Applied Condition Monitoring and Digitalization of Turret Mooring Systems

Abstract

Abstract Turret Mooring Systems have a long and successful track record within the floating production industry. Turrets, and other weathervaning mooring systems, provide station-keeping capabilities to a floating facility, and allow for the safe transfer of fluids, utilities, and power, all across a rotational interface. Because the core enabling equipment is unique, industry guidance towards effective Condition Monitoring and Integrity Management of these systems is still largely absent, in comparison to more common aspects of the floating facility, such as the hull, or the riser and anchor leg mooring systems. Based on the authors’ experiences with engineering, supplying, and supporting operations of these systems, this paper aims to provide practical insight in how these systems and their unique components operate, and how their condition and performance can be assessed through inspection, instrumentation, and analysis. Digitalization of inspection methodologies, advances in instrumentation, and the development of advanced analytics is discussed as enabling technologies to provide additional insight into the condition of components which would normally be difficult to assess by traditional methods.