The Influence of the Bow Shape of FPSOs on Drift Forces and Green Water

In this paper the influence of the bow shape of FPSOS on drift forces and green water loading is studied. Use is made of the results of model tests and diffraction calculations for three different bow shapes: a traditional tanker bow, a sharp alternative bow without flare and the same alternative bow with a significant flare above the still waterline. For the sharper alternative bows the mean wave drift forces and low frequency drift forces seem to be smaller than for a traditional bow. Due to the fact that the wave frequency motions with the alternative bows are larger, it is not clear yet whether the total mooring line loads for this type of vessels will be lower. For the alternative bows the relative motions around the bow are larger. This results in more water on the deck with the alternative bows than with a traditional bow. Also the impact pressures are significantly higher. The results presented in this paper make clear that it is not sensible to optimize a bow of an FPSO on one aspect only.

This paper is copyrighted material and cannot be shared. Due to copyright policy MARIN is not allowed to reproduce and distribute papers written for and presented at the OTC (Offshore Technology Conference), ISOPE (International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference) and SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers). You can order these papers through
www.OnePetro.org.

For this specific paper see: www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/OTC-8073-MS.