This is the first in a series of posts highlighting Quoceant's engineering expertise within the offshore wind sector. Here our co-founder, Jon Benzie, shines a spotlight on the analysis of accidental vessel impact.
The behaviour of offshore structures during accidental events must be examined and assessed during their design phase, including the risks to both the installation and personnel safety. Events outside the normal operating conditions can be some of the most challenging to model and understand.
For example, using the advanced non-linear dynamic capabilities of Abaqus finite element software, events such as the impact of a Service Operations Vessel (SOV) on a jacket structure can be analysed to understand the outcomes for both the structure and the drifting vessel.
Sufficient strength should be maintained in the jacket so as to not collapse onto the SOV during or post- collision, but it should remain ‘friendly’ to the SOV so as to not do sufficient damage to sink the vessel or result in loss of contaminants etc.
For the example shown, Quoceant used Abaqus Explicit to simulate a 5000T vessel mid-ships impact at 2m/s to a jacket structure (in accordance with German guideline ‘Standard Design’, BSH) . Permanent damage is clearly observed in both the jacket leg and SOV hull, however the jacket does not collapse and the hull does not tear.
Quoceant has built a robust portfolio of expertise in the Abaqus software suite. Leveraging its extensive non-linear capabilities, Quoceant excels in simulating contact interactions, material behaviour, and dynamic events. This expertise enables Quoceant to support client projects and provide valuable insights for informed engineering decisions.
Jon Benzie is a co-founder of Quoceant and a chartered mechanical engineer with over 20 years of experience in the offshore renewable energy sector. His expertise lies in finite element analysis of marine structures, where he has innovatively applied analysis techniques to address nonlinear and fatigue-driven challenges. Throughout his career, Jon has been involved in design, manufacture, installation, and operational phases of varied projects.
Get in touch to discuss our services: info@quoceant.com or to meet us at Floating Offshore Wind 2024.
