Hydrodynamic Interactions and Relative Motions Analysis for Installation of an Extendable Draft Platform

Abstract

The Extendable Draft Platform (EDP) is a deep draft, column stabilized platform with a deck box support for topsides and a single, deep draft heave plate that provides suitable motion characteristics to enable the use of dry tree top tensioned risers. The EDP can be fabricated with topsides installed on the deck box and commissioned quayside in a typical construction yard. With the columns in the retracted position, the EDP floats on its deck box and can be towed, in this configuration, to the location of interest. Once the EDP is transported to its final site, the columns and heave plate are lowered to their final operating draft. During the lowering sequence, the deck box and the lower hull become two relatively independent bodies, mechanically connected by chains that control the lowering of the columns and heave plate, and the guides between the deck box and the columns. This multi-body system is hydrodynamically coupled because of radiated and diffracted waves. The global performance analyses of the installation process (lowering of the lower hull) are carried out by three different methods. The first method is frequency-domain analysis by WAMIT and a frequency domain motion solver. In the frequency domain analysis, all the mechanical connections are modeled as linear springs. The second method is time-domain, partially coupled analysis using HARP/WINPOST. In this analysis, the off diagonal 6×6 hydrodynamic interactions are ignored. The last method is a time domain, fully coupled analysis using HARP/WINPOST. In this analysis, full 12×12 hydrodynamic interactions are considered. In the time domain analyses, the mechanical couplings between each column and deck box are modeled with linear springs and the chain connections are modeled with slender rods by using the nonlinear finite element method. This paper presents and compares analysis results based on the three methods for relative motions and loads between the deck box and the lower hull during the lowering of the columns and heave plate.