• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.138-141
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• 2008

This paper treats the development of a new type of deep draught semisubmersible offshore structural shape that has excellent heave motion response and less down-time. This new type of semisubmersible shape is characterized by heave dampers at each pontoon corner and appropriate column size adjustment to achieve the desired cancellation and resonance motion period. It was found that the final model had efficient workability, based on the wavescatter diagrams for the GoM and North Atlantic ocean, due to less heave motion, although the specific heave response at the 100 year return period wave condition in the North Atlantic was more or less increased.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.21-38
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• 2017

In real sea environments, excessive dynamic axial tension variations can be exerted on the top-tensioned risers (TTRs) and lead to structural integrity issues. The traditional riser-tension-variation analysis, however, by using parametric formulation is only conditionally valid under certain strict limits and potentially underestimates the total magnitudes of tension variations. This phenomenon is especially important for the long stroke tensioner in dry-tree semisubmersible with larger global heave motion and longer stroke. In this paper, the hydro-pneumatic tensioner (HPT) is modeled in detailed component-level which includes a set of hydraulic and pneumatic components. The viscous fluid frictional effect in the HPT is considered. The main objectives are (i) to develop a detailed tension variation model of the HPT; (ii) to identify the deviations between the conventional parametric formulation and component-level formulation; (iii) to numerically analyze the tension variation of long stroke tensioner in a dry-tree semisubmersible (DTS). The results demonstrate the necessity of component-level formulation for long stroke tensioner in the development of DTS.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.76-89
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• 1997

The hydrodynamic interaction characteristics between multiple floating bodies of semisubmersible type are examined to present the basic data for the design of huge offshore structures supported by a large number of the floating bodies in multi-directional irregular waves. The numerical approach is based on a combination of a three-dimensional source distribution method, the wave interaction theory and the spectral analysis method. The effects of wave directionality on the wave exciting forces acting on multiple floating bodies in multi-directional irregular waves also have been pointed out.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.101-118
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• 2018

In case of conventional shallow-draft semisubmersibles, unacceptably large riser stroke was the restricting factor for dry-tree-riser-semisubmersible development. Many attempts to address this issue have focused on using larger draft and size with extra heave-damping plates, which results in a huge cost increase. The objective of this paper is to investigate an alternative solution by improving riser systems through the implementation of a magneto-rheological damper (MR Damper) so that it can be used with moderate-size/draft semisubmersibles. In this regard, MR-damper riser systems and connections are numerically modeled so that they can couple with hull-mooring time-domain simulations. The simulation results show that the moderate-size semisubmersible with MR damper system can be used with conventional dry-tree pneumatic tensioners by effectively reducing stroke-distance even in the most severe (1000-yr) storm environments. Furthermore, the damping level of the MR damper can be controlled to best fit target cases by changing input electric currents. The reduction in stroke allows smaller topside deck spacing, which in turn leads to smaller deck and hull. As the penalty of reducing riser stroke by MR damper, the force on the MR-damper can significantly be increased, which requires applying optimal electric currents.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.441-459
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• 2018

A coupled dynamic analysis of a semisubmersible-type FOWT has been carried out in time domain under the combined action of irregular wave and turbulent wind represented respectively by JONSWAP spectrum and Kaimal spectrum. To account for the turbine-floater motion coupling in a more realistic way, the wind turbulence has been incorporated into the calculation of aerodynamic loads. The platform model was referred from the DeepCwind project and the turbine considered here was the NREL 5MW Baseline. To account for the operationality of the turbine, two different environmental conditions (operational and survival) have been considered and the aerodynamic effect of turbine-rotation on actual responses of the FOWT has been studied. Higher mean offsets in surge and pitch responses were obtained under the operational condition as compared to the survival condition. The mooring line tensions were also observed to be sensitive to the rotation of turbine due to the turbulence of wind and overestimated responses were found when the constant wind was considered in the analysis. Additionally, a special analysis case of sudden shutdown of the turbine has also been considered to study the swift modification of responses and tension in the mooring cables.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.287-312
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• 2023

The global performance of a 15 MW floating offshore wind turbine, a newly designed semisubmersible floating foundation with multiple heave plates by CNOOC, is investigated with two independent turbine-floater-mooring coupled dynamic analysis programs CHARM3D-FAST and OrcaFlex. The semisubmersible platform hosts IEA 15 MW reference wind turbine modulated for VolturnUS-S and hybrid type (chain-wire-chain with clumps) 3×2 mooring lines targeting the water depth of 100 m. The numerical free-decay simulation results are compared with physical experiments with 1:64 scaled model in 3D wave basin, from which appropriate drag coefficients for heave plates were estimated. The tuned numerical simulation tools were then used for the feasibility and global performance analysis of the FOWT considering the 50-yr-storm condition and maximum operational condition. The effect of tower flexibility was investigated by comparing tower-base fore-aft bending moment and nacelle translational accelerations. It is found that the tower-base bending moment and nacelle accelerations can be appreciably increased due to the tower flexibility.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.93-103
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• 1992

The hydrodynamic interaction characteristics between multiple floating bodies of semisubmersible type are examined for presenting the basic data for the design of huge offshore structures supported by a large number of the floating bodies in waves. The numerical approach is based on combination of a three-dimensional source distribution method and interaction theory which is exact within the context of linear potential theory. The method is applicable to an arbitrary number of three-dimensional bodies having any individual body geometries and geometrical arrangement with the restriction that the circumscribed, bottom-mounted, imaginary vertical cylinder for each body does not contain any part of the other body. The validity of this procedure was verified by comparing with numerical results obtained in the literature.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.99-113
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• 2012

Steel Catenary Risers (SCR) are the simplest and often the most economic solution compared to other riser types such as flexible pipe, riser towers, top tensioned risers, etc. The top of a SCR is connected to the host platform riser porch. The other end of the SCR connects to flowlines from subsea wells. The riser touchdown point (TDP), which is the location along the riser where contact with the sea floor first occurs, exhibits complex behaviors and often results in compression and fatigue related issues. Heave dynamic responses of semisubmersibles in extreme and operating sea states are crucial for feasibility of SCR application. Recent full field measurement results of a deep draft semisubmersible in Hurricane Gustav displayed the considerable discrepancies in heave responses characteristics between the measured and the simulated results. The adequacy and accuracy of the simulated results from recognized commercial software should be examined. This finding raised the awareness of shortcomings of current commercial software and potential risk in mega investment loss and environmental pollutions due to SCR failures. One main objective of this paper is to attempt to assess the importance and necessity of accounting for viscous effects during design and analysis by employing indicator of viscous parameter. Since viscous effects increase with nearly third power of significant wave height, thus newly increased metocean criteria per API in central Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and even more severe environmental conditions in Western Australia (WA) call for fundamental enhancements of the existing analysis tools to ensure reliable and robust design. Furthermore, another aim of this paper is to address the impacts of metocean criteria and design philosophy on semisubmersible hull sizing in WA and GoM.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.173-193
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• 2023

Reliable prediction of the motion of FOWT (floating offshore wind turbine) and associated mooring line tension is important in both design and operation/monitoring processes. In the present study, a 5MW OC4 semisubmersible wind turbine is numerically modeled, simulated, and analyzed by the open-source numerical tool, OpenFAST and in-house numerical tool, Charm3D-FAST. Another commercial-level program FASTv8-OrcaFlex is also introduced for comparison for selected cases. The three simulation programs solve the same turbine-floater-mooring coupled dynamics in time domain while there exist minor differences in the details of the program. Both the motions and mooring-line tensions are calculated and compared with the DeepCWind 1/50 scale model-testing results. The system identification between the numerical and physical models is checked through the static-offset test and free-decay test. Then the system motions and mooring tensions are systematically compared among the simulated results and measured values. Reasonably good agreements between the simulation and measurement are demonstrated for (i) white-noise random waves, (ii) typical random waves, and (iii) typical random waves with steady wind. Based on the comparison between numerical results and experimental data, the relative importance and role of the differences in the numerical methodologies of those three programs can be observed and interpreted. These comparative-study results may provide a certain confidence level and some insight of potential variability in motion and tension predictions for future FOWT designs and applications.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-21
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• 2016

The global performance of the 5 MW OC4 semisubmersible floating wind turbine in random waves with or without steady/dynamic winds is numerically simulated by using the turbine-floater-mooring fully coupled dynamic analysis program FAST-CHARM3D in time domain. The numerical simulations are based on the complete second-order diffraction/radiation potential formulations along with nonlinear viscous-drag force estimations at the body's instantaneous position. The sensitivity of hull motions and mooring dynamics with varying wave-kinematics extrapolation methods above MWL(mean-water level) and column drag coefficients is investigated. The effects of steady and dynamic winds are also illustrated. When dynamic wind is added to the irregular waves, it additionally introduces low-frequency wind loading and aerodynamic damping. The numerically simulated results for the 5 MW OC4 semisubmersible floating wind turbine by FAST-CHARM3D are also extensively compared with the DeepCWind model-test results by Technip/NREL/UMaine. Those numerical-simulation results have good correlation with experimental results for all the cases considered.