Hydrodynamic Behavior of Truss Pontoon Mobile Offshore Base Platform

Abstract

Very Large Floating Structures (VLFS) are highly specialized floating structures with variety of applications ranging from airport strips to floating motels offshore ports etc. Their economic design is based on their hydro-elastic behavior due to wave environmental forces. VLFS are extra large in size and mostly extra long in span and for that reason they are mostly modularized into several smaller structures and integrated. VLFSs may be classified into two broad categories, namely the semi-submersible type and the pontoon-type. The former type of VLFSs having their platform raised above the sea level and supported by columns resting on submerged pontoons and can minimize the effects of wave actions. In open sea, where the wave heights are relatively large, the semi-submersible VLFSs are preferred. On the other hand, the pontoon-type VLFS is a simple flat box structure floating on the sea surface. It is very flexible compared to other kinds of offshore structures, and so its elastic deformations are more important than their rigid body motions. The critical problem is the longitudinal bending moment of the long floating vessel in waves/current environment. Most of the present available VLFS designs are not economical for applications in hostile ocean. This paper presents hydrodynamic analysis carried out on an innovative VLFS called truss pontoon Mobile Offshore Base (MOB) platform concept proposed by Srinivasan [1]. The concept uses a strong deck with strong longitudinal beams to take care of the needed bending moment of the vessel for the survival, standby and operational conditions of the wave. At the submerged bottom just above the keel-tank top, a simple open-frame truss-structure is used instead of a heavy shell type pontoon. Thus the truss-pontoon provides the necessary flow transparency for the reduction of the wave exciting forces and consequently the heave motions and the vertical acceleration. Numerical analysis of truss pontoon MOB platform is carried out using HYDroelastic Response ANalysis (HYDRAN). Responses of the isolated scaled module in waves are obtained from these numerical tools and compared with published literature. Unconnected two modules and three modules are analysed using HYDRAN and the responses are compared with the isolated module. The proposed concept yielded lesser responses as compared to semisubmersible conventional MOB platform.