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Technology
Assessment & Research (TA&R) Program
| Project Number |
419 |
| Date of Summary |
August 1, 2006 |
| Subject |
Offloading
Operability JIP- FPSOs |
| Performing Activity |
Marin |
| Principal Investigator |
Dr. Bas Buchner |
| Contracting Agency |
Minerals Management
Service |
| Estimated Completion |
Completed Phase 1 |
| Description |
This project was developed under the
Cooperative Agreement between OTRC and MMS to research the Offloading
Operability of FPSOs.
Project Goals:
Wind and underwater forces on a offloading tanker that
is approaching a FPSO (Floating Production and Storage Offloading unit) are
influenced by so-called shielding or shadow effects, caused by the distorted
wind and water flow fields in the wake of the FPSO. An offloading tanker
approaching an FPSO will experience changing flow conditions that require
adequate steering inputs for a safe continuous approach to the FPSO. There
was a need to develop a predictive computer model for the estimation of the
wind-induced and underwater flow forces and moments on the offloading tanker
at arbitrary positions in the neighborhood of the FPSO. After careful
analysis of available wind tunnel test data a new method was is proposed to
compute the forces and moments on a ship in the wake of an FPSO. The method
requires that the disturbed velocity field behind the FPSO and the forces
and moments on the shuttle tanker (unshielded conditions) are known. The
model is had been verified against the available wind tunnel data. The final
report will be proprietary until 2011. |
| Progress |
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