Turret Mooring Design Based on Analytical Expressions of Catastrophes of Slow-Motion Dynamics

Abstract

Analytical expressions of the bifurcation boundaries exhibited by turret mooring systems (TMS), and expressions that define the morphogeneses occurring across boundaries are developed. These expressions provide the necessary means for evaluating the stability of a TMS around an equilibrium position, and constructing catastrophe sets in two or three-dimensional parametric design spaces. Sensitivity analyses of the bifurcation boundaries define the effect of any parameter or group of parameters on the dynamical behavior of the system. These expressions allow the designer to select appropriate values for TMS design parameters without resorting to trial and error. A four-line TMS is used to demonstrate this design methodology. The mathematical model consists of the nonlinear, fifth-order, low-speed, large-drift maneuvering equations. Mooring lines are modeled with submerged catenaries, and include nonlinear drag. External excitation consists of time-independent current, wind, and mean wave drift.