Study on Ice Parameters Affecting DP Performance of FPSO in Arctic Ocean

Abstract

Recently, various efforts have been made to develop oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean. It is very important to consider the load caused by ice in designing floating structures in the area. The magnitude of the ice load and its impact on a structure should be considered. In this paper, we analyze ice parameters affecting the DP performance of FPSO with a DP-assisted mooring system. Several ice characteristics are selected, and the resulting ice load is calculated using GEM software. Numerous simulations are conducted while changing the values of the parameters, and DP capability plots are generated to visualize the effects of changing these parameters. It is shown that the ice drift speed and thickness are the major properties to be considered in DP system design. The limitations of the analysis and future work are discussed in the conclusion.

Keywords

• Dynamic positioning system
• DP capability plot DP
• Ice load
• GPU-event-mechanics GEM
• Arctic FPSO