Marcos D. A. S. Ferreira

Wind Shielding Effects on DP System of a Shuttle Tanker

The effects of hydrodynamic and aerodynamic interactions on a typical shuttle tanker (ST), when offloading a FPSO moored in Spread Mooring System (SMS) configuration are being studied in an extensive research project conducted at the University of Sao Paulo, in collaboration with Petrobras. The numerical models will be incorporated in the simulators in order to evaluate the impact of such effects on the dynamics of the ST and on its DP System power requirement. Present paper focuses the wind shielding effect, since current and wave wake effects were already treated in previous works (Illuminatti et al., 2009; Queiroz Filho et al., 2009). A detailed CFD model of the FPSO and ST were used to evaluate the horizontal forces and yaw moment induced in the ST by the wind when inside the shadow zone defined by the FPSO. The CFD model was calibrated using wind tunnel measurements of a similar system. Typical tandem configurations were considered for the connection and oil-transfer stages of the operation. The power requirements for each DP thruster were then calculated, considering a thrust allocation algorithm. The comparisons with the stand-alone ST configuration indicated that the wind shielding effect is important concerning DP power. Besides, it is proposed a simplified model for wind forces and moment in the ST, considering the wind velocity field in the wake of the FPSO (CFD calculation). The procedure is based on report [7] where the wind force is evaluated through de summation of forces and moment in the stern, middle and bow parts of the ST. Such procedure has the advantage of requiring only one CFD calculation (for obtaining the velocity field downstream FPSO).© 2010 ASME

A Phenomenological Model for Vortex-Induced Motions of the Monocolumn Platform and Comparison With Experiments

Vortex-Induced Motions (VIM) of floating structures is a very relevant subject for the design of mooring and riser systems. In the design phase, Spar VIM behavior as well as Semi Submersible and Tension Leg Platform (TLP) flow-induced motions are studied and evaluated. This paper discusses flow-induced behavior on the Monocolumn concept by presenting a phenomenological model and comparing its results with a set of experiments that took place in the IPT Towing Tank - Brazil (September 2008). The experimental results have shown some fundamental differences from previous VIM tests on other units such as Spars. This numerical model attempts to identify these disparities in order to better understand the mechanics of this phenomenon. The model is based on a time-domain, two degree-of-freedom structural model coupled with a van der Pol type wake oscillator. The comparison was performed in order to calibrate the model, to study and better understand the tests results, and finally to identify important aspects to investigate in further experiments.Copyright

Computational Techniques for Stabilized Edge-Based Finite Element Simulation of Nonlinear Free-Surface Flows

Free-surface flows occur in several problems in hydrodynamics, such as fuel or water sloshing in tanks, waves breaking in ships, offshore platforms, harbors, and coastal areas. The computation of such highly nonlinear flows is challenging, since free-surfaces commonly present merging, fragmentation, and breaking parts, leading to the use of interface-capturing Eulerian approaches. In such methods the surface between two fluids is captured by the use of a marking function, which is transported in a flow field. In this work we discuss computational techniques for efficient implementation of 3D incompressible streamline-upwind/Petrov–Galerkin (SUPG)/pressure-stabilizing/Petrov–Galerkin finite element methods to cope with free-surface problems with the volume-of-fluid method (Elias, and Coutinho, 2007, “Stabilized Edge-Based Finite Element Simulation of Free-Surface Flows,” Int. J. Numer. Methods Fluids, 54, pp. 965–993). The pure advection equation for the scalar marking function was solved by a fully implicit parallel edge-based SUPG finite element formulation. Global mass conservation is enforced, adding or removing mass proportionally to the absolute value of the normal velocity of the interface. We introduce parallel edge-based data structures, a parallel dynamic deactivation algorithm to solve the marking function equation only in a small region around the interface. The implementation is targeted to distributed memory systems with cache-based processors. The performance and accuracy of the proposed solution method is tested in the simulation of the water impact on a square cylinder and in the propagation of a solitary wave.

Study of Numerical Modeling of Moonpool as Minimization Device of Monocolumn Hull

The steel catenary risers (SCR) have been studied to be used in ultra-deep oil fields. In Brazil, the oil field is going to deeper water. The geographical characteristics impose this type of production risers, and the necessity of these risers is real. However, in order to avoid risers fatigue problems, some premises related to low vertical motions have to be respected. To reach the necessary good seakeeping responses, new type of hull shape has been proposed, the monocolumn hull, to which some motion minimization devices have been developed. There are several conceptions of monocolumn type hull, but the concept presented in this paper is different from the existing monocolumn hull. To have good seakeeping capability, three main minimization devices were proposed: the structural skirt, the inclined wall, and the moonpool. The inclined wall, a variation of a section area near the water-plane, works together with the skirt, an enlarged bilge keel at the bottom of the platform, modifying the effect of damping, added mass and inertia. The moonpool is the old tank usually found in drilling units, properly modified to work as a motion minimization system. It works as a passive heave motion reduction system, shifting the natural period far from the wave spectrum. Some numerical analyses were made to present the effects obtained from these devices. These numerical results from WAMIT® were compared to experimental showing to be according to them.Copyright

Dynamic Simulation of Offloading Operation Considering Wave Interaction Between Vessels

Almost all simulators of offshore systems evaluate wave forces using frequency-domain potential analysis. A wave analysis software is previously executed, considering several incidence angles and generating a data base which is used by the simulator. This database contains drift coefficients, RAOs and exciting forces for all incidences. During the simulation, the simulator only performs queries depending on the actual heading of the vessel related to waves. The simulation of multi-body systems cannot be performed in the same way, since the relative positions of the bodies change during simulation time, altering the influence of each ship on the overall wave field and its effect on the others. So, for each time step a new frequency-domain analysis should be performed, considering the vessel positions at that instant and updating the database used by the simulator. However, the computational effort necessary to perform such simulation turns this approach prohibitive for conventional computers and workstations. The wave forces are evaluated only in a predefined configuration of the vessels, or considering the vessels independently. Such approaches neglect all interactions and the complex dynamics behavior that results from it. The University of Sao Paulo has been developing since 2001, the Numerical Offshore Tank (NOT), a 120 processor cluster with the ability to perform detailed simulations considering bodies and lines dynamics very efficiently. In order to simulate offloading operations accurately, the commercial wave analysis software WAMIT was integrated to the NOT simulation code, allowing the “update” of wave coefficients data base every time the vessels configuration changes significantly. WAMIT code was adapted to perform parallel processing, greatly reducing the execution time and allowing the simulations to be performed in approximately 7 hours for the analysis of a 3-hour operation. Without WAMIT parallelization, this time would increase by a factor approximately equal to the number of wave frequencies considered in the simulation. This paper discusses the results obtained by the simulations of offloading operations in the presence of waves, detailing the effects that arise when the bodies interaction is taken into account. Effects are sensed in the equilibrium position, in the first order vertical motions and low-frequency oscillation.Copyright

Asymmetric FPSO Roll Response due to the Influence of Lines Arrangement

In the development of the mooring design of FPSOs in spread mooring system (SMS) configuration, it was observed that the utilization of asymmetric riser arrangement in deep waters might lead to an asymmetrical roll response of the FPSO. In particular, concentrating all riser connections on the portside, it could be observed that roll and heave coupling under the influence of the riser dynamics might lead to a much lower roll response associated with waves coming from portside than from the starboard direction. Simulations were carried using an in-house time domain simulator, where the ship hydrodynamic behavior was represented through the use of impulse response functions and the lines dynamic through the use of non-linear finite element method, using an explicit integration scheme and a lumped mass approach. Non-linear viscous effects could be easily associated to the ship and line velocities. Measured motion responses of an actual FPSO in operation in Campos Basin are compared with the computations.Copyright

Modular Mathematical Model for a Low-Speed Maneuvering Simulator

CNPq (process 302544/2010-0 and FAPESP (process 2012/20531-8 for the grant and financial support to researches related maneuvering

EdgeCFD-ALE: A Stabilized Finite Element System for Fluid-Structure Interaction in Offshore Engineering

This work presents the development of EdgeCFD-ALE, a finite element system for complex fluid-structure interactions designed for offshore hydrodynamics. Sloshing of liquids in tanks, wave breaking in ships, offshore platforms motions and green water on decks are important examples of these problems. The software uses edge-based parallel stabilized finite elements for the Navier-Stokes equations and the Volume-Of-Fluid method for the free-surface, both described by an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation. Turbulence in is treated by a Smagorinsky model. Mesh updating is accomplished by a parallel edge-based solution of a non-homogeneous scalar diffusion problem in each spatial coordinate. Boundary conditions involve the motion of the immersed body’s surface, i.e., the fluid-structure interface, taken as the Lagrangian portion of the domain in the overall problem. The simulation capabilities of the present software are demonstrated in the solution of two problems, the interaction of two cylinders in tandem and the free fall of a sphere.Copyright

Lazy-Wave Steel Rigid Risers for FSO With Spread Mooring Anchoring System

Petrobras developed projects with European companies and Brazilian universities in order to study different configurations of steel risers using flexibilization elements. For the bow turret-moored FPSOs the lazy-wave configuration was considered the most adequate due to its structural behaviour and costs when compared to other configurations. A detailed study was performed by the Petrobras R&D Center to verify the structural integrity of a lazy-wave SCR (SLWR) attached to a turret-moored FPSO at a water depth of 1290 m. The results for the installed riser showed its feasibility. Petrobras continued the studies of the SLWR to verify its behaviour when connected to a FSO with a spread-mooring anchoring. This paper presents the approach and methodology adopted in Petrobras to verify the structural integrity of a SLWR attached to a FSO with spread-mooring anchoring at a water depth of 1800 m. The riser analysis was performed using the Petrobras’s in-house computer codes ANFLEX and POSFAL developed and implemented as part of projects from CENPES with “COPPE/UFRJ - The Engineering Post-Graduating Coordination of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro”. For VIV (Vortex Induced Vibration) fatigue damage calculation SHEAR7 was used. Maximum stresses were verified through a deterministic non-linear time domain-analysis. The time-domain random nonlinear analysis was considered to be the most appropriate to be used for fatigue damage calculation due to the possibility of representing the existing non-linearities of the model and random characteristic of the environmental loading. For the fatigue damage analysis, a set of load cases that considers the bimodal / bi-directional characteristics of sea-states, probability of occurrence and energy content, was used.Copyright

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE COUPLED HYDRODYNAMICS OF A DP BARGE OPERATING CLOSE TO A FPSO

The coupled hydrodynamic of a DP Barge operating close to a FPSO is evaluated. Experimental tests in a wave basin were performed to obtain the system dynamic behavior for several relative positions and environmental incidences. Two small scale models with factor 1:48 were tested in three different relative positions, five incidence angles and two irregular seas. The industry experience in operating barges was used to provide the insight to select these configurations. The DP Barge model was equipped with a dynamic positioning (DP) system, in order to keep its position relative to the FPSO. The FPSO model uses a scaled spread mooring system. Motions for DP Barge only were also obtained. Discussions are centered in reduction or amplification of DP Barge motions due the FPSO presence. Results are presented in terms of motions significant amplitude and RAO curves. A numerical model was evaluated and its results compared with the experiments. Some considerations, problems and conclusions about the operation were also obtained. These discussions complement the study presented by Vieira et al. (2011), which explored this operation numerically. A companion paper (Tannuri et al., 2012) will discuss the effects of the hydrodynamic coupling on the DP performance of the barge.