VERY LARGE FLOATING STRUCTURES:

APPLICATIONS AND DESIGN ASPECTS

ARUNSREENATH A K
OFFSHORE STRUCTURES
M150152CE
 INTRODUCTION
Very large floating structures are manmade islands, which may
be constructed to create floating airports, storage facilities (for oil
& natural gas), for military purposes ,to create industrial purposes
They are easy and fast to construct
VLFS’S can easily transported,removed,expanded
Cost effective when water depth is large
Do not damage marine eco-system
Do not disrupt ocean currents
They are immune to seismic shock

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects
2
To classify according to their geometry:
I. Pontoons.
II. Semisubmersibles.

To classify them by location:

I. CoastalVLFS.
Mega float

II. OffshoreVLFS
Mobile offshore base(MOB)
Pneumatically stabilized platform(PSP)
Monday, October 18, 2021 CE6397 Very large floating
structures:applications and design aspects 3
 MEGA FLOAT

Monday, October 18, 2021 CE6397 Very large floating

structures:applications and design aspects 4
Very large pontoon floating structure
Suitable for use in calm water
Provide break water if significant wave height is
greater than 4m
Strong, reliable, lightweight
Construction carried out with modules made on
land between 100 and 300 m in length

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 5
 Advantages
 Manufacturing and assembly easy and
inexpensive
Unlimited size
Capacity of positive load
Disadvantages
 suitable for inlets and bays
Low mobility
Ingress of water on deck
CE6397 Very large floating
Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 6
Mobile offshore base

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 7
To support military operations wherever convention
all and bases are not available
Providing a landing/takeoff area and maintenance,
as well as supply and other advanced logistical,
support operations
Length of each module : 220 - 500 m
width of each module : 120 - 170 m
Numbers of each module : 3 - 5
Total length of module completely aligned:upto 2km
CE6397 Very large floating
Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 8
 Alignment is maintained by Dynamic positioning
thrusters
 Two types

Joint Mobile Offshore Base

Hybrid Mobile Offshore Base

Joint Mobile Offshore Base module

five semi-submersible steel propelled ships

Track - mile(1800m)-long connected with non-load bearing structures
A lightweight, collapsible draw bridge allows for transfer between
modules.
CE6397 Very large floating
Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 9
Hybrid Mobile Offshore Base
 high strength, light weight LWC60 concrete in the
steel hull and superstructure deck
 fatigue is a major pitfall for a concrete hull with a
design life of 100 years.

MOB semisubmersible hybrid concept: four modules together (left) and a

single module (right)
CE6397 Very large floating
Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 10
 Advantages
Mobility.
Suitablefor all types of water
Deep and shallow waters
Benign and harsh (conditions good behaviour at sea).

Disadvantages
Payload is limited, as is the case with all
semisubmersible vessels.
Large internal movements: danger of fatigue in the
structure
Connector technology still experimental.
High construction and operational costs
CE6397 Very large floating
Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 11
 Pneumatically stabilized platform(psp)

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 12
Number of cylindrical components packaged
in a rectangular shape to form single module
Each cylinder is sealed at the top and open to
the sea at it’s base
It can handle loads and attenuate the wave
Post tensioned cables used to help assemble
the components

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects
13
 Advantages
Manufacturing and installation process simple and
inexpensive
Suitable for all types of water
Unlimited size (modular)
Low or almost zero maintenance

Disadvantages
Joining technology with tensors in need of
extensive further development and study.
Low mobility
CE6397 Very large floating
Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 14
APPLICATIONS OF VLFS
 FLOATING AIRPORTS
The first sizeable floating runway
one-km long Mega-Float

Mega-Float in Tokyo Bay, Japan (1998)

CE6397 Very large floating
Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 15
MOBILE OFFSHORE BASE
 large aircraft and ships may support
littoral combat operations from a secure
position without reliance on achieving
political support in other nations

MOB,CHINA

CE6397 Very large floating structures:applications

Monday, October 18, 2021 and design aspects 16
FLOATING STORAGE FACILITIES
 used for storing fuel and keeping the explosive,
inflammable fluid from populated areas on land.
 pontoon structure

 Japan has two major floating oil storage systems.

in Shirashima with a capacity of 5.6
million kilolitres
in Kamigoto with a capacity of 4.4
million kilolitres.

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 17
 Kamigoto Floating Oil Storage Base,Japan
( 4.4million kilolitres)

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 18
FLOATING DOCKS, PIERS, BERTHS AND
CONTAINER TERMINALS
The floating pier is 150 m x 30 m x4 m.
must allow smooth loading and unloading of cars
equal tidal rise and fall of the pier and ferries is advantageous

Floating Pier at Ujina, Japan

CE6397 Very large floating
Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 19
FLOATING EMERGENCY BASES
inherently base isolated from earthquakes
floating emergency rescue bases in earthquake prone
countries
Japan has a number of such floating rescue bases

Emergency Rescue Base, Tokyo Bay

CE6397 Very large floating
Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 20
FLOATING BRIDGES
1246-m long Nordhordland Floating Bridge built
in1994 at Salhus over a fjord depth of 500 m.
bridges are horizontally curved to better resist the
wave, the water current and wind forces

Nordhordland Floating Bridge, Norway

Monday, October 18, 2021 CE6397 Very large floating

structures:applications and design aspects 21
Analysis and Design of Floating Structures
Characteristics to be considered :
 Horizontal forces due to waves much times greater than
the (non- seismic) horizontal loads on land-based
structures
 In framed, tower-like structures the horizontal wave
forces produce extreme bending and overturning
moments
 In a floating structure the static vertical self-weight and
payloads are carried by buoyancy.
 A particular type of structural system, denoted tension-
leg system, is achieved if a highly pre-tensioned
mooring system is applied.

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects
22
 Sizing of the floating structure and its mooring system
depends on its function
 VLFS’s usually constructed at shore-based building sites
remote from the deepwater installation area and without
extensive preparation of the foundation.
 Owing to the corrosive sea environment, floating
structures have to be provided with a good corrosion
protection system
 Possible degradation due to corrosion or crack growth
(fatigue) requires a proper system for inspection,
monitoring, maintenance and repair during use.
CE6397 Very large floating
Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects
23
LOAD TYPES AND COMBINATIONS

1) Permanent or dead loads

2) Variable or live loads
3) Frequent and Rare Environmental loads
4) operation loads
5) Cyclic loads
6) Accidental loads

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 24
DESIGN PROCEDURE

Monday, October 18, 2021 CE6397 Very large floating

structures:applications and design aspects 25
DESIGN PROCEDURE

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects 26
UNIQUENESS OF VLFS
1) Large Size
2) Environment Condition
3) Design and Analysis
4) Connection at Sea
5) Positioning

CE6397 Very large floating

Monday, October 18, 2021 structures:applications and design aspects
27
CONCLUSION

 VLFS is a unique concept of ocean structures

because of their length,displacement,cost
 Requires massive investment and considered as a
mega project
 Cost of shore facilities is soaring , so offshore
floating facilities will become more attractive
 21 century there will undoubtedly be significant
developments in the field of VLFS

Monday, October 18, 2021 CE6397 Very large floating

structures:applications and design aspects 28
REFERENCES

 Miguel Lamas-Pardo a,1, GregorioIglesias b,2, LuisCarral a,3,2015,

A review of Very Large Floating Structures (VLFS) for coastal and
offshore uses, Ocean Engineering109(2015)677–690

 Wanga C.M, Taya Z.Y,2011, Very Large Floating Structures:

Applications, Research and Development, Procedia Engineering 14
(2011) 62–72

 Masahiko Fujikubo,2005, Structural analysis for the design of VLFS,

Marine Structures 18 (2005) 201–226

Monday, October 18, 2021 CE6397 Very large floating

structures:applications and design aspects 29
THANK YOU….

Monday, October 18, 2021 CE6397 Very large floating

structures:applications and design aspects 30