OCEN 201

Introduction to Ocean &

Coastal Engineering

Offshore Structures
Jun Zhang
Jun-zhang@tamu.edu
 Offshore Structures

•Drilling rigs: Exploration of oil and gas

Stay in a place for a few months (Mobil or movable)
- Jack-up drilling rig
- MODU (Mobil Offshore Drilling Unit)

• Production platforms: Production of oil and gas

Stay in a place for at least a few years (usually 20 -30 years)
- Ground-base structure ( <500~800 m)
- Floating Structures (> 800 m)
Fig. 3-2
Example of
jack-up
drilling rig

Legs are
retractable
Fig. 3-3
A semi-
submersible
Drilling Rig

•Mooring
system

•or Dynamic
positioning
DP -
Dynamic Positioning
Fig. 3-5

Steel Jacket
Platform in 20 –
200 m waters

< 500 m

Cannot be
moved
OFFSHORE PLATFORM
Fig. 3-6

Concrete
Gravity
Structure
OFFSHORE STRUCTURES
 OFFSHORE PRODUCTION &
DRILLING
• AUGER TLP • OCEAN CLIPPER
 OFFSHORE PLATFORM
• SPAR • FIXED JACKETED
DRILLING RIG & SPAR
Articulated Tower

Fig. 3-10 pp56

New version
Fig. 12 pp61
Single Anchor Leg Mooring
System

Fig. 3-11 pp56

New Version
Fig.13 pp62
Wave Forces on Offshore Structures

• Morrison Equations

• Diffraction/Radiation Theory*
(Potential theory, neglect water viscosity)

• CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics)*

(Navier-Stokes Equations, considering
water viscosity)
Keulegan-Carpenter Number (Non-dimensional)
describing the relation between an oscillatory flow and
a cylinder K  U mT / D
U m     Peak (amplitude of) vlocity of the flow
T     Period
D     Diameter
K  25 Particle movement is much greater than D
5  K  25
K 5 Particle movement is smaller than D
D / L  0.2 Wavelength is much greater than D
D / L  0.2 Wavelength is not much greater or smaller
than D
Morrison Equations & Modified ME
1 dun
dFin   Cd d A un un  Cm  dV
2 dt
Cd ----- Drag Coefficient, dV ------ Volume
Cm ---- Added Mass Coefficient
d A ----- Projected area (normal to current)
Additional term due to votex induce (lateral) force
1 2
dFl   CL d A un cos(2 f  t ),
2
fD
S0  , S0 ------- Strouhal Number
un
CL ----------- Lifting Coefficient
Wave Forces on A Vertical Cylinder
Velocity & acceleration are a function of z & t
Force (function of t)
1 dun
dFin   Cd d A un un  Cm  dV
2 dt
 2 D
d A  Dd z , dV  D d z , R 
4 2
0 1 0
Fin   dFin   Cd D  un und z
h 2 h
 2 0 dun
+ D Cm   dz
4  h dt
 (3  4)
Wave Forces on A Vertical Cylinder
Wave Forces on a Horizontal Cylinder
Velocity & acceleration are a function of t only

1 dun
dFin   Cd d A un un  Cm  dV
2 dt
 2 D
d A  Dd z , dV  D d z , R 
4 2
0
Fin   dFin 
h
1  2 dun 
 L  Cd D un un  D Cm 
 2 4 dt 
L------ Length of the cylinder
Wave Forces on a Horizontal Cylinder
Example of Problem 3-1 pp73 (old v. pp64)

Computing the horizontal load on a vertical

cylinder

Drag coefficient of a cylinder pp 72 & 75 (old

v. pp63 & 64)

Added-Mass coefficient of a cylinder pp 72

(old v. pp64)
Wind & Current Forces

Steady & oscillatory portions

Steady current forces

1
Fin   Cd A U U Inline force
2
1 2
Fl   C L A U cos(2 f  t ), Transverse force
2
 Wind Forces
1
Fin   aCd A U U , U  U  U
2
U Steady wind velocity
U Fluctuated velocity (wind gustiness)
Applied at the center of pressure Z P
0.113 0.125
 Zp 
U ( Z P )  U 10  
 10 
U 10 - wind velocity at 10 m above the sea
 Forces on Pipeline Due to Wave & Currents
Fd  Fi  F f  w sin   0 (3.33) horizontal
Fn  Fl  w cos   0 (3.34) vertical
F f   Fn (3.35)   Coeff. of friction
Minimum submerged weight (remain at sea bed)
Fd  Fi   Fl
w (3.36)
 cos   sin 
Fd  Drag force; Fi  inertia force
Fn   Normal force; Fl  lifting force
F f  Friction force; w  Submerged weight
 Fi
Fl
Fd

Ff
Fn W

Free Body diagram of A Pipe under the impact of
Wave & Currents