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Aker Solutions has developed an alternative to the shipshaped floating production and drilling, storage and offloading concept referred to as the Tentech Buoyform (herein after referred to as Buoyform).
Concept description
The concept is a conical-shaped floater with significant damping characteristics. The concept is weight stable, i.e., has its center of gravity below the center of buoyancy. The large deck area allows for drilling and production, and the hull is used for storage of produced oil. The Buoyform can also be used as a wellhead platform for benign areas.
Feasibility
The Buoyform concept has been under development by Maritime Tentech AS, and to-date considerable amount of work is done to investigate the feasibility and viability of the concept for harsh environment areas. This development work includes significant amount of model testing at Marintek Model Basin in Trondheim, Norway.
Benefits
Based on performed engineering studies and model testing performed, the Buoyform is found to offer the following potential benefits compared to alternative concepts:
- Significantly improved motion characteristics compared with other FPUs
- Highly stable platform during all operations and with ability to stay connected and maintain production even in a 100- years storm (e.g. Norwegian sea)
- Large crude oil storage capacity
- Simplified conical hull structure able to be strengthened to resist pack ice as well as icebergs
- Hull design without complex turret and fluid transfer systems
- Enclosed moon pool, allowing for sheltered operations and control of any discharge of hydrocarbons
- Direct offloading to floater moored shuttle tanker
- Disconnection/reconnection of riser and mooring system for iceberg avoidance
- Capability to drill and perform work-over operations from the platform
- Competitive construction cost
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