,两者有较高的吻合;且激励周期越小,激励半径越大,复合系泊链缆顶张力越大,弹性模量越小,运动越剧烈。对于聚酯缆刚度的敏感性分析,发现改变动刚度经验公式参数的情况下,杨氏模量的静刚度迭代和动刚度迭代结果误差分别最大达到了60.81%和68.21%,因此合成纤维材料特性对复合系泊链...     

Analytical expressions of the bifurcation boundaries for symmetric spread mooring systems

For a general symmetric Spread Mooring System .(SMS), the five necessary and sufficient conditions for stability are derived analytically. It is shown that only two conditions are dominant in symmetric ship moorings. The equations derived in this paper provide analytical means for determining static and dynamic loss of stability, as well as elementary singularities and roots to chaos, of symmetric SMS configurations, such as those recommended by the American Petroleum Institute. Thus, first it becomes easy to identify the morphogenesis occurring when a bifurcation boundary is crossed; and second, it is possible to determine the dependence of a symmetric SMS on any design parameter—such as mooring line length, orientation, pretension, etc. Theoretical results are verified by comparison to numerical results generated with nonlinear dynamics and codimension one and two bifurcation theory. The mathematical model of the SMS consists of the nonlinear third order manoeuvring equations without memory of the horizontal plane slow motion dynamics—surge, sway, and yaw—of a vessel moored to several terminals. Mooring lines are modeled as synthetic nylon ropes, chains, or steel cables. External excitation consists of time independent current, wind, and mean wave drift forces.     

Measuring directional wave spectra using the 3D-ACM WAVE on fixedand taut-wire moorings

Field data were analyzed from a simultaneous deployment of two 3D-ACM WAVE instruments; one on a fixed seabed frame in the nearshore zone, and the other further offshore on a taut-wire mooring. An intercomparison of measurements of vertical and horizontal wave-orbital currents with pressures was used to evaluate the velocity sensor response under field conditions. Results using the fixed frame have validated the measured horizontal wave-orbital velocities, but found the vertical velocities to be less coherent with the pressure time-series. The influence of the instrument mooring system on the velocity measurements was investigated. The oscillation of the taut-wire mooring was found to influence the magnitude of the measured horizontal wave-orbital velocities and induce a phase lag between velocity and sea-surface elevation. Examination of other data from similar taut-wire moorings indicates a systematic relationship between the length of the mooring cable and the measured phase lag, consistent with the behavior of the mooring system considered as a forced, linearly damped oscillator. A comparison was made between the spectra of wave direction derived from both velocity and pressure data with that derived solely from velocity data. The results show a high coherence for the fixed mooring, but significant directional variability in the higher frequencies (>0.13 Hz) on the taut-wire mooring we employed, which we attribute to the mooring oscillation. The analysis further indicates that on taut-wire moorings, the spectra of wave direction should be resolved solely from velocity data. Using these findings, directional wave spectra were produced for the nearshore and offshore sites from 233 coincident events over a two-month period, and these data are presented in a time-averaged spectral format     

A creep–rupture model of synthetic fiber ropes for deepwater moorings based on thermodynamics

The synthetic fiber ropes such as polyester, aramid and high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) are increasing applied to deepwater mooring systems for oil and gas exploitation. Due to that mooring ropes generally bear tensions for a long period, synthetic fiber ropes that are composed of the viscoelastic material would present creep behaviors and even the creep rupture, which is the failure mode of greatest concern especially for HMPE ropes and on which still less study can be found. A creep damage analysis of synthetic fiber ropes is of necessity to ensure the safe and economic operation of mooring systems. Therefore further investigation on the creep–rupture behavior is beneficial to fully establishing confidence in the viability of synthetic fiber ropes for deepwater moorings. In the present study, a creep–rupture model is proposed within the framework of thermodynamics to investigate the creep and damage behaviors of synthetic fiber ropes. Methods for identifying the model parameters are also proposed in detail, which apply to any component of fiber ropes such as the fiber, yarn, strand and rope. Experimental data of aramid yarns available from the literature are utilized to validate the constitutive model. Creep and creep–rupture tests of HMPE strands at different loading levels are specially performed to further examine the present model. The present work demonstrates that the proposed model can effectively describe the viscoelastic property and damage evolution of synthetic fiber ropes at different loading levels.     

The Behaviour of LNG Carrier Moored to a Jetty Exposed to Waves,Swell,Unsteady Wind and Current

—Most terminals for tankers are piers and sea islands,while other types include single pointmoorings and multiple-buoy moorings.The LNG and LPG carrier moored to the jetty is a very commonterminal for transfer of gas in open seas.It is important to estimate the motions and line tensions of theLNG carrier when it moors to a jetty in metocean environment.Normally,the motions of the LNG carrierwould be restricted by the loading arm,which is connected to LNG carrier＇s manifold.An example of125,000m~3 LNG carrier moored to a jetty exposed to a set of environment conditions is given.Amathematical model which is based on the equations of motion in the time domain is used to the analysisof LNG moored to an offshore jetty exposed to waves,swell,wind and current.By means of a time do-main computer program TERMSIM computations are carried out to determine and optimize the lay-outand/or orientation of the jetty and mooring gear in terms of forces in mooring lines and fenders and theenvelope of motions of the loadi     

A comparison of the impact of ‘seagrass-friendly’ boat mooring systems on Posidonia australis

Permanent boat moorings have contributed to the decline of seagrasses worldwide, prompting the development of ‘seagrass-friendly’ moorings. We contrasted seagrass cover and density (predominantly Posidonia australis) in the vicinity of three mooring types and nearby reference areas lacking moorings in Jervis Bay, Australia. We examined two types of ‘seagrass-friendly’ mooring and a conventional ‘swing’ mooring. ‘Swing’ moorings produced significant seagrass scour, denuding patches of ∼9 m radius. Seagrass-friendly ‘cyclone’ moorings produced extensive denuded patches (average radius of ∼18 m). Seagrass-friendly ‘screw’ moorings, conversely, had similar seagrass cover to nearby reference areas. Our findings reinforce previous work highlighting the negative effects of ‘swing’ and ‘cyclone’ moorings. In contrast, the previously unstudied ‘screw’ moorings were highly effective. We conclude that regular maintenance of moorings and the monitoring of surrounding seagrass are required to ensure that ‘seagrass-friendly’ moorings are operating effectively. This is important, as following damage Posidonia will take many decades to recover.     

Mooring Design & Dynamics—a Matlab® package for designing and analyzing oceanographic moorings

Mooring Design and Dynamics is a set of Matlab® routines that can be used to assist in the design and configuration of single point oceanographic moorings, the evaluation of mooring tension and shape under the influence of wind and currents, and the simulation of mooring component positions when forced by time-dependent currents. The static model will predict the tension and tilt at each mooring component, including the anchor, for which the safe mass will be evaluated in terms of the vertical and horizontal tensions. Predictions can be saved to facilitate mooring motion correction. Time-dependent currents can be entered to predict the dynamic response of the mooring. The package includes a preliminary database of standard mooring components which can be selected from pull down menus. The database can be edited and expanded to include user specific components, frequently used fasteners/wires etc., or unique oceanographic instruments. Once designed and tested, a draft of the mooring components can be plotted and a list of components, including fasteners can be printed.     

基于实测资料的南海北部台风“海鸥”致近惯性振荡研究

文章利用2014年9月南海东北部附近海域的A、B两个相距约20km的潜标数据, 分析了台风“海鸥”在南海东北部激发的近惯性振荡的垂向分布特征。结果表明, 台风过境在两站点激发了强烈的近惯性振荡, 其能量由海表向海洋内部传播; 近惯性能量在表层随着深度增加而增大, 最大值出现在次表层, 此后随着深度增加迅速衰减。但是两个观测站点的近惯性振荡垂向分布特征有较大的差别: A站点的近惯性振荡在不同深度上存在三个不同的垂向相速度, 而B站点的垂向相速度没有变化; 两站点的最大近惯性动能的大小及其所在深度不同, B站点比A站点的最大近惯性动能大15%左右。台风过后两个站点均出现由近惯性波f和半日内潮波D₂非线性相互作用产生的次级波动fD₂, 但其强度存在差异。台风后A站点fD₂在不同深度上有不同的变化, f和D₂相互作用较弱; 而B站点的fD₂在整个近惯性振荡影响深度内都是增强, 其fD₂和f频带的动能和流速在时空分布以及变化趋势上有较好的相关性。两站点的近惯性振荡垂向相速度以及次级波动fD₂的不同可能是水体层结的差异和涡旋的影响所导致的。     

Autonomous and rapid deployment of a compact taut-wire mooring

The deployment time of a taut-wire mooring is reduced to the time any transportation/hoisting device needs to put a payload at the sea surface. This is a matter of minutes rather than hours needed for deployment of long deep-ocean moorings in the regular way. It is achieved by extending the basic function of mooring parts to temporarily form a Launcher for Oceanographic Equipment and Instruments (LOEI). Full preparation of the mooring is done onshore where the instruments are prepared and programmed, and spooled onto the top-buoy together with the line. At sea, no other gear is required than a device that is able to lift a load of, say, 2000 kg, even for long deep-ocean moorings. The compact mooring method realizes considerable budget savings through deployments from non-research vessels and airborne transportation-deployment. Limitations lay in size and weight of the oceanographic instruments. We present a test-design shaped as a barbell and loaded with 940 m line and 3 current meters. Unfurling speed was maximally 2.3 m s⁻¹ and the descent speed amounted 1.2 m s⁻¹ until landing on the seabed. These speeds are comparable to those acquired during a conventional free-falling mooring deployment.     

半潜式起重平台系泊系统设计与优化研究

近年来,国内兴起了大力发展半潜式起重平台的势头,系泊系统的设计与优化是该类型平台开发中的关键问题之一。采用时域方法对半潜式起重平台系泊系统进行耦合动力分析,研究系泊系统主要参数对其动力响应特性的影响,并给出主要参数的设计优化流程,在此基础上,以能够满足安全校核且性能较优的系泊方案为目标,对该半潜式起重平台的系泊系统进行优化设计,并研究单根系泊缆发生破断对整个系泊系统的影响。结果表明:基于主要参数对系泊性能的影响规律,经优化设计得到的系泊方案,预留的安全欲度适中,能够保障半潜式起重平台在恶劣海况下的生存能力,同时具备较好的经济性。     

Coupled-dynamic analysis of floating structures with polyester mooring lines

A theory and numerical tool are developed for the coupled-dynamic analysis of a deepwater floating platform with polyester mooring lines. The formulas allow relatively large elongation and nonlinear stress–strain relationships, as typically observed in polyester fibers. The mooring-line dynamics are based on a rod theory and the finite element method (FEM), with the governing equations described in a generalized coordinate system. The original rod theory [Nordgren, R.P., 1974. On Computation of the Motion of Elastic Rods. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 41, 777–780] is generalized to allow larger elongation and nonlinear stress–strain relationship. The dynamic modulus of polyester is modeled following an empirical regression formula suggested by [Bosman, R.L.M., Hooker, J., 1999. The Elastic Modulus Characteristic of Polyester Mooring Ropes. In: Proceedings of the Offshore Technology Conference, OTC 10779. Houston, Texas], in which the axial stiffness is not constant, but depends on loading conditions. Two case studies, the static and dynamic behavior of a tensioned buoy and a classic spar with polyester mooring lines, are conducted. The time-domain simulation results are systematically compared with those from the original rod theory. The effects of large elongation and nonlinear stress–strain relations are separately assessed. It is seen that the mean offset, motions, and tension with polyester lines can be different from those by original rod theory with linear elastic lines.     

Time-domain numerical simulation of ocean cable structures

This paper describes the numerical features of WHOI Cable, a computer program for analyzing the statics and dynamics of oceanographic cable structures. The governing equations include the effects of geometric and material nonlinearities, bending stiffness for seamless modeling of slack cables, and a model for the interaction of cable segments with the sea floor. The program uses the generalized-α time integration algorithm, adaptive time stepping, and adaptive spatial gridding to produce accurate, stable solutions for dynamic problems. The nonlinear solver uses adaptive relaxation to improve robustness for both static and dynamic problems. The program solves surface and subsurface single-point mooring problems, multi-leg and branched array systems, and towing and drifting problems. User specified forcing can include waves, currents, wind, and ship speed.     

非通航孔桥墩自适应拦截网防撞装置实船拦截试验与水动力计算

针对非通航孔桥墩,研发了一种自适应拦截网防船舶撞击装置,主要由系泊大浮体、系泊锚链和固定锚、自适应小浮筒、拦截网、恒阻力缆绳以及触发钢索所组成。阐述了该防撞装置设计原理,即偏航船舶撞击该防撞装置,小浮筒会带动拦截网自适应地从水平状态竖起展开,包裹住来撞船首,再通过相连浮体的运动阻力和恒阻力缆绳来吸收船舶动能,拦截住船舶,保护非通航孔桥墩安全。随后介绍在福建平潭海峡大桥引桥附近海域实施的实船撞击自适应拦截网防撞装置的大型试验,试验结果显示:自适应拦截网成功升起,船舶被安全拦截,从而实验证实了设计原理与设计方案的可行性和可靠性。最后,采用大型水动力分析软件AQWA对防撞装置拦截船舶过程进行数值模拟,模拟结果与实验结果基本一致,说明了数值仿真具有较好的计算精度和可靠性,能够为该防撞装置的结构设计与优化提供重要的参考。     

海洋系泊缆索非线性有限元静力分析

采用几何非线性有限元方法研究海洋系泊缆索在重力、浮力和水流流体阻力作用下的静态平衡位形和张力分布.基于完全的Lagrangian格式,采用二节点等参索单元建立系泊缆索的静态平衡方程;采用增最迭代法求解得到的静平衡方程.数值算例证实此方法的有效性和准确性.计算了不同水流流体阻力作用下缆索的静平衡位形和张力分布,得到一些有意义的结论.     

A Time Domain Computation Method for Dynamic Behavior of Mooring System

A quasi-steady time domain method is developed for the prediction of dynamic behavior of amooring system under the environmental disturbances,such as regular or irregular waves,winds and cur-rents.The mooring forces are obtained in a static sense at each instant.The dynamic feature of the moor-ing cables can be obtained by incorporating the extended 3-D lumped-mass method with the known shipmotion history.Some nonlinear effects,such as the influence of the instantaneous change of the wettedhull surface on the hydrostatic restoring forces and Froude-Krylov forces,are included.Thecomputational results show a satisfactory agreement with the experimental ones.     

Polyester mooring for the Mad Dog spar—design issues and other considerations

The Mad dog project will use a polyester mooring system on the drilling and production truss spar. This will be the first use of a permanent polyester mooring system on a Floating Production System (FPS) outside of Brazil and the first time polyester has been used on a spar. As such, there were many challenges, which include:

• Regulatory approval.

• Designing a mooring system which is dominated by current loadings.

• Largest polyester rope break load ever required.

• Rope design qualification and testing.

• Quality control and assurance.

• Inspection, Maintenance, Repair and Retirement (IMRR) of such a mooring system.

This paper will focus on the design issues, rope design, manufacturing, qualification and testing, and the IMRR plan that was developed to provide the assurance that the polyester mooring system could be safely operated over the 20-year field life.