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Lecture 8

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21 views15 pages

Lecture 8

Uploaded by

Tuấn Nguyễn
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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FLOATING STRUCTURES

Chapter 8: Construction and Installation


Contents
➢ Fabrication
➢ Transportation
➢ Derrick Barges
1. Fabrication
Fabrication falls roughly into two classes: the hull type and the truss type fabrication.
A Hull type fabrication is similar to shipyard construction with flat plate and orthogonal stiffeners and
girders (framing) applied to the plate.
This method is most efficiently employed when automatic cutting welding can be applied to apply the
plates and framing. Spar platforms, FPSOs, TLP and semi-submersible hulls are typically constructed this
way.
Figure 132 shows a modern profile welding machine. Figure 91 illustrates the fabrication of a
subassembly for a spar hull.
Figure 133 shows fabrication yard assembly of the truss for a truss spar.
Fabrication yards are not typically efficient at the construction of stiffened plates, and visa versa shipyards
are not efficient at tubular structures. Construction of this type often involves significant sub-contracting of
the various pieces.
Figure 134 shows in a dry dock a mini-TLP under fabrication.
1. Fabrication

Figure 132. An automatic profile welder for stiffened plate fabrication


1. Fabrication

Figure 133. Spar truss fabrication


1. Fabrication

Figure 134. Seastar Matterhorn platform in dry dock


1. Fabrication
While many offshore structures may appear to use shipyard construction practices, the specifications for
offshore structure construction differ greatly from standard shipyard practice.
The reason for this is that offshore structures are not subject to routine drydocking and inspection as ships
are. Offshore structures are designed and built for long service away from maintenance facilities.
Specifications for welding and fit up are designed to yield prolonged fatigue life. This often requires a 100%
weld inspection and non-destructive evaluation (NDE).
Standard shipyard practice is not sufficient. Shipyards experienced in offshore construction should always
be surveyed and consulted early in the design phase to make sure that the FPS will be compatible with
their facilities and schedule. Construction specialists should be consulted on the selection of a
configuration.
2. Transportation
Transportation begins at the fabrication yard.
A means for moving the structure away from the yard often is one of the most difficult engineering
problems faced by project engineers.
An offshore structure may weigh 10,000 tons or more. If constructed in a fabrication yard it must be moved,
typically by skidding, into the water or onto a barge or heavy lift vessel that can transport it to its
destination.
Key technical constraints for offloading structures include quay load capacity, water depth at the key and
exposure to waves.
The fabrication contractor should be consulted early in the design phase of a project to ensure
constructability and transportability of the design.
2. Transportation
Transportation usually requires a barge or heavy lift vessel (HLV).
Barges are commonly used to transport offshore jackets and topsides short distances offshore.
Transocean transportation is more commonly performed with self propelled, heavy lift ships or open deck
cargo ships.
Tables 19 and 20 show particulars for typical cargo barges and launch barges operated by Heerema.
Launch barges are specifically designed to launch jacket type structures, but they may also be used for
general transportation.

Table 19. Heerema cargo barges


2. Transportation
Table 20. Heerema launch/cargo barges
2. Transportation
Heavy Lift Vessels (HLVs) (table 21) are specially designed for transporting large floating structures.
Figure 135 shows a spar hull.
HLVs are capable of submerging their deck up to 10m below the water surface, so a floating structure may
be offloaded.
Barges are not typically submersible, so the offloading of a structure presents a challenge.
In either case, the structure may be loaded onto the barge or HLV by skidding from the fabrication yard,
provided the skidway and quay have adequate load bearing capacity.
The loading and transportation of a large offshore structure may take a considerable amount of
engineering in its own right.
During loading, the ballast of the vessel needs to be constantly adjusted to maintain the draft and trim
compatible with the loading operation.
The stiffness of the vessel and the cargo may be quite different resulting in deflections, which can lead to
high stresses in either structure.
For a long ocean transport, seafastenings must be able to withstand extreme storms. The loads on the
structure during transport may be the controlling loads for the design and should be checked in the early
design phases.
2. Transportation
Table 21. Heavy transport vessel specifications
2. Transportation

Figure 135. Offloading of spar hull for transport


3. Derrick Barges
Offshore crane or derrick vessels are the workhorses for heavy lift.
They are used for a variety of tasks from pipelaying, jacket installation and removal, mooring installation
and deck installation.
Moored vessels are typically limited to less than around 1000 ft., but they can typically operate in deep
water with a pre-installed mooring spread.
Figure 136 shows a Semi-submersible Crane Vessel (SSCV) setting a deck on a spar platform.
3. Derrick Barges

Figure 136. Semi-submersiblecrane vessel

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