Evaluation of RAOs of a semi-submersible platform using field measurements: A full-scale model in Caspian sea environmental conditions

Abstract

The present research investigates the motion response of a semi-submersible platform using measured field data. The Iran-Amirkabir semi-submersible platform (SSP) was considered as full-scale model in operation conditions. First, 14 accelerometer sensors were installed on the platform's hull, and measurements were made in 5 different scenarios in the Caspian Sea environmental conditions. Then, the Response Amplitude Operators (RAOs) for six degrees of motion were extracted using measured accelerator data. The Surge, Sway, and Heave RAOs processed by the Kalman estimation filter, Pitch, Roll, and Yaw RAOs were calculated from the Sensor Array method. Moreover, the boundary element method in ANSYS/AQWA software for the Iran-Amirkabir semi-submersible model was developed, and the RAO results were validated against the extracted field measurements. The obtained results from the Sensor Array method and the Kalman estimation filter are compared with the numerical simulations, which show Root Mean Square Errors of less than 3% and 4%, respectively for rotational and translational movements. The Mean Square Errors between both methods were also close to zero. Therefore, the proposed methods predicted activities of the studied SSP with relatively good accuracy by field data collected in the Caspian Sea.