Stability analysis of TLP tethers

Compliant offshore TLPs are essentially meant for deep oil/gas exploration and are usually constructed on the seashore and then towed down to the particular location for anchorage. They are connected to the sea bed by means of pretension cables. The increased use of TLPs in deep waters and necessity of reduction of usually high value of pretension make the effect of variable tension in the tether dynamics more significant. This work presents the dynamic analysis of tethers and TLPs considering the linearly varying tension along the tether length. The modal analysis considers a linear cable equation for tether modeling subjected to tension which varies along its length. A Mathieu stability analysis is then performed for TLPs of different shapes and different water depth vis-à-vis of 527.8, 872, and 1200 m respectively to obtain the amplitudes of tether vibrations. The unstable modes of vibration are also verified. The resultant modal forms for the tether's dynamic model are then obtained in form of Bessel's function. From the numerical studies conducted it is seen that increased tether tension not only leads to a stable platform but also improves the stability due to increased hydrodynamic loading contributing to added mass. From the studies conducted it is also seen that the triangular configuration TLPs with increased initial pretension are more stable compared to four leg TLP in the first mode of vibration.     

Comparing effects of land reclamation techniques on water pollution and fishery loss for a large-scale offshore airport island in Jinzhou Bay,Bohai Sea,China

Plans are being made to construct Dalian Offshore Airport in Jinzhou Bay with a reclamation area of 21 km². The large-scale reclamation can be expected to have negative effects on the marine environment, and these effects vary depending on the reclamation techniques used. Water quality mathematical models were developed and biology resource investigations were conducted to compare effects of an underwater explosion sediment removal and rock dumping technique and a silt dredging and rock dumping technique on water pollution and fishery loss. The findings show that creation of the artificial island with the underwater explosion sediment removal technique would greatly impact the marine environment. However, the impact for the silt dredging technique would be less. The conclusions from this study provide an important foundation for the planning of Dalian Offshore Airport and can be used as a reference for similar coastal reclamation and marine environment protection.     

Some Recent Advances on Ice Related Problems in Offshore Engineering

This paper deals with several hot topics in ice related problems.In recent years,advances havebeen made on ice breaking modes,dynamic ice loads on offshore structures.ice-induced structural vibra-tions,fatigue and fracture by ice-structure interaction,and design of jackets in the Bohai Gulf.     

The Potential for Environmentally Sound Development of Marine Deposits of Potassic and Phosphatic Minerals Offshore,Southern Africa

Extensive potassium and phosphorous-rich mineralization occurs on the outer continental shelf of the southern and west coasts of South Africa and Nambia. This article reviews the potential of exploiting these deposits in an environmentally sound manner for the manufacture of fertilizer. At present, reserves of potash and phosphate fertilizer are exploited from terresterial deposits, the majority being surface mined. The use of fertilizer in South Africa has shown no growth in the past 13 years, and, in some years, usage has even declined. On average, over the last decade, South Africa has consumed 2 million Mt of fertilizer (including nitrogen) per annum, the vast majority of phosphate fertilizer being produced by FOSKOR from the Phalaborwa Igneous Complex. Potash fertilizer is imported into South Africa. Although fertilizer consumption is expected to decrease in the short-term, there are good future prospects for the domestic and international fertilizer market. Considerable research into both glauconitic (containing K 2 O) and phosphatic deposits along the southern African continental shelf indicate that these sedimentary deposits have a complex genesis and mineralization. Of the total K 2 O reserves of 1300 million Mt on the southern African margin, 1000 million Mt is located off the southern African west coast, and the remainder situated on the Agulhas Bank. The largest glauconite concentration ( - 300 million Mt K 2 O) off southern Africa lies west of Saldanha Bay, South Africa. The distribution of P 2 O 5 off southern Africa is dominated by the vast deposit between Walvis Bay and Luderitz, Nambia. This reserve is estimated to contain 1000 million Mt of greater than 5% P 2 O 5 in a relatively small area of about 10000 km2. The phosphorite deposit south of Saldanha Bay constitutes a reserve of - 3500 million Mt of apatite and the deposit on the Agulhas Bank comprises 5500 million Mt. The phosphate deposit off Saldanha Bay occurs as an extensive, low to medium grade deposit. Although vast resources of potash and phosphatic minerals occur along the southern African outer continental shelf the expensive nature of marine exploitation may render most of these deposits, especially the phosphates, subeconomic. The low price of fertilizer andextensive natureontheonland deposits, although confined to asmallnumber of countries, mean that it will not be financially viable to extract these deposits. Assuming high grade glauconitic sand with the right composition can be located, the high market price indicates good future prospects for these potash deposits.     

南海北部海区无柄蔓足类的分布

于1986－1991年在南海北部对16个海洋结构物上的无柄蔓足类水平分布、垂直分布和个体大小进行调查。研究表明，所采集到的标本隶属于无柄蔓足类的3科7属19种，其中藤壶科5属16种，笠藤壶科1属2种和小藤壶科1属1种。共有17种无柄蔓足类分布在珠江口东南海区；而琼东海区仅发现2种；琼东南海区有8种；莺歌海海区11种和北部湾海区10种。纵肋巨藤壶、美丽藤壶和珠江藤壶为珠江口东南海区特有种。研究无柄蔓足类在南海北部近海海区的分布及其与海流的关系，不仅有助于深入了解该类生物的生活习性和生态特点，也为海洋石油平台的设计及污损生物的防除提供参数。     

A Study on Crack Detection with Modal Parameters of A Jacket Platform

Crack detection procedures by different modal parameters are analyzed for identitying a crack and its location and magnitude in a jacket plafform. The first ten natural frequencies and modal shapes of the jacket models are obtained by numerical experiments based on NASTRAN Code. A crack at different locations and of different magnitudes is imposed in the model at the underwater beams. Then, the modal evaluation parameters are calculated numerically, to illustrate the evaluation of modal parameter criteria used in jacket crack detection. The sensitivities of different modal parameters to different cracks are analyzed. A new technique is presented for predicting the approximate location of a breakage in the absence of the data of an intact model. This method can be used to detect a crack in underwater menbers by use of incomplete mode shapes of the top members of the jacket.     

Framing industrialization of the offshore wind value chain – A discourse approach to an event

The paper explores value chain governance through a discourse approach to an event which included an exhibition and a conference. This approach appears promising for investigating industries in their formative phase and is particularly relevant for new renewable energy sectors. By studying the European offshore wind value chain, the paper investigates the coupling between wind industries and offshore industries as an encounter of various conventions. The key speakers at the conference, particularly those from the utility companies, introduced new principles for organizing the value chains they are leading, in order to reduce costs, and turn the immature sector into a mature one. Their storyline of industrialization by standardization breaks, however, with the storyline demonstrated by the firms in offshore oil and gas, and maritime industries at the exhibition. The latter offshore suppliers find evidence of quality in their business history and their trust-based relations to their clients. Theoretically the paper contributes to the global value chain governance debate by offering another perspective on power. The discourse approach helps us explain how influential actors could enforce one convention over another. The paper contributes methodically by suggesting a discourse approach to events. Events appear as a significant arena for negotiating industry formation and convenient for researcher’s data gathering for text analysis.     

板格形导管架桩基码头稳定性简化计算方法

板格形导管架桩基码头是适用于深水域软土地基的新型港口与海岸工程结构。该结构由预制的板格形导管架及桩基构成,承载特性和破坏模式复杂。假定码头结构发生倾覆失稳时,转动点位于前桩轴线上,且距导管架底面距离为L。除结构的自身重量外,综合考虑板格形导管架与周围土体间的摩擦力、桩侧摩阻力、桩侧水平土抗力等,对结构进行极限状态受力分析,建立基于假想支撑点的稳定性分析模型,并通过强度折减法进行计算,求取安全系数。以天津滨海沿岸水文地质条件为背景,利用ABAQUS有限元分析软件,建立板格形导管架桩基码头三维弹塑性有限元模型进行稳定性分析,并与简化方法进行比较。结果表明,通过简化计算方法得到的安全系数与有限元结果较为吻合。     

Hybrid three-dimensional finite-difference and finite-element analysis of seismic wave induced fluid–structure interaction of a vertical cylinder

The two-dimensional finite-difference scheme has been extended to three dimensions to solve nonlinear hydrodynamic pressures and structural responses of a deformable, vertical and circular surface-piercing offshore cylinder during earthquakes. A complete three-dimensional analysis has been made with both the three-dimensional equations of motion and the simultaneous action of three components of ground acceleration included in the analysis. Not only the magnitude but also the direction of the acting ground motion can be varied with time. The dynamic response of a cylinder is approximated by the displacements in the fundamental modes of vibration. A comparison of the dynamic displacement of the cylinder with and without surrounding sea water has been made. The flexibility of the offshore cylinder can significantly increase the hydrodynamic pressures acting on cylinder faces, that is, the fluid-structure interaction is necessary in offshore cylinder analysis. Although the hydrodynamic pressure induced by the vertical ground acceleration of the El Centro 1979 earthquake is significant, the calculated structural dynamic response of a cylinder is very small and the corresponding resultant hydrodynamic force is almost nil. The hydrodynamic force induced by two-horizontal ground acceleration is about the same as that by three simultaneous components of ground acceleration. For a solid and stubbier circular cylinder, the vertical component of ground acceleration may be neglected.     

Derivation of statistical properties of wave-induced offshore structural response by principal component technique

According to linear random wave theory, water particle kinematics at different nodes of an offshore structure form a set of correlated jointly Gaussian random variables. Thus, using principal component analysis, all the foregoing kinematics can be expressed as linear combinations of a few independent Gaussian random variables. This technique can be used to generate statistically independent hydrodynamic load and response values, as opposed to time simulation technique that leads to correlated response values. The sampling variability of the statistics generated from a set of independent data points is considerably smaller than that of a set (of the same size) of correlated values. Therefore, a much smaller number of simulated data points are necessary for accurate prediction of the statistical properties of response. Furthermore, simulating N data points by principal component technique (PCT) has proved to be at least two times faster than simulating the same number of data points by the time simulation technique (TST). As a result, PCT is considerably more efficient (about 25 times) than TST. The forgoing conclusions have been verified by applying both techniques to two test structures under different environmental conditions.