Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2024 | Viewed by 13772

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, China
Interests: ice–structure interaction; marine propulsion; computational fluid dynamics; ocean engineering; marine structure

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, China
Interests: ice–structure interaction; ice mechanics; computational fluid dynamics; ocean engineering; marine structure

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Interests: computational mechanics of granular materials; polar ocean engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The presence of ice may impose severe influences on structures such as platform, ships, and oil as well as gas facilities in ice-covered areas. The study of how ice–structure interaction plays a vital role in the safe operation and optimal design of offshore structures/coastal structures. 

For decades, physical and mechanical ice properties were investigated by mathematical (e.g., theoretical analysis and numerical simulation) and experimental (e.g., sample test and field test) approaches to better understand their actions on various structures. With the improvement and development of model integrity, advanced computing technology, interdisciplinary analytical methods, and experimental techniques, more realistic ice models, a deeper understanding of interaction mechanisms, precise predictions, standardized quantitative evaluation, and future thinking are key issues that need to be further addressed.

This Special Issue on “Ice–Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering” of the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is proposed to collect contributions that present novel models and methods, the latest achievements and discoveries, and state-of-the-art reviews and thoughts on industry development regarding ice–structure interaction. We welcome all qualified research that presents recent developments related to ice–structure interaction. We will consider a wide range of areas related to this Special Issue, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Ice models and their mechanical as well as engineering behaviors;
  • Ice fracture;
  • Ship navigation in ice-covered regions and arctic marine operations;
  • Ice management; 
  • Structural strength, safety analysis, and health monitoring;
  • Ice breaking;
  • Ice–structure model tests and in situ experiments;
  • Scale effects;
  • Ice–water–structure interaction;
  • Ice actions and action effects;
  • Icing and deicing on structures;
  • Iceberg–structure interaction; 
  • Materials science in ice areas;
  • Review studies on ice–structure interaction;
  • Design and optimization of structures.

Prof. Dr. Chao Wang
Dr. Chunhui Wang
Prof. Dr. Shunying Ji
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ice–structure interaction
  • ice modeling
  • ice fracture
  • ice actions
  • ice–water–structure interaction
  • structural safety analysis
  • structure design in ice regions

Published Papers (12 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

29 pages, 23051 KiB  
Article
Numerical Analysis of Ice–Structure Impact: Validating Material Models and Yield Criteria for Prediction of Impact Pressure
by Ho-Sang Jang, Seyun Hwang, Jaedeok Yoon and Jang Hyun Lee
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(2), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12020229 - 28 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 578
Abstract
This study explores the application of numerical analysis and material models to predict ice impact loads on ships and offshore structures operating in polar regions. An explicit finite element analysis (FEA) approach was employed to simulate an ice and steel plate collision experiment [...] Read more.
This study explores the application of numerical analysis and material models to predict ice impact loads on ships and offshore structures operating in polar regions. An explicit finite element analysis (FEA) approach was employed to simulate an ice and steel plate collision experiment conducted in a cold chamber. The pressure and strain history during the ice collision were calculated and compared with the experimental results. Various material model configurations were applied to the FEA to account for the versatile behavior of ice (whether ductile or brittle), its elastic-plastic yield criteria, and its dynamic strain rate dependency. In addition to the standard linear elastic-perfectly plastic and linear elastic-plastic relationships, this study incorporated the Crushable Foam and Drucker–Prager models, based on the specific ice yield criteria. Considering the ice’s strain rate dependency, collision simulations were conducted for each yield criteria model to compute the strain and reaction force of the plate specimens. By comparing the predicted pressures for each material model combination with the pressures from ice collision experiments, our study proposes material models that consider the yielding, damage, and behavioral characteristics of ice. Lastly, our study proposes a combination of ice material properties that can accurately predict collision force. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 7395 KiB  
Article
Peridynamic Simulation of the Penetration of an Ice Sheet by a Vertically Ascending Cylinder
by Bin Jia, Qing Wang, Lei Ju, Chenjun Hu, Rongsheng Zhao, Duanfeng Han and Fuzhen Pang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(1), 188; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12010188 - 19 Jan 2024
Viewed by 675
Abstract
The vertical ice breaking of marine structures in ice-covered areas involves the deformation and failure of an ice sheet. Different from the existing conventional scenarios where the ice sheet is used as a transportation and support medium, the damage to the ice sheet [...] Read more.
The vertical ice breaking of marine structures in ice-covered areas involves the deformation and failure of an ice sheet. Different from the existing conventional scenarios where the ice sheet is used as a transportation and support medium, the damage to the ice sheet will be more severe when a structure penetrates the ice sheet from below, due to the lack of elastic support from the fluid above the ice sheet. In order to investigate the failure mode of the ice sheet and the ice load characteristics during vertical penetration, a mesh-free bond-based peridynamic method is used in this paper to simulate the mechanical behaviors of the ice sheet. The cracks simulated in this study exhibit a higher level of similarity to experimental results, which improves the accuracy of the ice load. The numerical model established shows satisfactory applicability for the analysis of penetration failure of an ice sheet. In addition, the influence of ice thickness, impact velocity, and cylinder diameter on the failure characteristics of the ice sheet and breakthrough load are analyzed. The results of a parametric study indicate that the relationship between ice thickness and breakthrough load, as well as the relationship between load area and breakthrough pressure, can both be fitted using quadratic functions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 3208 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on IRV Ramming Artificial Model Ice
by Chunyu Guo, Chengsen Zhang, Chunhui Wang and Chao Wang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(10), 2022; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11102022 - 20 Oct 2023
Viewed by 725
Abstract
When the icebreaker sails in the polar region, it adopts continuous and ramming icebreaking operations. When the ice condition exceeds the design working condition, it uses the ramming icebreaking method to advance. The nonlinear icebreaking process and complex ice conditions make it difficult [...] Read more.
When the icebreaker sails in the polar region, it adopts continuous and ramming icebreaking operations. When the ice condition exceeds the design working condition, it uses the ramming icebreaking method to advance. The nonlinear icebreaking process and complex ice conditions make it difficult to accurately predict the ice-strengthened ships’ ramming performance. This paper develops a scale-ratio brittle model of ice to simulate thick, level ice and predicts the ice penetration distance and bow load of an icebreaking research vessel (IRV) model at different speeds. The test results show that the penetration distance of the scoop-shaped bow IRV increases with the ramming speed and the average and extreme values of the contact load increase with the increase in the speed. The experimental results are a valid complement to the ice tank tests and do not cover all aspects of ship design. The main purpose is to develop a test program and performance prediction scheme for studying penetration distance and ice load during ram icebreaking. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2997 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Ice-Induced Fatigue Damage of Offshore Structures by Field Observations
by Yating Huang, Songsong Yu, Tai An, Guojun Wang and Dayong Zhang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(10), 1844; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11101844 - 22 Sep 2023
Viewed by 732
Abstract
The oil and natural gas resources of the Bohai Sea are mainly marginal oil fields, and there are currently a large number of structures that are approaching or have reached the end of their service life called aging structures. The interactions between ice [...] Read more.
The oil and natural gas resources of the Bohai Sea are mainly marginal oil fields, and there are currently a large number of structures that are approaching or have reached the end of their service life called aging structures. The interactions between ice and offshore structures could lead to significant ice-induced vibration. Ice-induced vibrations may evoke fatigue damage in tubular joints, which results in severe dangers for offshore platforms in the Bohai Sea. Dynamic ice force models and sea ice fatigue environmental parameters have not been well developed in the current design codes. It is not accurate to evaluate the fatigue damage of structures only with numerical simulation. In this paper, a faster method for evaluating fatigue damage on aging structures is proposed. Firstly, the approximate linear relationship between the fatigue hot spot stress and the vibration response of the deck structure has been discovered using dynamic analysis for jacket platform of Bohai Sea. Then, the procedure of the fatigue damage evaluation of the aging structures in the Bohai Sea is established. Finally, the numerical simulation of the structure is carried out considering ice thickness, ice velocity, ice direction, and action height of sea ice. Fatigue damage is calculated by the fatigue hot spot stress and the Palmgren–Miner rule. The measured data on the platform in the Bohai Sea are selected to obtain the fatigue hot spot stress using a mathematical model. The fatigue damage results considering the actual ice conditions of a jacket structure in the Bohai Sea are compared using the proposed method and finite element analysis. The comparison of the results verifies the rationality of the method proposed in this work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 18551 KiB  
Article
Fast and Intelligent Ice Channel Recognition Based on Row Selection
by Wenbo Dong, Li Zhou, Shifeng Ding, Qun Ma and Feixu Li
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(9), 1652; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11091652 - 24 Aug 2023
Viewed by 744
Abstract
The recognition of ice channels plays a crucial role in developing intelligent ship navigation systems in ice-covered waters. Navigating through ice channels with the assistance of icebreakers is a common operation for merchant ships. Maneuvering within such narrow channels presents a significant challenge [...] Read more.
The recognition of ice channels plays a crucial role in developing intelligent ship navigation systems in ice-covered waters. Navigating through ice channels with the assistance of icebreakers is a common operation for merchant ships. Maneuvering within such narrow channels presents a significant challenge for the captain’s skills and ship performance. Therefore, it becomes essential to explore methods for enabling ships to navigate through these channels automatically. A key step in achieving this is the accurate recognition and extraction of boundary lines on both sides of the ice channel. An ice channel line recognition method based on the lane line detection algorithm UFAST is implemented. The method is trained and tested on the constructed ice channel dataset, with the test results showing that the average recognition accuracy reaches 84.1% and the recognition speed reaches 138.3 frames per second, meeting the real-time requirement. In order to solve the current lack of authentic ice channel images, ice channel navigation scenes are built based on UE4, and synthetic ice channel images are rendered. The method in this paper is also compared with the traditional non-intelligent Otsu threshold segmentation method and the intelligent instance segmentation method YOLACT for performance analysis. The method in this paper has 9.5% higher ice channel recognition accuracy and 103.7 frames per second higher recognition speed compared with YOLACT. Furthermore, ablation studies are conducted to analyze the relationship between the number of gridding cells in the proposed method and ice channel recognition accuracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 7951 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on the Ice Resistance of a Naval Surface Ship with a Non-Icebreaking Bow
by Jianqiao Sun and Yan Huang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(8), 1518; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11081518 - 30 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1012
Abstract
With the shrinking of Arctic sea ice due to global climate change, potential access to Arctic waters has increased for non-typical icebreaking or strengthened ships. Numerous studies have been conducted on hull form designs and ice resistance predictions for ships with typical icebreaking [...] Read more.
With the shrinking of Arctic sea ice due to global climate change, potential access to Arctic waters has increased for non-typical icebreaking or strengthened ships. Numerous studies have been conducted on hull form designs and ice resistance predictions for ships with typical icebreaking bows, but published research for ships with non-icebreaking bows in ice is still rare. The objective of this study was to investigate the ice resistance of a naval surface ship with a non-icebreaking bow through model tests in an ice tank. The naval surface combatant concept DTMB 5415 was used as the ship model. The tests were conducted under different levels of ice thicknesses and speeds. During the tests, the total resistance of the model ship was measured, accompanied by monitoring of the ice load at the stem area with a flexible tactile sensor sheet. Compared with the test results of icebreaker models in former studies, the total ice resistance, as well as the stem ice load, of the present ship was significantly higher. The ice crushing resistance component in the stem area accounted for more than 60% of the total resistance in the ice. Discussions on the applicability of a semi-empirical formula for predicting the ice resistance of the present ship are also presented. Keinonen’s formula was found to be relatively more consistent with the predictions produced by model tests, and a preliminary modification was proposed to obtain more accurate predictions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 11359 KiB  
Article
Development of a Numerical Ice Tank Based on DEM and Physical Model Testing: Methods, Validations and Applications
by Yukui Tian, Dongbao Yang, Xuhao Gang, Chaoge Yu, Shunying Ji and Qianjin Yue
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(7), 1455; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11071455 - 21 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 937
Abstract
The determination of ice loads on polar vessels and offshore structures is important for ice-resistant design, safe operation, and management of structural integrity in ice-infested waters. Physical model testing carried out in an ice tank/basin is usually an important technical approach for evaluating [...] Read more.
The determination of ice loads on polar vessels and offshore structures is important for ice-resistant design, safe operation, and management of structural integrity in ice-infested waters. Physical model testing carried out in an ice tank/basin is usually an important technical approach for evaluating the ice loads. However, the high cost and time consumption make it difficult to perform multiple repetitions or numerous trials. Recently, the rapid development of high-performance computation techniques provides a usable alternative where the numerical methods represented by the discrete element method (DEM) have made remarkable contributions to the ice load predictions. Based on DEM simulations validated by physical model tests, numerical ice tanks can be developed as an effective complement to their counterparts. In this paper, a numerical ice tank based on 3D spherical DEM was established with respect to the small ice model basin of China Ship Scientific Research Center (CSSRC-SIMB). Based on spherical DEM with parallel bond model, the model tests of typical structures (vertical cylinder and inclined plate) in level ice sheets were established in the numerical ice tank, and the ice–structure interaction process under the same initial conditions was simulated. The accuracy of the simulations is verified by comparing the simulated ice loads with the measured ice loads from the model tests in the CSSRC-SIMB. Furthermore, the application of the numerical ice tank was extended to simulate the navigation of a Wass bow in level ice and broken ice conditions. The value of the break resistance of the Wass bow in level ice was evaluated, and the numerical ice tank produced results that were found to be consistent with those obtained from Lindqvist’s formula. The statistical properties of the bow load for different broken ice fields with the same initial physical conditions are analyzed by performing a repeatability test on the broken ice fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 9975 KiB  
Article
A Numerical Prediction of the Resistance of Bulk Carriers in Brash Ice Channels
by Haisu Sun, Xuan Ni, Yuxin Zhang, Kang Chen and Baoyu Ni
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(7), 1425; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11071425 - 16 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1016
Abstract
Ship resistance increases significantly when navigating a brash ice channel. In this study, the numerical method is applied to predict the full-scale ship resistance of bulk carriers in brash ice channels. The viscous flow computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver was coupled with the [...] Read more.
Ship resistance increases significantly when navigating a brash ice channel. In this study, the numerical method is applied to predict the full-scale ship resistance of bulk carriers in brash ice channels. The viscous flow computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver was coupled with the discrete element method (DEM) to establish the brash ice model. The Euler multiphase flow’s volume of fluid (VOF) model was applied to simulate the interaction between the ship and water. The ship–brash ice interaction was simulated. Predictions of ships’ total resistance based on the numerical method and the Finnish Swedish ice class rules (FSICR) method were compared with the experimental results carried out in Hamburg Ship Model Basin (HSVA) ice tank. The numerical resistance shows a good agreement with the HSVA experiment reports and a better performance than the FSICR method. The present study shows that the numerical method could provide reasonable and practical ice resistance predictions for engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 4614 KiB  
Article
A Machine-Learning-Based Method for Ship Propulsion Power Prediction in Ice
by Li Zhou, Qianyang Sun, Shifeng Ding, Sen Han and Aimin Wang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(7), 1381; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11071381 - 06 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1373
Abstract
In recent years, safety issues respecting polar ship navigation in the presence of ice have become a research hotspot. The accurate prediction of propulsion power plays an important role in ensuring safe ship navigation and evaluating ship navigation ability, and deep learning has [...] Read more.
In recent years, safety issues respecting polar ship navigation in the presence of ice have become a research hotspot. The accurate prediction of propulsion power plays an important role in ensuring safe ship navigation and evaluating ship navigation ability, and deep learning has been widely applied in the field of shipping, of which the artificial neural network (ANN) is a common method. This study combines the scientific problems of ice resistance and propulsion power for polar ship design, focusing on the design of an ANN model for predicting the propulsion power of polar ships. Reference is made to the traditional propulsion power requirements of various classification societies, as well as ship model test and full-scale test data, to select appropriate input features and a training dataset. Three prediction methods are considered: building a radial basis function–particle swarm optimization algorithm (RBF-PSO) model to directly predict the propulsion power; based on the full-scale test and model test data, calculating the propulsion power using the Finnish–Swedish Ice Class Rules (FSICR) formula; using an ice resistance artificial neural network model (ANN-IR) to predict the ice resistance and calculate the propulsion power using the FSICR formula. Prediction errors are determined, and a sensitivity analysis is carried out with respect to the relevant parameters of propulsion power based on the above methods. This study shows that the RBF-PSO model based on nine feature inputs has a reasonable generalization effect. Compared with the data of the ship model test and full-scale test, the average error is about 14%, which shows that the method has high accuracy and can be used as a propulsion power prediction tool. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 4806 KiB  
Article
Mechanism of Phase-Locked Ice Crushing against Offshore Structures
by Bin Wang, Shan Gao, Yan Qu, Haoyang Yin and Zhenju Chuang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(4), 868; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11040868 - 20 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1151
Abstract
This paper addresses a detailed analysis of the ice–structure interaction process of the phase-locked ice crushing (PLC) against offshore structures. Directly measured ice load, structure response data, and in situ observation from the field measurements on the Molikpaq lighthouse and jacket platform were [...] Read more.
This paper addresses a detailed analysis of the ice–structure interaction process of the phase-locked ice crushing (PLC) against offshore structures. Directly measured ice load, structure response data, and in situ observation from the field measurements on the Molikpaq lighthouse and jacket platform were used in the study. This paper summarizes a new ductile damage-collapse (DDC) failure mechanism for the PLC process. The DDC mechanism shows that the ice failure is a discrete ductile crushing process rather than a ductile–brittle transition process. The analysis identifies that the ice has a failure length in PLC and this failure length plays an important role in understanding the interaction. It reveals that PLC can occur on most vertical-sided offshore structures when the velocity of the ice sheet falls within the range of the failure length divided by the natural period of the structure. This paper proposes that this relationship between ice failure length and the natural period of the structure can be used as one of the PLC occurrence conditions. The DDC failure mechanism provides a basis for another technical route to solve the PLC problem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 6771 KiB  
Article
Coupled Vibration Analysis of Ice–Wind–Vehicle–Bridge Interaction System
by Tianyu Wu, Wenliang Qiu, Hao Wu, Guowen Yao and Zengwei Guo
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(3), 535; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11030535 - 01 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1165
Abstract
Bridges built in ice-covered water regions are mostly in complex marine environments, they not only need to withstand strong wind but also resist the impact of drift ice. However, at present, there is a lack of vehicle–bridge coupling vibration analysis and driving safety [...] Read more.
Bridges built in ice-covered water regions are mostly in complex marine environments, they not only need to withstand strong wind but also resist the impact of drift ice. However, at present, there is a lack of vehicle–bridge coupling vibration analysis and driving safety assessment under combined ice and wind. Therefore, this study constructs a complete analysis framework of ice–wind–vehicle–bridge interaction to investigate the dynamic responses of the coupled system. Ice load is simulated by a linearized ice–structure interaction model, which is based on the self-excited vibration theory. Wind load on the bridge deck includes steady-state force and buffeting force. Wind load on the vehicle is simulated based on the quasi-steady model. Subsequently, ice load, wind load, soil–structure interaction (SSI), and additional water mass are all integrated into a full bridge model based on a sea-crossing bridge with running vehicles in the Bohai Sea. The results indicate that ice load has a greater impact on the lateral dynamic response of the bridge, the combined action of ice and wind has no superimposed effect on the movement of the bridge but has a restraining effect. Wind load presents a more significant influence on the lateral dynamic response of the vehicle, the coupled dynamic responses of the vehicle cannot be combined by the superposition under separate ice and wind. The combined effect of ice and wind obviously increases the sideslip risk of running vehicles and reduces driving safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 8857 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Response Analysis and Positioning Performance Evaluation of an Arctic Floating Platform Based on the Mooring-Assisted Dynamic Positioning System
by Yingbin Gu, Zhenju Chuang, Aobo Zhang, Ankang Hu and Shunying Ji
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(3), 486; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11030486 - 24 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1426
Abstract
The Arctic region is rich in oil and gas resources, but exploitation of resources there is always facing great challenge. Floating offshore platform is considered as a practical choice for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic deep water regions. One of the [...] Read more.
The Arctic region is rich in oil and gas resources, but exploitation of resources there is always facing great challenge. Floating offshore platform is considered as a practical choice for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic deep water regions. One of the key technologies is positioning system design under harsh arctic sea loads. In this paper, a comprehensive design of the positioning system is investigated. A coupled numerical model composed of a mooring-assisted dynamic positioning system and the Kulluk platform is established. 16 different positioning combination forms are selected and investigated. The positioning capability of the coupled system is evaluated by analyzing the platform motion response under different environmental loads, including wave, level ice, and broken ice floes. Wave load is calculated using potential flow theory. Computation of ice load is compared with the finite element method (FEM) and discrete element method (DEM). The dynamic analysis of the mooring system is carried out by using the slender finite element method. The control system of dynamic positioning adopts proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control methodology. It is found that a better positioning system design can reduce the offset by more than 50%, including surge, sway and yaw motion. The results of this study will provide a good reference for the positioning system design of an arctic floating production platform. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ice-Structure Interaction in Marine Engineering)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop