• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2015

The float over method is the most preferred method for installing heavy topside onto a jacket platform. A very complex platform with multiple jacket structures on a specific field requires multiple installation procedures. This study validated the installation of two topsides using a single installation barge to reduce the operation and installation cost. The hydrodynamic properties of the installation barge during the installation of two topsides were calculated. The tension and fender forces during docking were investigated to show the validity of the proposed dual topside installation method. In conclusion, the operational safety of the proposed procedure was validated through the calculation of the motion of the installation vessel and loads on the jacket legs.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

The installation of a topside structure can be categorized into the following stages: start, pre-lifting, lifting, lifted, rotating, positioning, lowering, mating, and end of installation. The transfer of the module onto the floating spar hull occurs in the last three stages, from lowering to the end. The coupled multi-body motions are calculated in both calm water and in irregular waves with a significant wave height (1.52m). The effects of the hydrodynamic interactions between the heavy lifting vessel and the spar hull during the lowering and mating stages are considered. The internal forces caused by the load transfer and ballasting are derived for the mating phases. The results of the internal forces for the calm water condition are compared with those in the irregular sea condition. Although the effect of the pitch motion on the relative vertical motion between the deck of the floating structure and the topside module is significant in the mating phases, the internal force induced pitch motion is too small to have this influence. However, the effect of the internal force on the wave-induced heave responses in the mating phases is noticeable in the irregular sea condition because transfer mass-induced draught changes for the floating structure are observed to have higher amplitudes than the external force induced responses. The impacts of the module on the spar hull in the mating phase are investigated.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.7-11
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• 2011

The installation phase for a topside module suggested can be divided into 9 stages, which include start, pre-lifting, lifting, lifted, rotating, positioning, lowering, mating, and end of installation. The transfer of the topside module from a transport barge to a crane vessel takes place in the first three stages, from start to lifting, while the transfer of the module onto a floating spar hull occurs in the last three stages, from lowering to the end. The coupled multi-body motions are calculated in both calm water and in irregular waves with significant wave height (1.52m), with suggested force equilibrium diagrams. The effects of the hydrodynamic interactions between the crane vessel and barge during the lifting stage have been considered. The internal forces caused by the load transfer and ballasting are derived for the lifting phases. The results of these internal forces for the calm water condition are compared with those in the irregular sea condition. Although the effect of pitch motion on the relative vertical motion between the deck of the floating structure and the topside module is significant in the lifting phases, the internal force induced pitch motion is too small to show its influence. However, the effect of the internal force on the wave-induced heave responses in the lifting phases is noticeable in the irregular sea condition because the transfer mass-induced draught changes in the floating structure are observed to have higher amplitudes than the external force induced responses.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2013

This paper calculates the mating dynamic forces of a semi-submersible offshore structure's topside module, where a hull moored in the sea is combined with a topside module carried by a heavy lift vessel, as a mating installation method. The environmental conditions include various wave directions and wave heights, with constant wind and current speeds. Appropriate ballast and de-ballast plans for the heavy lift vessel and hull of the semi-rig should be performed in order to safely obtain these forces, whereas a fixed platform or the GBS (Gravity based structure) type of offshore structure only needs a ballast plan for the heavy lift vessel. From this paper, the allowable wave height or wave direction for the mating procedure can be investigated based on the standard DAF (Dynamic amplitude factor) of the rules and regulations.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.39-52
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• 2014

Floatover technology has been widely used in offshore installation, which has many substantial advantages compared with the traditional derrick barge. During the topside offloading of a twin-barge floatover installation, the transport barge is side by side moored between two floatover barges. In this paper, the twin-barge model with the connecting hawsers and pneumatic fenders is established. Coupled dynamic analysis is carried out to investigate the motions of the barges under wind, wave and current environments. Particular attention is paid to the effects on system responses with different frictional performance of fender, axial stiffness of the hawsers and environmental conditions. The research results can be used for optimizing the parameters of the system and reducing the risk of topside offloading.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.826-839
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• 2014

Fire is a continuous threat to FPSO topside modules as large amounts of oil and gas are passing through the modules. As a conventional measure to mitigate structural failure under fire, passive fire protection (PFP) coatings are widely used on main structural members. However, an excessive use of PFP coatings can cause considerable cost for material purchase, installation, inspection and maintenance. Long installation time can be a risk since the work should be done nearly at the last fabrication stage. Thus, the minimal use of PFP can be beneficial to the reduction of construction cost and the avoidance of schedule delay. This paper presents a few case studies on how different applications of PFP have influence on collapse time of a FPSO module structure. A series of heat analysis and thermal elasto-plastic FE analysis are performed for different PFP coatings and the resultant collapse time and the amount of PFP coatings are compared with each other.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.404-410
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to find the optimal arrangement of FPSO equipment in a module while considering the economic value and fire risk. We estimated the economic value using the pipe connections and pump installation cost in an HP (high pressure) gas compression module. The equipment risks were also analyzed using fire scenarios based on historical data. To consider the wind effect during a fire accident, fuzzy modeling was applied to improve the accuracy of the analysis. The objective functions consisted of the economic value and fire risk, and the constraints were the equipment maintenance and weight balance of the module. We generated a Pareto-optimal front group using a multi-objective GA (genetic algorithm) and suggested an equipment arrangement method that included the opinions of the designer.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.131-140
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• 2021

The paper deals with comparative study of various surrogate models based approximate optimization in the structural design of the passive type deck support frame under design load conditions. The passive type deck support frame was devised to facilitate both transportation and installation of 20,000 ton class topside. Structural analysis was performed using the finite element method to evaluate the strength performance of the passive type deck support frame in its initial design stage. In the structural analysis, the strength performances were evaluated for various design load conditions. The optimum design problem based on surrogate model was formulated such that thickness sizing variables of main structure members were determined by minimizing the weight of the passive type deck support frame subject to the strength performance constraints. The surrogate models used in the approximate optimization were response surface method, Kriging model, and Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials. In the context of numerical performances, the solution results from approximate optimization were compared to actual non-approximate optimization. The response surface method among the surrogate models used in the approximate optimization showed the most appropriate optimum design results for the structure design of the passive type deck support frame.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.161-171
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• 2021

This paper presents the findings of a comparative study on minimum weight design and sensitivity evaluation using different experimental design methods for the structural design of an active-type deck support frame (DSF) developed for the float-over installation of an of shore plant topside. The thickness sizing variables of the structural members of a passive-type DSF were considered the design factors, and the output responses were defined using the weight and strength performances. The design of the experimental methods applied in the comparative study of the minimum weight design and the sensitivity evaluation were the orthogonal array design, Box- Behnken design, and Latin hypercube design. A response surface method was generated for each design of the experiment to evaluate the approximation performance of the design space exploration according to the experimental design, and the accuracy characteristics of the approximation were reviewed. Regarding the minimum weight design, the design results, such as numerical costs and weight minimization, of the experimental design for the best design case, were evaluated. The Box- Behnken design method showed the optimum design results for the structural design of the passive-type DSF.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.31-43
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• 2021

In this study, approximate design optimization using various meta-models was performed for the structural design of active type deck support frame. The active type deck support frame was newly developed to facilitate both transportation and installation of 20,000 ton class offshore plant topside. Structural analysis was carried out using the finite element method to evaluate the strength performance of the active type deck support frame in its initial design stage. In the structural analysis, the strength performances were evaluated for various design load conditions that were regulated in ship classification organization. The approximate optimum design problem based on meta-model was formulated such that thickness sizing variables of main structure members were determined by achieving the minimum weight of the active type deck support frame subject to the strength performance constraints. The meta-models used in the approximate design optimization were response surface method, Kriging model, and Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials. The results from approximate design optimization were compared to actual non-approximate design optimization. The Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials among the meta-models used in the approximate design optimization represented the most pertinent optimum design results for the structure design of the active type deck support frame.