Experimental study on the hydrodynamic performance of FDPSO and SRV

Abstract

FDPSO (floating, drilling, production, storage and offloading unit) is a multifunction floating platform which has the combined functions of offshore drilling, production, storage and offloading oil. SRV (sheltered riser vessel), which is situated in the moonpool of the FDPSO hull, serves as an independent buoyant can to provide riser tension and compensate the heave motion of the hull. In order to study the hydrodynamic performance of FDPSO and SRV, a series of model tests have been carried out in the Deepwater Offshore Basin at the State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The model tests are composed of decay tests, white noise tests and irregular wave tests. The operating sea state of the South China Sea is simulated in the irregular wave tests. The motion characteristics of the FDPSO hull and SRV are analysed and the feasibility of the SRV concept is examined. Experimental results revealed that the heave motion of SRV is less than that of the FDPSO hull, demonstrating the effectiveness of SRV in compensating the heave response of the hull. Apart from the heave, the motion responses of SRV are quite similar to those of the hull.