Tether Tension Variation of Tension Leg Platform (TLP) due to Random Waves

• Main Author: Mas Nazli Aziah Mohd Adnan, Mas Nazli Aziah
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Teknologi Petronas 2009
• Subjects: TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
• Online Access: http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/753/1/Mas_Nazli_Aziah_Mohd_Adnan.pdf; http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/753/
• Institution: Universiti Teknologi Petronas

Since petroleum exploration has shifted into deep water region, Tension Leg Platform (TLP) becomes one of the alternatives of floating platform. TLP is more economically feasible over jacket platform because its construction cost does not linearly increases as water depth increases. TLP allows movement in surge but not in heave. The presence of tethers components and the excess buoyancy of hull keep the TLP in tension. In this project, the response of TLP in surge, heave and pitch are studied. The study of tether performance is completed by analyzing the tension variation along the tether member. The dynamic analysis includes Pierson-Moskowitz Spectrum, Time Series and response of surge, heave and pitch when they are subjected to random waves. The result obtained from surge calculation is used to determine the tether tension variation. Then, graphs are plotted from the result obtained. Besides that, model testing was also conducted. The purpose of model testing is to observe the trend and the response of the structure when it is subjected to regular waves. From dynamic analysis and model testing activities, it is confirms that TLP exhibits more response surge direction than heave due to the presence of tethers component. As conclusion, the TLP is kept floating and stable due to the presence of tether members which restrains its motion in heave direction.