Numerical and Experimental Investigation on Hydrodynamic Characteristics of a 3000m Pipe-Lay Crane Vessel in Various Operation Conditions

This paper presents analysis of results from both model tests and numerical simulations of a 3000m large pipe-lay crane vessel in irregular sea conditions of wave, current and wind. This new-designed vessel was improved on the basis of the HYSY 201 crane-lay vessel of CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Company). All the experiments were performed in the multi-functional deep-water basin of Harbin Engineering University. Numerical models of the vessel were used to carry out simulations in both time domain and frequency domain. Numerical and experimental results were compared with methods of Fast Fourier Transformation technology and spectral analysis. The results of numerical simulations and model tests are in good accordance with each other, which proves the accuracy of numerical models, and reveals the susceptibility of roll motion to environmental condition’s changes in operation. Based on these models, the hydrodynamic performance of 4000t lifting operation and 10% pipeline installation, taking the couple effect of lifting module and pipeline, was predicted and compared with that of HYSY 201. The results show that roll motion of the new-designed vessel improves significantly which means new-designed vessel performs better than HYSY 201 in operation.