Offshore Mooring Lines

CATENARY MOORING SYSTEM TAUT LEG MOORING SYSTEM SEMI-TAUT MOORING SYSTEM SPREAD MOORING SYSTEM SINGLE POINT MOORING SYSTEM DYNAMIC POSITIONING SYSTEM

CATENARY MOORING SYSTEM

The catenary system is the most common type of mooring system employed in shallow water. The catenary refers to the shape that a free hanging line assumes under the influence of gravity. The catenary system provides restoring forces through the suspended weight of the mooring lines and its change in configuration arising from vessel motion. In other words under environmental loadings the moored vessel tries to lift the mooring lines, which create a restoring force. By catenary system the mooring line terminates at the seabed horizontally, the anchor point is only subjected to horizontal forces at the seabed. This requires that the mooring lines be relatively long compared to the water depth. With the increase of the water depth the weight and the length of the mooring line start to increase rapidly. In deepwater the weight of the mooring lines becomes excessive and the mooring lines tend to hang directly down from the rig. The excessive weight diminishes the working payload of the vessel of floating offshore structure. To overcome this problem synthetic ropes are used in the mooring line.

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TAUT LEG MOORING SYSTEM

The taut leg system or taut system is characterized that the mooring lines are pre-tensioned until they are taut. By the taut leg system the mooring line terminates at an angle at the seabed. A taut-leg system will usually have an angle of between 30 and 45 degrees. This means that in a taut leg mooring the anchor point are loaded by horizontal and vertical forces.
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By the taut leg system the restoring forces are created through axial elastic stretching of the mooring line rather than geometry changes. The restoring forces are determined by the stiffness and elasticity of the mooring line. The taut leg system has a much more linear stiffness than the catenary system that gives the advantage that the offsets under mean load better can be controlled and the total mooring line tensions are smaller. A further advantage of the taut-leg system is the better load sharing between adjacent mooring lines. The disadvantage of the taut-leg system is that the mooring line must have sufficient elasticity to absorb the vessel wave motions without overloading. The mooring lines of polyester rope have good characteristics for the taut leg system. For deepwater the taut leg system is a better cost effective solution than the catenary system.

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SEMI-TAUT MOORING SYSTEM

The semi-taut system is a combination of the taut mooring system and catenary mooring system, wherein some parts of the mooring system are taut and other parts are catenary. The semi-taut and taut systems are better suited for deepwater application than catenary system. The semi-taut system and taut system have shorter mooring lines and require less seafloor space or seafloor spread than the catenary system. The shorter mooring lines result in material saving. In general the taut system and semi-taut system are lighter and cheaper designs than the catenary system for deepwater applications.

SPREAD MOORING SYSTEM

The spread mooring system consist of many groupings of mooring lines, normally arranged in a symmetrical pattern, attached to the bow and stern of the vessel. The system keeps the vessel or the floating offshore structure on a predetermined location at a fixed heading at sea. Spread mooring systems can be used in applications requiring long service life, in any water depth, and on any size of vessel. Spread mooring systems are most commonly used in unidirectional environments on floating offshore structure that are insensitive to the direction of environmental loads. As the environmental conditions are multidirectional, this type of mooring system is not ideal. For the spread mooring all types of mooring line configurations can be used with this system. The spread mooring system can consist of an equally spread mooring pattern or a grouped spread mooring. The grouped spread mooring has the advantage that the grouped spread mooring will provide better redundancy against possible progressive failure of a mooring system and the maximum mooring line tension is 20% lower.

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Equally spread mooring (left) and grouped spread mooring (right)

SINGLE POINT MOORING SYSTEM

In the single point mooring system are the mooring lines connect to a single point. Single point mooring systems are generally used on ships. The single point can consist of an external or internal turret, a floating buoy in a CALM (Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring) or a SALM (Single Anchor Leg Mooring). The single mooring system allow for a ship to weathervane into environmental conditions. The ship is often free to rotate through 360 degrees. By the single point mooring system the mooring line are mainly determined by the bow sea loading condition. The bow sea loading condition is significant smaller than the beam sea loading condition.

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DYNAMIC POSITIONING SYSTEM

The dynamic positioning system is a station keeping system for floating units, which uses thrusters to compensate wind, wave and current forces in a dynamic controlled mode to keep the unit on a predetermined location and heading at sea. The dynamic positioning system does not have mooring lines. The dynamic positioning system can be used in combination with a different type of mooring system to provide additional restoring forces.

Copyright@2006 Offshore Consulting Engineering All Rights Reserved Website developed by A.G.A. Hammoutene

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MOORING LINE CONFIGURATION CHAIN WIRE ROPE SYNTHETIC FIBER ROPE SUBMERSIBLE BUOYS REGULATION

MOORING LINE CONFIGURATION

A mooring line can consist of one or different components like chain, (metal) wire rope, synthetic fiber rope. With the different components are different mooring line configurations possible. The mooring line configuration depends on the mooring system, water depth and the required strength. The most common mooring configurations are: All Chain Chain & Wire Rope Chain & Synthetic Fiber Rope Chain & Wire Rope & Synthetic Fiber Rope

The all chain mooring configuration is used in shallow water till the water depth of 100 m. The chain & wire rope mooring configuration is generally known as the conventional mooring line. The chain & wire rope combination is used till the water depth of 2000 m. The chain is replaced by wire rope to save cost and weight. By a conventional mooring line submersible buoys and/or clump weights can be placed along the mooring line for design considerations. In shallow water long mooring line length is required to provide the elasticity for stretching, otherwise the mooring will be too stiff to cope with large dynamics loads from the ship motions. In water depths greater than 300 m wire rope is used to reduce the top tension of the mooring line and to increase the stiffness of the mooring line. In those water depths the conventional mooring line consists for the most part of wire rope. In water depths greater than 2000 m the conventional mooring line of chain & wire rope will become too heavy. The mooring line combination of chain and wire rope will also become too soft in horizontal stiffness to resist environmental forces. In ultra deep water (water depths greater than 2000 m) the mooring configuration of chain & synthetic fiber rope or chain & wire rope & synthetic fiber rope are used. The wire rope is replaced by synthetic fiber rope, because the relative light weight of submerged synthetic fiber rope reduces the weight of the mooring line and synthetic fiber ropes have good line elasticity. The synthetic fiber rope of polyester is generally used for those mooring line configurations. About the application of synthetic fiber ropes in mooring lines are concerns. A recent guideline for the design of a mooring system is API RP 2SK (API 1995).
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Chain & Synthetic Fiber Rope

Chain & Wire Rope & Synthetic Fiber Rope

CHAIN

The chain also known as anchor chain is a flexible connection through multiple rigid metal links. The anchor chain is the most common component used for mooring lines of ships and offshore floating structures. The chain is available in different chain construction. Two chain constructions are in common use for offshore mooring lines. Two chain constructions are stud link chain and studless link chain. The stud link chain is used for mooring lines that have to be moored numerous times during their lifetime. The studless link chain is often used for permanent mooring. The cost of chain can range from the cost function 1.0 Euro/kN/m to the cost function 0.7 Euro/kN/m based on Proof Loads.

Stud Link Chain

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Studless Link Chain

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WIRE ROPE

Wire rope is a metal wire used for the mooring line. Wire rope has a relative lower weight than chain, but a higher elasticity for the same breaking strength. The wire ropes in common use for offshore mooring lines are spiral strand and six strands. The disadvantage of wire rope is that wire rope is more vulnerable to corrosion and soil ingression than chain. In general wire rope is used in combination with chain. The cost of wire rope can range from the cost function 0.09 Euro/kN/m to the cost function 0.02 Euro/kN/m based on Minimum Breaking Loads.

SYNTHETIC FIBER ROPE

The advantages of synthetic fiber ropes are that synthetic fiber ropes are lighter and synthetic fiber ropes have higher elasticity. They are almost neutrally buoyant in seawater. The synthetic fiber ropes have also a greater strength to weight ratio than steel. The weight savings is very important for deep water mooring. The synthetic fiber ropes are often made of polyester and high modulus polyester (HMPE), but synthetic fiber ropes are available in different synthetic materials and rope constructions. To select a synthetic fiber rope you can visit the website http://www.tensiontech.com/tools_guides/ rope_selection_calculator.php The synthetic fiber ropes are extensively used for short duration mooring, but synthetic fiber ropes are not often used in permanent mooring. The disadvantages of synthetic fiber ropes are that synthetic fiber ropes are relative expensive and synthetic fiber ropes have also larger diameters than wire ropes. The synthetic fiber ropes are not as abrasion resistant as wire ropes. Synthetic fiber rope has strength reduction through hydrolysis. An important issue for the synthetic fiber mooring line is the possible failure of the synthetic fiber rope by creep rupture and fatigue. Creep is the elongation over time of a line under tension. The possible failure by creep rupture and fatigue is a very important design consideration for permanent mooring. A recent guideline for the use of synthetic fiber rope is API RP 2SM (API 2001). The cost of synthetic fiber rope can range from the cost function 0.2 Euro/kN/m to the cost function 0.02 Euro/ kN/m based on Minimum Breaking Loads. Most common synthetic fiber rope in offshore mooring lines is polyester rope. The cost of polyester rope can range from the cost function 0.06 Euro/kN/m to the cost function 0.02 Euro/kN/m based on Minimum Breaking Loads.
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SUBMERSIBLE BUOYS

Pressure-resistant floats also known as submersible buoys and sub surface buoys on a mooring line are an alternative solution for synthetic fiber rope to overcome deep water mooring problems. The submersible buoys reduce the vertical forces on the floating offshore structure due to the heavy weight of suspended mooring lines in deep water and increase the stiffness of the mooring system. The use of submersible buoys on a mooring line will reduce also the line dynamic effects on line tensions due to large wave frequency vessel motions, because the submersible buoys will keep the mooring line in a more perpendicular direction. The advantages of submersible buoys are that the installation and operations of mooring lines are easier and buoys can create clearance from risers or any other obstacles. The disadvantages of submersible buoys are the additional cost of the submersible buoys and the submerged depth of the submersible should be deep enough to alleviate wave forces acting on the buoys. There are two types of pressure-resistant floats like buoys with two ears with holes through them and buoys with a hole through the centre. By the attachment of the float to the mooring line a 2 m length rope is required. On the mooring line the submersible buoys must position at least 2 m apart.

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Ear Type Float

Centrale Hole Float

REGULATION

The classification societies and institutes have developed over time guidelines, rules and regulation for offshore mooring systems, offshore mooring lines. The following classification societies and institutes have developed guidelines: American Petroleum Institute API American Bureau of Shipping ABS Det Norske Veritas DNV Lloyds Register of Shipping Germanischer Lloyd Polish Register of Shipping Bureau Veritas

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CHAIN WIRE ROPE

CHAIN

The chain is a flexible connection through multiple rigid metal links. The chain also known as anchor chain is the most common component used for mooring lines of ships and offshore floating structures. The chain is available in different chain construction. Two chain constructions are in common use for mooring line is stud link chain and studless link chain. The stud link chain has studs to stiffen the links and to avoid the tangling of the chains. The stud in the link ensures that the links come in the correct position into the gypsy. The stud link chain is used for mooring lines that have to be moored numerous times during their lifetime. The studless link chain is often used for permanent mooring. The advantage of the studless link chain is the weight saving, but studless chain is not strong enough for gypsy use. The studless link chain can consist of short open links or long open links. A long open link has a longer length than a short open link. A mooring chain consists of different links, common link, enlarged link and end link. The links are made of steel or alloy steel. The metal links must have galvanized surface against the saltwater environment. The links are available in different grades and diameters. The higher the grade the higher the strength of the link. The high strength of links can provide for lower chain weight, but in catenary mooring system there is a small advantage to be gained. The catenary mooring system needs chain weight to create restoring forces. The cost of chain can range from the cost function 1.0 Euro/kN/m to the cost function 0.7 Euro/kN/m based on Proof Loads.

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Common Link

Enlarged Link

End Link

Stud Link Chain

Studless Link Chain

WIRE ROPE

Wire rope is a metal wire used for the mooring line. Wire rope has a relative lower weight than chain, but a higher elasticity for the same breaking load. Wire rope has a relative lower weight than chain, but a higher elasticity for the same breaking load, but the disadvantage of wire rope is that wire rope is more vulnerable to corrosion and soil ingression than chain. The cost of wire rope can range from the cost function 0.09 Euro/kN/m to the cost function 0.02 Euro/kN/m based on Minimum Breaking Load. Wire rope consists of multi-wire strands laid helically around a core. The classification of wire rope consists of the number of strands in the wire rope and the number of wires and the strand configuration (number of strands x number of wires per strand). The wire ropes in common use for offshore mooring lines are spiral strand and six strand.

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The following strand configuration of wire rope are well-known: Filler Wire, main strands have equal diameters and small diameters are added Seale, strands in any layer have equal diameters Warrington, strands of the outer layer have two different diameters Warrington Seale, the inward has two different diameters and outer layer has equal diameter wires

The wire rope properties are determined by the wire rope construction. The wire rope properties can be estimated with an Xchart. The X-chart gives the relationship of abrasion resistance and resistance to bending fatigue and the wire rope classification. The lay of a wire rope is determined by type and direction. The direction is right laid or left laid around the core. The right laid rope is the standard. The type is regular or lang. The regular type is laid as the same direction as the strands.The lang type is laid in the opposite direction of the strands. The advantages of regular type are that the regular type has a better resistance to crushing and rotates less under severe loads. The advantages of lang type are better resistance to abrasive wear and fatigue. Between the lay type and the regular type is no difference in breaking strength or minimum breaking load MBL.

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The strands of wire rope are available with special shaping of strands. The special shaping of the strands changes the rope property of the wire rope. The special shaping of ropes are flattened strand (triangular) wire rope, compacted strand wire rope and swaged (compacted) wire rope. The special shaped rope must be consistent with the application of the wire rope. The wire ropes are made of different materials like stainless steels, carbon steels, brass, bronze, monel and kevlar. The stainless steels are better corrosion resistant than carbon steels. The carbon steels is stronger than stainless steels and has better resistance to abrasive wear. The materials brass, bronze, monel has better corrosion resistance in salt water. The material kevlar is a good solution for very corrosive water. The material kevlar is not a metal. Kevlar has the same breaking strength as stainless steels, but kevlar has a bad abrasion resistance and has a higher elasticity than stainless steels. Besides the strands has a wire rope a core. The core is important for the wire rope properties. There are two core types. The two core types are Fiber Core (FC) and Independent Wire Rope Core (IWRC). The advantage of a Fiber Core is that the Fiber Core damps out vibration and the Fiber Core is more flexible than Independent Wire Rope Core. The advantage of an Independent Wire Rope Core is that the Independent Wire Rope Core has more strength in tension and more resistance to crushing. The disadvantage of an Independent Wire Rope Core is the decreased flexibility. To protect the wire ropes, wire ropes can have coating, filling, sheathing and plating. The wire ropes are protected with the following solutions: Plastic Filling Plastic Coating Galvanized

The advantage of plastic filling is that it prevents abrasion. The disadvantages of plastic filling are that it is not resistant against corrosion and inspection is difficult. Plastic filling is not recommended for offshore mooring lines. An alternative for plastic filling is plastic coating. The disadvantages of plastic coating are that it is not resistant against corrosion and plastic coating wears off and inspection is difficult. Plastic filling is not recommended for offshore mooring lines. The advantages of galvanized wire rope are that it is very good resistant against corrosion and it is cheaper than other solutions. For example, galvanized carbon steel is cheaper than stainless steel. Galvanized wire rope can be manufactured in different ways. Galvanized wire ropes manufactured by hot dip process and by electro-deposition process after weaving have good properties. The galvanized wire rope is zinc coated. The galvanized wire rope manufactured by other ways has less good properties like less strength. Galvanized wire ropes or stainless wire ropes are recommended for offshore mooring lines.

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