Improving engineering efficiency and accuracy for TLP analyses

Tension Leg Platform (TLP) is a common deepwater configuration in offshore oil and gas exploration. Because of the uniqueness and complexity of the positioning system (tendons), its motion performance and tendon design have attracted broad attention in recent years. In addition, compared to a semi-submersible platform, critical pry/squeeze loads may be introduced under certain wave conditions due to the symmetric arrangement of hull.

The diversity of the challenges during the TLP design may lead to a situation where designers must use several teams to solve different aspects with different software tools. This can raise question marks to the interfaces and consistency between different systems, as well as additional training and manning costs.

This whitepaper provides a comprehensive approach of TLP analysis using Sesam, covering structure modelling, hydrodynamics, fatigue and tendon analysis.