VIBRATION ABSORBER TECHNOLOGY AND CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF VIBRATION ABSORBER FOR TLP IN ULTRADEEP WATER

Vibration absorber technology can be used to change the TLP's resonant behavior and make the TLP performance basically independent of the water depth, allowing a TLP to be a technically acceptable solution for field developments in water depths exceeding 6000 ft and making the TLP an ideal structure to support multiple risers in ultra deep waters, particularly under harsh environmental conditions. Vibration absorber technology for the TLP consists of several vertical caissons partially filled with water and a sealed air chamber near the top capped at the top. A throttle plate is present between the air chambers to dissipate energy. The implementation of a vibration absorber into the TLP hull is discussed. The performance of a single vibration absorber is investigated using CFD, and the results is compared with experimental findings. A discussion is provided regarding the comparative cost of a deep water TLP solution with vibration absorbers and a spar and semi submersible.