Floating Vessel Hull with Conical Section and Fins
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deepwater offshore operations face challenges such as energy loss, pressure drop, and production inefficiencies due to long flowlines and vessel motions, which affect liquid dynamics and instrument accuracy, leading to shutdowns and increased costs. Additionally, existing offloading systems struggle during adverse weather conditions, and there is a need for improved kinetic energy absorption, wave damping, and friction forces in floating vessels.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel with a hull featuring a vertical axis symmetry, radial fins for hydrodynamic performance, a moveable hawser system for tanker movement, and a tunnel structure for dynamic tendering mechanisms, wave damping, and friction forces, optimizing hydrodynamic parameters and reducing motion-related issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If long flowlines are used between subsea wells and host platform, then deepwater operations can be conducted, but energy loss and pressure drop increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into multiple floating vessels (host platform and satellite platforms) rather than using a single distant platform. This segmentation allows subsea wells to connect to nearer satellite platforms, reducing flowline length and energy loss while enabling deepwater operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Satellite platforms act as intermediary nodes between subsea wells and the host platform. These intermediaries reduce the distance and energy loss in flowlines by providing local collection and transfer points, while the host platform remains positioned for optimal deepwater operations.
2Ease of operation
If floating vessel motions occur, then vessel can operate in water, but liquid level oscillates causing erroneous signals and shutdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid level instruments are designed to dynamically compensate for vessel motions. The systems adjust their measurement references in real-time to account for wave-induced movements, maintaining measurement precision while allowing the vessel to operate freely in water.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement system incorporates counteracting mechanisms that compensate for the effects of vessel motion. By applying counter-measures to the liquid level measurement system, erroneous signals caused by vessel movements are eliminated while preserving operational capability.
3Productivity
If conventional offloading systems are used, then standard operations can be performed, but system fails during adverse weather conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The offloading system incorporates adjustable parameters that can be modified in response to weather conditions. By changing operational parameters such as hose tension, connection angles, and transfer rates, the system maintains reliability during adverse weather while preserving offloading efficiency when conditions are favorable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances vessel stability and hydrodynamic performance, reduces energy losses, and improves offloading efficiency even in adverse weather, by providing kinetic energy absorption and wave damping, thus addressing the challenges of motion-related inefficiencies and weather-related disruptions.
Implementation Method 1
The lower conical section provides added mass improved hydrodynamic performance through linear and quadratic damping to the hull
Implementation Method 2
The retractable center assembly provides a means of pitch motion damping
Implementation Method 3
a floating vessel configured to support at least one of: drilling of wells, workover of wells, production of hydrocarbons, storage of hydrocarbons, and personnel accommodation
Data Source
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Figure 3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
A floating vessel configured to support at least one of: drilling of wells, workover of wells, production, and storage of hydrocarbons, and personnel accommodation, having a hull. The hull has a bottom surface, a top deck surface, and at least two connected sections engaging between the bottom surface and the top deck surface. The at least two connected sections are joined in a series and symmetrical about a vertical axis. The connected sections extend downwardly from the top deck surface toward the bottom surface. The connected sections can have an upper cylindrical portion, a neck section, and a lower conical section. At least one fin is secured to the hull and the lower conical section provides added mass improved hydrodynamic performance through linear and quadratic damping to the hull.