ANALYSIS METHOD FOR SINGLE POINT MOORING (REPORT 1) BASIC EQUATION AND SALM BUOY MOORING

Single Point Mooring (SPM) Systems are in use worldwide as an FS, FPS, or FPSO. The SPM system is of multi-component structure normally composed of a vessel, yoke or hawser, buoy and mooring chains. It is designed on the basis of model test results, because no suitable mathematical method is available for its motion and structural analysis under the combined loads condition. In this paper, we have derived a mathematical model of multi-component structure under the combined loads (wind, wave and current), considering higher order motions and hydrodynamic loads with Langley's constraint matrix. This time, we have applied same model above to SALM buoy and have compared its numerical results with those from model tests. The following conclusions are obtained through comprehensive discussion: i) constraint matrix of multi-buoy systems effective; ii) SALM buoy system in small waves can be analysed in frequency domain; and iii) SALM buoy system in large waves should be analysed in time domain considering higher order motions and hydro-dynamic loads.