Evaluation of the Structural Stability of a Heave Compensator for an Offshore Plant and the Optimization of Its Shape

Abstract

Offshore plant designs can be broadly categorized into hull-type designs and topside module-type designs. Compared to the hull-type design, it is much more difficult to design the topside module-type design due to the complexity of its structure, making the design technology of professional engineering companies critical. A heave compensation system is a system that compensates the vertical shock imposed on a drilling ship by waves, and is installed at the top of the topside module. Most researchers have used a mathematical model to investigate the analysis of the heave compensation system. This study will conduct a structural analysis using finite element software called Ansys to design a heave compensator that reduces the weight and secures the structural stability, and will derive the ideal design through an optimization process that utilizes the response-surface method and the Kriging model.