ANALYSIS OF THE DEEP WATER MOORING SYSTEM PLATFORM

Achmad Baidowi, Semin* and Arif R Suwandi

1
Department of Marine Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember
Campus ITS, Sukolilo-Surabaya 60111, Indonesia
*
Email: semin@its.ac.id

ABSTRACT

The deep water mooring system is a complex design especially for ocean energy platform. The
system located in 250 m water depth. This paper propose a deep water mooring system for 44
tones marine current energy platform Its configuration consist of multi catenary 4 mooring line
anchored to seabed using sinker and the end of the mooring line attached to quadramaran
platform. The measured environmental loads are 2.5 significant wave height, 3.1 m/s current
and 20 knots wind speed. The results of this research is the maximum tension mooring line is
437.62 kN which occurred during the 90° collinear environmental load.

Keywords: deep water, multi catenary mooring, ocean current energy, quadramaran, tension

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 INTRODUCTION

The scarcity of fossil based energy is a primary driver of the discoveries of renewable
energy resource. ASEAN country still dependent to fossil fuel. The south east asia
region data shows that most of the energy source is still fossil energy. The reliance of
ASEAN Countries to fossil based energy is still high, there are not so many variety in
energy source except Myanmar and Laos. Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos use 1/3 of the
biomass as the source of the electricity and the rest (69.9%) is based on oil and gas. The
variety of biomass came from biomass fuel like agricultural waste, charcoal, and other
form of biomass.

Figure 1. Reliance on Oil and Gas as Primary Source of Energy

Indonesia as one of the ASEAN country member still has high dependency to
fossil energy. The percentage of the dependences are oil (49.7%) and gas (20.1%), coal
(24.5%) and only 5.7% renewable energy (Quirapas et.al, 2015).

Figure 2. Energy Mix Indonesia

On the other hand, the ocean renewable energy has abundant potential, for the
global tidal or current energy potential is 800+ TWh/year from the total of 17,400 TWh/
year as shown by Figure 1 (Quirapas et.al, 2015).

There are several types of ocean renewable energy tidal and currents, wave,
salinity and thermal or ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC).

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 Table 1. Global Electricity Potential
Type Of Energy
TWh/year
Source
Thermal Gradient
10000
(OTEC)
Waves 80000
Tides or tidal range
(barrage) 300+

Tidal/Marine Current
800+
Salinity Gradient 2000+

Most of Indonesia territory is covered by Ocean, it can be the biggest energy

source for the country. Based on the study conducted by Indonesian Energy association
in 2012, the practical potential energy for OTEC is 43 GW, 4.8 GW for tidal current
energy, 1.2 GW for ocean wave (. The potential map for Indonesia ocean energy is
shown by Figure 4.

Figure 3. Potential tidal,wave and OTEC Energy Sites in Indonesia(INOCEAN)

The tidal or current energy sources are enormous, Toyopakeh strait which
located between nusa penida and nusa lembongan island has ocean current energy
potential around 2.4m/s around the surface (P3GL, 2016).

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 Figure 5.Toyopakeh Strait Bali

Based on the measurement conducted by ministry of Energy in 2016 thereare

other potential energy in of the strait is wave energy as shown by Table 2(P3GL, 2016).

Table 2. Maximum Value of Energy Source (P3GL, 2016)

Signnificant Wave
Wind Current
Height
25 years Speed Speed
2.4 m 22 knots 2.4 m/s

Its huge potential also provides challenges regarding the water depth of the
location, the highest potential of the energy has more than 200 m water depth as shown
by Figure 6.

Figure 6 Bathymetry of Toyopakeh Strait

This condition challenges engineers to solve the problem in order to use the
potential as best as possible. Since Toyopakeh strait next to an inhabited island and the
primary source of electricity is diesel generator. It becomes higher encouragement for
engineers.

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 METHOD

In order to harness the marine current energy in Toyopakeh strait, a marine

current energy platform consist of eight marine current turbine which can be deliver 23
kW power. The 44 tones platform is attached to 4 mooring lines

Figure 7 Marine Current Platform

The principal dimension of the platform is:
Table 3. Principal Dimension of Platform

Designation Main Hull Side Hull

Lpp 20 m 8m
Breadth 6.6 m 4.17
Height 2m 2m
Total Deck width 14.8 m
Displacement 44.93 ton
Water depth 200 m

The study conducted by Garza and Benitsas shows that mooring system tend to
stable in the moderate water depth but lost its stability in deep water. In deep water it
may result in case of slack of mooring line (Garza and Benitsas, 1997). The work
completed by Umaru regarding steel catenary riser in ultra-deep water is using multi
component mooring line as shown by figure 7.

Figure 8. Multi component mooring line.

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 Figure 8 shows that the mooring configuration is the dynamic motion responses
of the vessel coupled with the static catenary riser/mooring system can then be used to
find the resulting maximum line. The line dynamic and inertia is solved using
lagrange’s method (Umaru, 2011). Results which previously discussed is still for typical
offshore platform which can be applied in the deep water ocean energy platform.
The mooring system design for deep water also discussed by zanutigh et.al. They
conducted a screening of possible suitable mooring system for wave energy converter
which ensure station keeping and limit the drift of floating structure (Zanutigh et.al,
2009). This paper uses spread mooring system for the platform. The mooring line
configuration and environmental load simulation is explained in the Figure 9.

Figure 9. Multi component mooring line.

The mooring configuration is consist of 4 mooring lines with the length of mooring line
is 210 m. the mooring line is studless chain

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Response Amplitude Operator (RAO)

In order to analyze the mooring configuration, the motion response of the platform
needs to be analyzed. The motion response of the platform has been analyzed using
numerical software. There are 6 degree of freedom motion response, surge, sway heave,
roll, pitch and yaw. The results of translation motions are shown by Figure 10
Platform motion response (RAO)

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 Figure 10 . Translation Motion Response of Platform

While the rotation motion of the platform is shown by Figure 11.

Figure 11 . Rotation Motion Response of Platform

The simulations were conducted in colinear environmental load. The environmental

load dirctions are 0°, 45°, 90°, 135° and 180°.

Mooring Line Tension

The results of mooring line tension obtained using numerical software is shown in
Figure 12

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 Figure 12 Mooring Chain Tension for 0 and 45 Heading Angle

The maximum chain line tension for 0° is 253.84 kN in chain line 1 aat End A while the
maximum line tension for 45° is 401.79 kN in chain line 3 at end B.

Figure 13 Mooring Chain Tension for 90° and 135° Heading Angle

Figure 13 shows the 90 heading angle the maximum, the maximum chain tension is
537.62kN in line 3 at end B. and the maximum tension of line 2 is 398.62 during the
135 environmental load condition.

Figure 14 Mooring Chain Tension for 180° Heading Angle

Figure 14 shows that the maximum mooring line tension for 180° heading angle is
291.14 kN in line 2 at end A.
Based on the mooring system simulation the maximum tension 437.62 kN in line 2 at
end B.

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 (1)
CONCLUSION

The spread mooring configuration for 44.93 tones platform resulted 437.62kN tension
for line 2. The calculation must accounted the excursion of the platform and since the
platform deployed in deep water. The deep water condition requires more complex
analysis such as possibility of clashing between mooring chain.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to be obliged to Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember for
providing laboratory facilities.

REFERENCES

Noir Purba, et.al (2015). Suitable Locations of Ocean Renewable Energy (ORE) in
Indonesia Region –GIS Approach, Energy Procedia 65 pp:230-238
Umaru M, (2011). Analysis of Mooring and Steel Catenary Risers System in Ultra Deep
Water, PhD Theses, University of Newcastle.
P3GL, (2016). Detail Engineering Design Report: Marine Current Energy
Converter.Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resource.
Quirapas et.al, (2015). Ocean Renewable Energy in South East Asia: A Review,
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 41 pp:799-817

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