Experimental Study on the Hydrodynamics of a Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading System

Abstract

This paper highlights an experimental investigation on the dynamic response of a typical floating, production, storage, and offloading system (FPSO) moored externally with a fixed structure and by a vertical anchor leg mooring arrangement. A 1:100 scale model of 140,000 t DWT FPSO system was tested for these two types of mooring arrangements under regular waves for three operating conditions, i.e., 40, 70, and 100%DWT with three hawser lengths, i.e., 15, 20, and 25% of the length of FPSO. Model tests were conducted in a 2 m wide wave flume at a water depth of 1 m for wave frequencies from 0.55 to 1.25 Hz in steps of 0.04 Hz for head sea condition. The motions were measured by rotary type potentiometers and a ring type load cell was used to measure the hawser line force. The experimental results of motions and hawser line force of FPSO moored for the two mooring arrangements are compared and presented with discussions.