Experimental study on the vibration mitigation of offshore tension leg platform system with UWTLCD

In this research, a typical tension-leg type of floating platform incorporated with an innovative concept of underwater timed liquid column damper system (UWTLCD) is studied. The purpose of this study is to improve the structural safety by means of mitigating the wave induced vibrations and stresses on the offshore floating Tension Leg Platform (TLP) system. Based on some encouraging results from a previous study, where a Tuned Liquid Column Damper (TLCD) system was employed in a floating platform system to reduce the vibration of the main structure, in this study, the traditional TLCD system was modified and tested. Firstly, the orifice-tube was replaced with a smaller horizontal tube and secondly, the TLCD system was combined into the pontoon system under the platform. The modification creates a multipurpose pontoon system associated with vibration mitigation function. On the other hand, the UWTLCD that is installed underwater instead would not occupy any additional space on the platform and yet provide buoyancy to the system. Experimental tests were performed for the mitigation effect and parameters besides the wave conditions, such as pontoon draught and liquid-length in the TLCD were taken into account in the test. It is found that the accurately tuned UWTLCD system could effectively reduce the dynamic response of the offshore platform system in terms of both the vibration amplitude and tensile forces measured in the mooring tethers.