Reliability based approach for offloading operation related to motion of two side-by-side moored LNG carriers

A reliability based approach for analysis of offloading operations with two identical LNG carriers moored in a side-by-side configuration is suggested. The approach, although adopted for two tankers, is generally applicable to different types of LNG terminals. Different heading controls are conceivable for the discharging vessel in the case that the heading is not fixed: heading toward wind-sea, heading toward swell, heading toward wind and free weather vaning. The analyses show that heading toward the governing sea state is the most beneficial option for two identical LNG carriers moored in a side-by-side configuration. Strategies are discussed for estimation of limiting weather criteria that are consistent with prescribed target failure probabilities.     

Pressure resistance of the corrugated stainless steel membranes of LNG carriers

Corrugated stainless steel membranes have been used as the primary barriers for LNG carriers to reduce thermal stresses at cryogenic temperatures. As the capacity of the LNG cargo is increased, however, the corrugated stainless steel membranes suffer from buckling and collapse due to increased sloshing loads in large-capacity LNG cargo carriers. In this study, the pressure resistance of the corrugated part of the stainless steel membrane was evaluated using a finite element method for better design of the LNG containment system, and an experimental equipment was developed and the pressure resistance of the stainless steel corrugations was measured and compared with the calculated results. In addition, a new membrane with high-pressure resistance and its reinforcing method were developed and evaluated experimentally.     

液舱晃荡载荷计算与强度校核系统研究

随着薄膜型LNG运输船的需求量不断增加,晃荡载荷已成为船舶安全性研究的重要内容之一。本文结合中国船级社规范所推荐的公式,对薄膜型LNG船晃荡水平的载荷进行研究,提出载荷计算方法和流程,在MSC.patran的基础上结合二次开发语言PCL,设计了一套晃荡载荷计算与校核系统。该系统对有限元模型进行前后处理,设计了舱室识别算法来搜索晃荡载荷的作用域,实现薄膜型LNG船晃荡载荷的自动计算与施加,完成屈服强度评估。通过算例测试证明本系统自动计算结果的有效性和准确性,可以为工程设计人员大大节约工作量,大幅度提高工作效率。     

Resistance and propulsion characteristics of various commercial ships based on CFD results

This paper uses computational tools to examine the speed performance of various types of commercial ships including resistance and propulsion characteristics. Eight commercial ships built in the last decade were selected for the study. They include four large-sized container carriers, one bulk carrier, one VLCC, and two LNG carriers. The Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equation has been utilized, and the computations were executed under the same conditions of the model tests to predict the speed performance, i.e., resistance and self-propulsion. The self-propulsion point was obtained from load-varying tests. The speed performance was predicted based on the model-ship performance analysis method of the revised ITTC’78 method. The limiting streamlines on the hull, wave characteristics around the model ship, and the wake characteristics on the propeller plane were also investigated. After completing the computations, a series of model tests were conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the computational predictions. The predictions clearly reveal the differences in the resistance and propulsion characteristics regarding the various types of commercial ships, and may be applicable to hull-form design.     

拉伸与扭转载荷作用下LNG低温复合软管的力学性能研究

LNG低温复合软管结构复杂,且在运行时受风、浪、流等多种载荷联合作用,其在超低温环境下的力学性能直接关系到其能否安全运行。首先参考江苏某软管公司生产的4英寸LNG低温复合软管,建立软管精细化有限元模型,接着对软管在拉伸、扭转两种轴对称载荷作用下的力学性能进行研究,最后就软管结构尺寸对其力学性能的影响展开分析。结果表明：在拉伸及扭转载荷作用下,不同层芳纶布以及同层芳纶布不同材料主方向在对应波峰、波谷处的受力情况不同。芳纶布铺设角度、芳纶布铺设层数、钢丝螺距以及钢丝直径对复合软管力学性能影响显著,分析相应的灵敏度规律从而对结构尺寸做出调整。研究成果可以为LNG低温复合软管的结构设计提供参考。     

The air–water sloshing problem: Fundamental analysis and parametric studies on excitation and fill levels

The problem of liquid sloshing has gained recent attention with the proliferation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers transporting liquids in partially filled tanks. Impact pressures caused by sloshing depend on the tank fill level, period and amplitude of oscillation of the tank. In this paper, we first present the rudiments of a linear potential theory for sloshing motions in a two-dimensional rectangular tank, due to small amplitude sway motions. Although this topic is fundamental, we clarify inconsistencies in the published literature and texts.Numerical investigations were carried out on the sloshing motions in a two-dimensional tank in the sway excitation. The fluid domain was modeled using a finite volume approximation, and the air–water interface was tracked using a volume-of-fluid (VOF) technique. Computational results for free surface elevation and impact pressure are found to be in good agreement with theory and published data. The fill levels were varied from 10% to 95%, and the excitation time periods were varied from 0.8 to 2.8 s for a constant sway amplitude of 0.25 m (peak–peak) at 1:30 scale. The results of the parametric study are compared with theoretical predictions and suggestions are made on incorporating sloshing effects in standard seakeeping analysis for LNG carriers.     

A probabilistic assessment of design sloshing pressure time histories in LNG tanks

The violent motion (sloshing) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in cargo tanks has attracted significant attention. Transformations of the LNG market have led to the increased transport of LNG in partially filled tanks, but established technology is mainly based on engineering experience with completely filled containers. This paper investigates a large sample of sloshing pressure measurements. It focuses on the magnitude of individual sloshing impact events, and their associated temporal and spatial patterns. The durations of these impacts are comparable to the natural frequency of an LNG container wall, so the details of their time histories are important in determining the structural response. Experiments are performed on tanks with high (92.5%) and low (30%) filling levels, for various wave headings. The common post-processing approach of representing impact pressure histories by a triangular profile is studied, and an alternative approach is presented. Two statistical models are used to describe the distribution of maximal pressures in sloshing impacts: a three-parameter Weibull model and a generalized Pareto model. The latter is found to be of questionable utility due to small sample sizes. It is observed that for low filling levels the sloshing impacts are of greater magnitude, having longer durations, smaller ratios of rise time to duration, and larger spatial extents. All these factors should in principle increase the structural response.     

Fatigue strength assessment of MARK-III type LNG cargo containment system

The aim of this paper is to investigate the fatigue strength of the GTT Mark-III type LNG insulation system. The LNG insulation system consists of several composite layers with various connections; plywood, triplex, reinforced polyurethane foam and mastic. Consequently, the LNG insulation system may include mechanical failures such as cracks as well as delaminations within the layers due to sloshing impact loads and fatigue loadings. In addition, these failures may cause a significant decrease of structural integrity. In this study, a series of fatigue tests have been carried out for Mark-III type LNGC insulation systems at room temperature considering the effect of sloshing impact. The load levels have been determined based on the ultimate strength of reinforced polyurethane foam. The aim of the study is to investigate the typical failure characteristics of the MARK-III LNG insulation system and to obtain the S–N data under fatigue loading. A consolidated single S–N curve is obtained based on a systematic finite element procedure. Future use of the S–N data in fatigue analysis requires that the response analysis is carried out using a finite element model with the same mesh density and material properties. This study can be used as a fundamental study for the fatigue assessment of the LNGC insulation system as well as a design guideline.     

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     

浮式海上接收终端方案研究

分析国内外海上LNG接收终端的发展趋势和需求状况,针对目前受广泛关注的FSRU形式,提出了适合国内应用的旧船改造浮式海上接收终端方案,包括储存、系泊、气化、发电、辅助设施等系统,以及工艺系统的模拟方案,并论述了海上浮式终端的各种改造、建造技术以及存在的问题,为国内进一步开展海上接收终端的设计和建设提供参考。     

A critique of offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal policy

The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 amended the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 to permit the construction of offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. Terminals with environmentally destructive open-loop regasification systems were quickly approved in the Gulf of Mexico. This study analyzed the political methods of the George W. Bush administration to determine how it developed offshore LNG. Findings showed that the Bush administration worked closely with the energy industry to promote national energy security and limited the role of certain federal and state agencies through a centralized policy process.     

Structural Safety Assessment for FLNG-LNGC System During Offloading Operation Scenario

The crashworthiness of the cargo containment systems (CCSs) of a floating liquid natural gas (FLNG) and the side structures in side-by-side offloading operations scenario are studied in this paper. An FLNG vessel is exposed to potential threats from collisions with a liquid natural gas carrier (LNGC) during the offloading operations, which has been confirmed by a model test of FLNG-LNGC side-by-side offloading operations. A nonlinear finite element code LS-DYNA is used to simulate the collision scenarios during the offloading operations. Finite element models of an FLNG vessel and an LNGC are established for the purpose of this study, including a detailed LNG cargo containment system in the FLNG side model. Based on the parameters obtained from the model test and potential dangerous accidents, typical collision scenarios are defined to conduct a comprehensive study. To evaluate the safety of the FLNG vessel, a limit state is proposed based on the structural responses of the LNG CCS. The different characteristics of the structural responses for the primary structural components, energy dissipation and collision forces are obtained for various scenarios. Deformation of the inner hull is found to have a great effect on the responses of the LNG CCS, with approximately 160 mm deformation corresponding to the limit state. Densely arranged web frames can absorb over 35% of the collision energy and be proved to greatly enhance the crashwo-rthiness of the FLNG side structures.     

LNG低温复合软管疲劳特性及参数化分析研究

LNG低温复合软管具有强度高、重量轻、柔韧性好等优点,可以满足恶劣海况下LNG的输送需求,但其结构复杂,且面临多种耦合载荷作用下的疲劳失效问题。首先建立了LNG低温复合软管的有限元模型,研究了复合软管在弯曲和内压载荷下的力学响应和弯曲疲劳寿命特性;然后改变螺旋钢丝直径、预紧间距、导程和纤维层数及摩擦系数等参数,对软管的弯曲疲劳寿命进行了参数化分析。结果表明预紧间距、导程和纤维层数对复合软管的疲劳损伤影响显著：预紧间距增大时,复合软管疲劳损伤先增大后减小;导程减小或者层数增加时,复合软管的疲劳损伤会明显减小;摩擦系数对疲劳损伤几乎没有影响。研究成果可为低温复合软管的结构设计提供理论参考。     

Influence of weight distribution on rolling of an LNG carrier

The paper discusses the various effects of the weight distribution on the roll motion of an LNG carrier based upon model tests results. The tests consisted of extinction tests in calm water as well as roll response tests in regular beam waves.The results of the wave tests were compared with those calculated with the much used simplified equation for pure rolling.     

考虑晃荡效应的独立B型LNG液舱结构多目标优化

独立B型LNG液舱内部设置舱壁板材及多种桁材,有效缓解了液舱晃荡效应。针对晃荡载荷下的独立B型LNG液舱结构多目标优化,利用规范中的公式计算晃荡载荷,并引入液舱晃荡系数,以期综合反映液舱内部构件对晃荡特性的影响,在此基础上进一步建立以液舱结构重量和液舱晃荡系数为目标的多目标优化模型,采用多目标遗传算法(NCGA),计算得到改进的独立B型LNG液舱结构设计方案。     

Us public and private regulation of LNG transport

The authors examine the propositions that the private banking sector is capable of assuring that liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects are economically viable and that the insurance sector is capable of rating the relative risks of LNG projects to assure their operations are as safe as possible. If the markets could assure these outcomes, government regulation of LNG projects could be reduced. Reviews of public and private regulation of safety and economic viability suggest that the private sector cannot serve these functions adequately. Unless private financial and insurance enterprises are induced by government regulations to smooth their own operating cycles, private self-regulation of major new developments is unlikely to be effective. In the case of LNG, the red tape of governmental bureaucracy may have prevented the large-scale development of costly, potentially hazardous, white elephants, but for all the wrong reasons.     

实施渔村振兴:借鉴、路径与政策

为贯彻落实国家实施乡村振兴战略的重大部署,促进新时代美丽渔村建设,文章在总结国外经验的基础上,结合文献梳理和实地调研,明确渔村振兴须妥善处理的关系,并提出渔村振兴的路径和政策。研究结果表明:通过加强顶层设计和产业融合等措施,日本、韩国和美国在渔业发展和渔村振兴方面都取得成功;我国渔村振兴应妥善处理三大关系,即渔民与土地(养殖和捕捞水域)的关系、渔民与渔民的关系以及渔民与国家的关系;渔村振兴的路径主要包括依靠主体、发展载体、富裕渔民、深化改革、要素投入、顶层设计、产业融合、繁荣文化和渔村治理9个方面,政策主要包括财政、科技、金融、人才和服务5个方面。     

An experimental study of the wave excitation in the gap between two closely spaced bodies,with implications for LNG offloading

The side-by-side offloading of liquid natural gas (LNG) at offshore terminals involves a fixed and a floating body in close proximity; the offshore terminal being the fixed body and the LNG tanker the floating body. The closeness of the two bodies leads to the formation of a long and relatively narrow gap, within which there is the potential for large amplifications of the water surface elevation. The present paper uses experimental results to characterise both the size and nature of the excitation within the gap. It also illustrates the effect of the vessel motion on this amplification by considering a 1:100 scaled model of an LNG tanker as well as its fixed approximation. It is found that the body's ability to move acts to increase the frequency at which resonant amplification within the gap occurs (the resonance frequency). The incident wave conditions considered include regular and irregular waves in both beam- and head-sea orientations; the latter leading to very different gap end conditions. The nature of the resonant amplification for the floating LNG tanker is shown to be similar for the two orientations, suggesting that the gap end conditions do not drive the resonant amplification. Consideration of the nonlinearity within the gap illustrates that resonant amplification occurs at the resonance frequency, irrespective of whether the fluid motion is first or second harmonic. The present paper provides data relevant to the safe offloading operations of an LNG tanker and demonstrates the importance of incorporating the vessel motion in numerical modelling procedures.     

Numerical simulation of impact loads using a particle method

The violent free-surface motions interacting with structures are investigated using the moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method, which was originally proposed by Koshizuka and Oka (1996) for incompressible flow simulation. In the present numerical method, a more efficient algorithm for Lagrangian moving particles is used for solving various highly nonlinear free-surface problems without using the Eulerian approach or the grid system. Therefore, the convection terms and time derivatives in the Navier–Stokes equation can be calculated more directly without any numerical diffusion, instabilities, or topological failure. In particular, the MPS method is applied to the simulation of liquid-entry and slamming problems, such as wet-drop (liquid–liquid collision) tests in an LNG tank and slamming loads (solid–liquid collision) on rigid plates with various incident angles. The numerical results are in good agreement with available experimental data.