Mooring systems with active force reacting systems and passive damping

a technology of active force and reacting system, applied in vessel construction, special-purpose vessels, transportation and packaging, etc., can solve the problems of increasing damping, increasing the damping of spring-like systems, and insufficient damping of vessels moving through water
US20010029879A1Inactive Publication Date: 2001-10-18SOFEC
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
SOFEC
Publication Date
2001-10-18
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

A mooring system including a body / arm / vessel arrangement with passive damping and / or an active force restoring system. The active force restoring system includes a sensor for generating a displacement signal representative of the displacement of the vessel from a quiescent position and an active forcing device which responds to the displacement signal to force the arm in a direction to move the vessel toward the quiescent position. The passive damping arrangement includes a device, independent of and in addition to the damping of the water on the vessel or the arm, that damps the oscillation of the vessel in response to environmental conditions which force the vessel from its quiescent position. Hydraulic cylinder arrangements are provided for active forcing and passive damping. Powered winch / cable arrangements are also provided for active force systems. Alternative devices for active and passive damping systems of torque actuators include hydraulic powered cans with internal fins, or cans with internal elastomeric elements or disk brake elements.
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Description

[0001] This Non-Provisional Application claims priority from Provisional Application 60 / 175,150 filed on Jan. 7, 2000.

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates generally to the field of mooring arrangements for vessels, particularly offshore vessels such as Floating Production and Offloading Vessels (FPSOs) or Floating Storage and Offloading vessels (FSOs) used in offshore hydrocarbon production. Still more particularly, the invention concerns active and passive damping arrangements for yoke / spring systems and yoke / pendulum systems which are spring-like to restore a vessel toward an equilibrium position with respect to a generally stationary body such as a tower or an anchored buoy.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] There are numerous examples of yoke arrangements that couple a vessel to a body such as a tower or an anchored buoy or other generally stationary body. U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,158 shows a mooring yoke for a vessel which is coupled for rotation w...

Claims

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