Offshore oil and gas can be produced using a variety of platform types. One option, the compliant offshore tower, has proven to be an economic solution in moderately deep water (300-600m). In this paper, the wave-induced global dynamic responses of a compliant tower in wind, current and waves are studied in the context of fluid-structure interaction. A beam undergoing transverse and axial motion models the vertical member of the tower. The beam is supported by a linear-elastic torsional spring at the bottom end and a point mass and a buoyant chamber is located at the top free end. The fluid forces on the beam are modeled using the Morison equation while the hydrodynamic forces on the chamber are obtained based on the three-dimensional diffraction-radiation theory. By applying Hamilton's variation principle, the equations of motion are derived for the coupled fluid-structure interaction system. The non-linear coupled system equations that emanate from this new approach can then be solved numerically in the time domain.
展开▼
