• International Journal of Ocean System Engineering
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.175-187
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• 2013

Moonpools are vertical wells in a floating body used onboard many types of vessels like Exploration and drilling vessels, Production barges, Cable-laying vessels, Rock dumping vessels, Research and offshore support vessels. Moonpool gives passage to underwater activities for different types of ships as per their mission requirements. It is observed that inside a moonpool considerable relative motions may occur, depending on shape, depth of the moonpool and on the frequency range of the waves to which the ship is exposed. The vessel responses are entirely different in zero and non-zero Froude number. Former situation is paid attention in this study as the mission requirement of the platform is to be in the particular location for long period of operation. It is well known that there are two modes of responses depending on the shape of the moonpool viz., piston mode for square shape and sloshing mode for rectangular shapes with different aspect ratios of opening like 1:1.5 and 1:2 ratios. Circular shaped moonpool is also tested for measuring the responses. The vessel moored using heavy lines are modelled and tested in the wave basin. The pretensions of the lines are varied by altering the touchdown points and the dynamic tensions on the lines are measured. The different modes of oscillations of water column are measured using wave gauge and the vessel response at a particular situation is determined. RAOs calculated for various situations provide better insight to the designer.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2002

본 논문에서는 선체 하부에 moonpool과 bilge step을 장착한 새로운 개념으의 LNG-FPSO를 운동감소와 cargo, operation tank의 슬로싱 현상의 관점에서 기술하였다. LNG-FPSO의 주요제원은$L\times B\times D\times t(design)=270.0\times51.0\times32.32\times13.7(m)$ 이고 적용조건은 total corgo capacity of 161KT at 98% loading condition 이다. LNG-FPSO의 운동감소의 목적으로 2개의 moonpool과 선체하부 bilge 부분에 사각 step을 장착하였다. LNG-FPSO의 운동해석을 위해 단순화된 경계조건을 만족하는 선형화된 3차원 diffraction theory를 사용하였고 LNG-FPSO의 연성된 6-자유도 운동응답을 계산하였다. LNG-FPSO의 정확한 Roll 운동을 추정하기 위해 점성효과는 Himeno(1981)가 제안한 경험식을 사용하였다. Moonpool의 크기에 따른 운동감소의 경향을 파악하기 위해 이론적 계산과 실험적 방법으로 수행하였다. Moonpool 크기와 bilge step의 효과를 최적화하기 위해 총9가지의 case를 설정하였다. 이론 및 실험 결과로부터 본 LNG-FPSO는 moonpool과 bilge step의 장착으로 인한 감쇠력의 증가로 운동성능이 우수하다. 본 LNG-FPSO의 운동 응답중, 특별히 roll 운동이 다른 drillship, shuttle tanker등의 선박과 비교하여 상당히 작았고 이는 moonpool과 blige step의 장착으로 인한 효과로 판단된다. Cargo tank와 operation tank 크기를 검토 하기 위해 불규칙 해상중 sloshing 해석을 chamfer를 갖는 LNG-FPSO의 No.2, No.5 tank 벽면의 압력 분포와 자유표면의 time history에 초점을 맞추어 수행하였다. 최종적으로 tank 크기를 최적화 하였고 최적화된 tank는 선수사파와 횡파상태의 모든 filling에서 공진현상과 충격압력이 발생하지 않음을 확인하였다.

• International Journal of Ocean System Engineering
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2013

This study is mainly interested in roundness of a circular moonpool structure in FPSO. Because this structure needs abrasion-resistance on inner wall, we should do buttering widely and deeply by using Inconel. But a general buttering can cause a severe distortion at structures. If someone can analyze the roundness by thermal distortion under Inconel over-lay, an erection policy can be established. In this study, shrinkage methodology by designed stress-strain curve was used and the result allowed deciding an appropriate block size.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.300-308
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• 2015

With the increases in oil and gas prices, and energy consumption, drillship construction has increased during the last decade. A drillship using a dynamic positioning (DP) system to maintain its position and heading angle during drilling operations. In addition, a drillship is equipped with a moonpool structure to allow its drilling systems to be operated in the midship section. A drillship for the North Sea is specially designed to endure harsh environmental loads. For safe operation in the North Sea, the drillship should have good motion response and robust hull strength. A break water should be considered on the bow and side deck to prevent the green water on deck phenomenon from incoming waves. In addition, the moonpool should be designed to reduce the speed loss and resonance motion. In this study, the hydrodynamic characteristics of a drillship for the North Sea were examined in relation to the motion, wave loads, green water, and moonpool resonance in the initial design stage.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.484-490
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• 2012

Experiments of circulating water channel and two dimensional numerical simulations were performed to investigate the fluctuating characteristics of pressure in moonpool. Based on the quasi-two dimensional characteristics of pressure fluctuations disclosed by the spatial cross-correlations, the numerical results showed qualitatively good agreement with experimental data. Proper orthogonal decomposition was employed to the spatial distributions of pressure fluctuations in order to find the first and second modes of fluctuations. The first mode of pressure fluctuations showed that the fluctuating characteristics of pressure were related to the behaviors of vortical structures. The velocity fluctuations were conditionally averaged to make clear that the coherent structures were responsible for the pressure fluctuations in moonpool.

• International Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology Speciallssue:Selected Papers
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2002

A New concept for the LNG-FPSO ship, with moonpool and bilge step in bottom, is proposed. This concept is investigated with regard to motion reduction and sloshing phenomena of the cargo and operation tanks. The principal dimensions of the ship are $L\timesb B\times D\times t(design)=270.0\times51.0\times32.32\times13.7(m)$, with a total cargo capacity of 161KT; a 98% loading condition is considered for this study. The moonpools and rectangular step at the bilge have been designed for the purpose of decreasing the motion within the tank. For the motion analysis, linearized three-dimensional diffraction theory, with the simplified boundary condition was used. The six-degree of freedom coupled motion responses were calculated for the LNG-FPSO ship. Viscous effects on the roll motion responses of a vessel were taken into account in this calculation program, using an empirical formula suggested by Himeno(1981). The case study for the moonpool size has been conducted using theoretical estimation and the experimental method. For the optimization of the moonpool size and effect of the bilge step, 9 cases of its size, both with and without bilge step, were involved in the study. no motion responses, especially roll motion, for the designed LNG-FPSO ships are much lower than those of other drill ships and shuttle tankers. The limit criterions are satisfied. To check the cargo tank and operation tank sizes, we performed a sloshing analysis in the irregular waves which focuses on the pressure distribution on the tank wall and the time history of pressure and free surface for No.2 and 5 tanks of LNG-FPSO with chamfers. Finally, optimum tank sire was estimated.

• Proceedings of the Korea Committee for Ocean Resources and Engineering Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.189-195
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• 2000

New concept of LNG-FPSO ship with moonpool and bilge step in bottom is considered and investigated in the point of motion reduction and sloshing phenomena of the cargo and operation tanks. The cargo capacity of the ship of which principle dimensions is L x B x D x t(design) =270.0 x 51.0 x 32.32 x 13.7(m) 16K at 98% loading condition. The two moonpools and rectangular step at bilge part are setted up specially for getting the effect of motion decrease. For the motion analysis, linearized three dimensional diffraction theory with the simplified boundary conditions is used. The six-degree of freedom coupled motion responses are calculated for the LNG-FPSO ship. Viscous effects on the roll motion responses of a vessel are taken into account in this calculation program using an empirical formula suggested by Ikeda, Himeno and Tanaka is used. The case study for the moonpool size had been carried out by theoretical estimation and experimental method. For the optimization of the moonpool size and effect of the step, 9 cases of its size and with and without step are considered. From the results of calculation and experiment, it can be concluded that this designed LNG-FPSO ship have possibility to carry out her missions in the rough sea as for the owner's demand waves condition. The motion responses, especially roll motion, for the designed LNG-FPSO ship are much lower than those of another drillship and shuttle tanker and limit criterions are satisfied. For the check of the cargo tank and operation tank sizes we have performed sloshing analysis in the irregular waves which focuses on the pressure distribution on the tank wall and the time history of pressure and free surface for No.2 and No5. tanks of LNG-FPSO with chamfers. Finally we got the tank size which has no resonance and no impact pressure in all filling in the bow quartering and beam sea.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.36-46
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• 2011

A two-dimensional floating body with a moon pool under forced heave motion, including a piston mode, is numerically simulated. A dynamic CFD simulation is carried out to thoroughly investigate the flow field around a two-dimensional moon pool over various heaving frequencies. The numerical results are compared with experimental results and a linear potential program by Faltinsen et al. (2007). The effects of vortex shedding and viscosity are investigated by changing the corner shapes of the floating body and solving the Euler equation, respectively. The flow fields, including the velocity, vorticity, and pressure fields, are discussed to understand and determine the mechanisms of wave elevation, damping, and sway force.

• Special Issue of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• 2009.09a
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• pp.24-34
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• 2009

The latest trend of development for submarine oil field is caused by the drained oil and gas for ground field, and FPSO is a keyword as the development for submarine oil field. FPSO (Floating Production Storage Offloading) is a kind of vessel type have a topside system for production of oil and gas and store them until the oil or gas can be offloaded onto a tanker or transported through a pipeline. Prior to the introduction of reinforcement under the pull-in winch on the STP extended top as the object of this paper, the technical background shall be introduced such as FPSO and the system and main equipments for STP as follows. The original structural concept for reinforcement of pull-in winch on the STP top and extended structure on moonpool was proposed by buyer's engineering team but it was much modified and improved in accordance with builder's fabrication and construction method.