Dynamic positioning is a well-adapted technology in oil and gas production. It enables new reserves to be explored and exploited in ever more remote areas and harsh environments. Soaring oil prices, however, make it essential to use every last drop of the oil. Fuel- efficiency is therefore, becoming of key interest for DP operations. This article highlights possible ways DP vessels can save fuel. A DP vessel has to use boosts when a larger offset occurs due to wind gusts or wave groups. One major trick is to be prepared. When the wind gust or wave group can be seen, the ship is prepared and is already reacting on the large offset to come. Generally, this means earlier reactions and hence, smaller dynamic offsets. Fuel gains, or lower thrust values, still need to be proven. The measuring of wind velocity, direction and the use of this in the DP controller (so-called wind feed forward) is commonly applied. Wave measurement and letting the ship react to that (wave feed forward) is not yet applied at full-scale. But at model scale, it has proven to provide better position-keeping behaviour.
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