Experimental Analysis of the Seakeeping Response of a Double-barge Float-over System for Topside Transportation

摘要

In this paper, an experimental investigation of the seakeeping behavior relative to a newly developed float-over concept by TechnipFMC Rome Operating Centre (ROC) for transportation, installation, and decommissioning of an offshore platform topside is presented. A scaled rigid model of the twin-barge system has been tested in the wave basin to determine the main seakeeping features and the towing forces in head and following waves. Comparisons with single-barge and flexible model tests are also provided. In the perspective of identifying the range of safe sea-state conditions for topside transportation, the present analysis is the first stage of a more extensive investigation that involves the testing of different scale models as well as numerical simulations for which the collected data will provide a validation database.