FPSO HULL INTEGRITY

MURDJITO
Department of Ocean Engineering ITS, Gedung WA
Kampus ITS Sukolilo, Surabaya 60111
e-mail: murdjito@oe.its.ac.id

RULES & REGULATIONS

Shipbuilding vs. Offshore Standards

piping
selection of materials
accommodations
control & safety systems

Safety
IMO MODU as a reference
SOLAS limited to specific items not covered by
MODU
MARPOL with unified interpretation forFPSOs

HULL STRENGTH ISSUES

HULL GIRDER -BENDING MOMENT

CAPACITY

HULL GIRDER -WAVE SHEAR

GLOBAL HULL DESIGN WAVE BM & SF

Still water loading conditions often more severe for FPSO

Wave loading depends upon site environmental criteria:
harsh environment wave BM and SF are close to and may exceed Ship
Rule requirements
benign environment wave BM and SF are less than Ship Rules (but not
to be taken less than 70% of unrestricted service Ship Rule
requirement)

Multi-site operation may require assessment

Towing, inspection and temporary conditions to be considered
Rules require assessment of site specific wave loading (100 year
return values)
Ship rules employ simple parametric equations for wave loading (20
year return values)
Longitudinal SF and BM determine (mostly) longitudinal material

Example Transit case (Bonga)

HULL STRENGTH / FATIGUE FE MODELS

Cargo / ballast tank area
Mooring structure and hull integration (turret and/or
chainstoppers)
Riser porches and supporting structure
Topsides support structure and hull integration
Flare tower support structure
Offloading station support structure
Main crane pedestals and support structure
Helideck structure
Additional locations depending on vessel function and
owners requirements

CARGO TANK MODEL

Loadings:
Hull girder SF & BM
External pressure
Cargo loads
Topside loads

MOORING TURRET INTEGRATION

Loadings:
Mooring system and
risers
Hull girder SF & BM
Internal / external
pressure

TOPSIDE SUPPORT STRUCTURE

Gravity loadings
Hull motions
Hull girder stresses
Hull girder deflections

BOTTOM SLAMMING

BOW AREA IMPACT

Effects forward bottom structure
Factors affecting slam pressure:

bluffness of bow
pitch response / wave length
wave steepness
wave height
breaking waves
loading condition (draft)

Model testing advisable

Rules contain requirements relating to draft,
pressure, extent and scantlings

GREEN SEAS BOW AND MAIN DECK

GREEN SEAS MAIN DECK

Tanker heading off the waves due to
Wind
Current

Wave crest travels along ships weather

side
Energy is concentrated
Wave height increases
Water is shipped on the main deck in
midship section
Impact on structures and equipment

GREEN SEAS
Factors affecting green seas:

pitch response / wave length

wave steepness
wave height
breaking waves
loading condition (draft)
bow shape

Rules for ships incorporate allowances within

design heads for superstructures, deckhouses,
bulwarks and decks.
Model testing advisable

SLOSHING IN CARGO OIL TANKS

SLOSHING IN CARGO OIL TANKS

Sloshing is the dynamic magnification of pressures
within cargo/ballast tanks
Partial fillings the norm for FPSOs (NOT so for trading oil
tankers)
Influencing Factors:

Tank size
Hull form
Environment / Weathervaning
Natural periods of both vessel and fluid
Tank fill levels

Sloshing analysis required (e.g. LR FLUIDS)

Analysis may result in an increase in scantlings at tank
tops
Restrictions may be placed on fill levels in certain tanks

ACCIDENTAL LOADS
Collision due to supply boat / shuttle
tanker / iceberg
Dropped object
Explosion / blast
Ultimate strength criteria (10000 year
wave?)

FATIGUE the problem

The effect on metal of repeated cycles of stress.
There is no obvious warning, a crack forms
without appreciable deformation of structure
making it difficult to detect the presence of
growing cracks.
Fractures usually start from small nicks or
scratches or fillets which cause a localized
concentration of stress.
Failure can be influenced by a number of factors
including size, shape and design of the
component, condition of the surface or operating
environment.
Fatigue life of structural details need to be
assessed for FPSO

FATIGUE LIFE ASSESSMENT

Identification of critical areas
Detailed finite element analysis to assess Stress
Concentration Factors
Site specific analysis of dynamic loads
Previous service history to be assessed (for conversions)
Selection of S/N curves

Other relevant issues:

Cathodic protection / coatings
Fabrication, tolerances, welding
Inspection / Inspectability
Repair / structural detail improvement
Fracture mechanics assessment

Note: fatigue is highly sensitive to loading (stress range)

EXAMPLE FEM MESH ARRANGEMENT TO

DETERMINE SCFS

FATIGUE LIFE -FACTORS OF SAFETY

TYPICAL CRITICAL AREAS

FABRICATION TOLERANCES AND WELDING

Tolerances should be in accordance with good
shipbuilding practice, and agreed with Class
Society
Special attention given to fatigue sensitive areas
Enhanced NDE levels will be necessary for
identified fatigue sensitive areas
Assumptions used in analytical fatigue
assessments to be consistent with construction

FPSO FATIGUE ENHANCEMENT DETAILS CONVERSION

IN SERVICE SURVEY PROGRAM

Source :
developed by the owner / operator against list
of surveyable items
Survey plan to be approved by Class

To address :
Class requirements
Regulatory requirements
Overall hull structure configuration & critical
areas

STRUCTURAL INSPECTION

Carried out on location

Provides detection / monitoring capacity
Annual, intermediate & major surveys
Major survey (5 years or continuous)
IWS in lieu of dry docking
Internal survey considerations:

cleaning & gas freeing

access arrangements/safety
Lighting / ventilation
loading conditions for strength

IN WATER SURVEYS
Requirements for OIWS notation
Cathodic protection and high resistance paint
Underwater marking
Tank inspection conditions included in hull
girder analysis
Venting/isolation arrangements for tank entry
Arrangements considered for survey/changeout of thrusters, sea chests, rudder bearing
etc.

Permanent Means of Access (PMA)

SOLAS requirements for newbuild
vessels
All internal tanks
Eliminate need for staging, rafting or rope
access
Access for close up examination
Utilise tanks structural members, or provide
dedicated arrangements
Standards for ladders, handrails, etc
Portable equipment may be used for some

SOLAS Permanent Means of Access (PMA)

GENERAL LIFE OF FIELD ISSUES

Holistic approach for good integrated solution

Offshore instead of Ship maintenance philosophy
Design for accidental loads, including wave impact
Compatibility of hull structural, systems and topsides
interface design
Fatigue Design (& life to date for conversions)
Production equipment for extreme weather conditions
Marine equipment robustness, particularly cargo/ballast
systems
OIWS requirements and corrosion protection
Access (operability / maintainability / inspectability)
In-service survey effect on downtime
Provision of spare parts

FPSO INCIDENT HISTORY

Examples of problems

Hull Structure
Localised fatigue failure
bow wave impact damage
shuttle tanker collision
tank overpressurisation
seawater caisson preferential corrosion
integration of surface and subsea corrosion
protection

FPSO INCIDENT HISTORY -STATISTICS (REPORTED)

TYPICAL DAMAGE

EXAMPLES OF INTERNAL WELDED REPAIRS

FPSO BOW WAVE IMPACT DAMAGE

FPSO RULE AMENDMENTS FOR FORE END

STRUCTURES

Basis -Ship Rule requirements using min.

service speed 12 -15 knots
Site specific assessments required where
expected to be more severe
Model test measurements of impact pressures
recommended
Integrated structural design approach to be
adopted using direct calculation methods (LR
Rules for permissible stress requirements)