Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Mooring System Engineering for Offshore Structures

2019; ASM International; Volume: 141; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1115/1.4043952

1528-896X

Robert B. Gordon,

Offshore Engineering and Technologies

The use of moorings to support offshore oil and gas floating operations dates back to mid-1950s when the Western Explorer drillship spudded a well in the Santa Barbara Channel off the California coast. Since then, offshore mooring technology has continuously developed, such that oil and gas production from a moored floater can now be performed at a water depth of 2900 m (Shell Stones FPSO in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico).Up until now, offshore mooring engineers have not had a comprehensive reference covering the entirety of their field in a single volume. That situation has changed with the introduction of Mooring System Engineering for Offshore Structures, which brings together important information for the mooring engineer that was previously scattered throughout the literature. This book is unique in the field in terms of its scope, organization, clarity, and design and operating guidance. As someone who has spent close to 30 years working on moorings, I believe that this book should be on the bookshelf of every offshore mooring engineer.The topics presented range from system design, analysis, and model testing to component selection, installation, and integrity management. The book consists of 15 chapters (the readers are referred to Table of Contents and the publisher’s description1) that together give a very comprehensive coverage of the field. The writing is excellent, and the authors provide a good balance between clarity and detailed knowledge.I found the development of each topic to be clear and concise yet thorough enough to give the reader an understanding of the material with sufficient depth to be productive and to seek additional details. By way of example, the chapter on mooring analysis provides rigorous definitions of the underlying concepts governing environmental loads, vessel motions, dynamic mooring responses, and coupled analysis. A description of the leading commercial analysis software is also provided.There are many sketches and photographs of high quality, which allow the reader to see and understand the various types of mooring systems and component concepts described in the text. Each chapter includes a list of references and questions allowing readers to check their comprehension.The book is suitable for offshore engineers just entering the field as well as for experienced mooring engineers desiring a comprehensive single volume reference. The book covers topics that offshore mooring engineers need to understand regarding the various types of mooring systems, their design, analysis, and operations. With a large number of seasoned engineers retiring, this book provides a good means to transfer institutional knowledge to the new generation of mooring engineers.All four of the authors have solid credentials in the field. Their combined work experience brings together knowledge from operators (ExxonMobil and Chevron), class societies (ABS), consultants/designers (COTEC, Kwan Engineering Services, and Genesis Engineering), EPCI contractors (ABB, Aker Solutions, and SBM Offshore), and industry standards organizations (API and ISO). Two of the authors have previously chaired or are currently chairing the committees responsible for issue of the two main offshore mooring standards (API RP-2SK and ISO 19901-7).As the authors point out in Chapter 14, integrity management, single line and system failure for offshore moorings as a whole has occurred more frequently than allowed for in the recommended practices and standards. Awareness of this situation has especially been raised over the past two decades. This awareness is due to a number of factors resulting in mooring failures including installations in areas of extreme storm conditions (e.g., North Sea), persistent swells (e.g., West Africa), and highly corrosive environments (e.g., West Africa and South East Asia). This knowledge has resulted in many efforts to understand the various failure mechanisms and provide guidance on how to improve mooring performance (e.g., development of API RP-MIM). The authors provide an excellent summary of the current status of mooring integrity management. In particular, the lead author has played a leading role in industry’s understanding of these problems and their resolution.In the final chapter of the book, the authors give good coverage to the new and rapidly growing field of moorings for the Floating Offshore Wind Turbine industry. The information should allow practicing mooring engineers to become acquainted with the mooring requirements of this new industry.I believe that there is a potential for this book to be used as a textbook in an undergraduate or a graduate level course on offshore moorings. (Such a course is taught at Texas A&M.) This certainly would be a good text for such a course. The only suggestion I would make for a subsequent edition is to include a comprehensive example of mooring design.With clear writing, coupled with outstanding illustrations and tables, the book is a pleasure to read. It will be valuable as a text for the student and a reference for the practitioner. The authors are to be congratulated for having brought so much of the knowledge of moorings into this one book, which will be of benefit not only for the oil and gas industry but also for the growing offshore wind industry.