TAMU Pemex

Offshore Drilling

Lesson 2
Station Keeping

1
Lesson 2 - Station Keeping

 Environmental Forces
 Mooring
 Anchors
 Mooring Lines
 Dynamic Positioning

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 Station Keeping

The ability of a vessel to maintain

position for drilling determines the useful
time that a vessel can effectively
operate.

Stated negatively, if the vessel cannot

stay close enough over the well to drill,
what good is the drilling equipment?

3
 Station Keeping - cont’d

Station keeping equipment influences the

vessel motions in the horizontal plane.
These motions are: surge, sway, and
yaw. Generally, surge and sway are the
motions that are considered.

Yaw motion is decreased by the mooring

system and is neglected in most mooring
calculations.
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 Station Keeping

When investigating or designing a

mooring system, the following
criteria should be considered:

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 Operational Stage

1. The vessel is close enough over the

well for drilling operations to be carried
out. This varies between operators, but
is usually 5% or 6% of water depth.

Later, other criteria, based on riser

considerations, will be discussed.

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Non-operational but Connected

2. The condition from the operational

stage up to 10% of water depth:

Drilling operations have been stopped,

but the riser is still connected to the
wellhead and BOPs.

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 Disconnected

3. The riser is disconnected from the

wellhead and the BOPs, and the
vessel can be headed into the seas:

Displacement > 10% of water depth

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 Station Keeping - cont’d

Example

Water Depth
= 1,000 ft

Drilling: 50-60 ft 1,000’

Connected:
100 ft max
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 Environmental Forces Acting
on the Drilling Vessel

(i) Wind Force

(ii) Current Force

(iii) Wave Force

These forces tend to displace the vessel

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The Station Keeping System

Must be designed to withstand the

environmental forces

Two types:
 Mooring System (anchors)
 Dynamic Positioning
(thrusters)
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 (i) Wind Force

The following equation is specified by

the American Bureau Shipping (ABS)
and is internationally accepted:

2
FA = 0.00338 VA Ch C s A

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 Wind Force
Where: 2
FA = 0.00338 VA Ch C s A

FA = wind force, lb
VA = wind velocity, knots
C S = shape coefficien t from Table 3 - 1,
dimensionl ess
C h = height coefficien t from Table 3 - 2,
dimensionl ess
A = projected area of all exposed
2
surfaces, ft . This area changes
w ith both heel and yaw.
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Table 3-1. Shape Coefficients

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Table 3-2. Height Coefficients

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 (i) Wind Force - example

2
FA = 0.00338 VA Ch C s A

VA = 50 (wind velocity, knots) ?

Ch = 1 (height coefficient)
Cs = 1 (shape coefficient)
A = 50 * 400 (projected target area, ft2)
Then FA = 0.00338 * 502 * 1 * 1 * 50 * 400
FA = 169,000 lbf = 169 kips
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 (i) Wind Force - example

2
FA = 0.00338 VA Ch C s A

VA = 50 (wind velocity, knots)

1 knot = 1 nautical mile/hr

= 1.15078 statute mile/hr

1 nautical mile = 1/60 degree = 1 minute

= 6,076 ft
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 (ii) Current Force

2
Fc = g c C s Vc A
Where: Fc = current drag force, lb
C s = drag coefficient, dimensionless.
Same as the wind coefficient
(Table 3 - 1)
Vc = current velocity, ft/sec
2
A = projected area, ft
 lbft 2 
lbf * sec 
gc = 1 
 ft 4 
 
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 (ii) Current Force - example

2
Fc = g c C s Vc A

Vc = 2 (current velocity, ft/sec)

Cs = 1 (shape coefficient)
A = 30 * 400 (projected target area, ft2)
Fc = 1 * 1 * 22 * 30 * 400
Fc = 48,000 lbf = 48 kips
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(iii) Wave Forces - (a) Bow Forces:

for T > 0.332 L

2 2
0.273 H B L
Fbow = 4
T
T = wave period, sec
L = vessel length, ft
B = vessel width, ft
H = significant wave height, ft
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 Bow Forces - cont’d

for T < 0.332 L

2 2
0.273 H B L
Fbow =
(0.664 L − T) 4

NOTE: Model test data should be used

when available
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(iii) Wave Forces - (b) Beam Forces

for T > 0.642 B + 2D

2 2
2.10 H B L
Fbeam = 4
T
Where D = vessel draft, ft

NOTE: API now has Recommended

Practices with modified equations
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 Beam Forces - cont’d

for T < 0.642 B + 2D

2.10 H 2 B 2 L
Fbeam = 4
(1.28 B + 2D − T )

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Floating Drilling:
The MooringEquipment
Line and
Its Use
T

Figure 3-1. The catenary as used for mooring

calculations.
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The Mooring Lines Resist the
Environmental Forces

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 The Shape of the Mooring Line:
H  xw 
y= cosh   cosh z = (ez + e-z )/2
w  H 

The equations used for mooring calculations for

one single weight line are:

H = T − wd = Tcos θ
T θ = cos −1 (H / T)
θ V 2 2
V = T − H = H tan θ
H
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 More equations used for
mooring calculations:

V H
s= = tan θ
w w
H T +V  H
x = ln   = ln (sec θ + tan θ)
w  H  w
L = x + A −s

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 Where:
T = tension of the line, lb
θ = angle of the line with respect to
the horizontal degrees
H = horizontal restoring force, lb. H is
constant over the length of the
suspended line for any given valu e of T.
w = line weight per unit length, lb/ft
s = suspended line length, ft
d = water depth (should include height of
outboard fairleader above water line). ft

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 and:
y = ordinate = d + H / w , ft
x = horizontal distance from the vessel
to the point wher e the line touches
the seabed, ft
H/w = a translati onal boundary condition
used to account for the force H, ft
L = horizontal distance from the vessel
to the anchor, ft
A = total mooring line length, ft

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 Station Keeping
Table 3-4. Example of Single Line
Restoring Forces

Try to duplicate
this Table
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T θ H

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Single Line Restoring Force, kips Too Hard

Looks OK

Too Soft

Offset - Percent of Water Depth

Figure 3-2. The effect of changing line weight--

single-line calculations.
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 Effect of Initial Tension
Single Line Restoring Force, kips
Water Depth - 500 ft Chain
- 2 in., 42.6 lb/ft
Initial
Tension
( KIPS )

Offset - Percent of Water Depth

Figure 3-3. The effect of changing initial tension

only--single-line calculations.
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 Effect of Water Depth
Single Line Restoring Force, kips
Initial Tension - 30 KIPS

Wire Rope
3 in. 18.6
lb/ft
Water
Depth , ft

Offset - Percent of Water Depth

Figure 3-4. The effect of changing water depth only;

single-line calculations.
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 Station Keeping

1. In shallow water up to about 500

feet, a heavy line is needed,
particularly in rough weather areas.
2. Chain can be used (but may not be
advisable) to water depths of about
1,200 feet.
3. Composite lines may be used to
~ 5,000 feet.
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 Station Keeping - cont’d

4. Beyond about 5,000 feet, use

dynamic positioning

5. Calm water tension should be

determined to hold the vessel
within the operating offset under
the maximum environmental
conditions specified for operation.

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 Station Keeping - cont’d

6. Once the riser is disconnected, the

vessel heading may be changed to
decrease the environmental forces
on the vessel.

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 Station Keeping

Typical Mooring Patterns for Non-

Rectangular Semis
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 Typical Mooring Patterns for Ship-
Like Vessels and Rectangular Semis
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Typical 8-line Mooring Pattern

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Table 3-5. Effects of Mooring Line Patterns

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 stock
crown
shank

Crown
pad eye

Anchor shackle

fluke

Figure 3-8. Drag anchor nomenclature.

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 Mooring Program

This author has developed a mooring

program for use on a portable calculator
(HP-97). The advantage of this program is
that it can be carried with the calculator and
used in remote locations, even on the rig.

There are other programs available. All

programs should have the following
capabilities:
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Mooring Program should...

1. Be able to calculate the total

restoring force and tension in the
most loaded line vs. offset.

2. Be able to handle a minimum of

ten mooring lines.

3. Be able to handle composite line

data for wire rope and chain.
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 Mooring Program should...

4. Have iteration limits such that the worst

error for calculating forces in a line
will be less than 0.1% of the smallest
value anticipated.

5. Include stretch in both the wire rope

and the chain. Errors of over 30% have
been encountered when chain stretch
was not included.
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 Setting Anchor with Workboat
Pendant

Anchor before touching bottom

Drilling vessel winching-in cable

Fluke
Mooring Line

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Fluke Tip Touching
Bottom
Mud Pressure Holds
Fluke Open

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 Anchor Set and Pendant
Digging In Slacked

(What is Piggyback?)

Figure 3-12. The sequence of setting

an anchor with a workboat.
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Strand Construction for Mooring Lines

6 strands, 19 wires per strand

( IWRC - Independent Wire Rope Core )
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Table 3-7. Wire Rope Specifications
6 x 37 Bright

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 Wire Rope Specifications
6 x 37 Bright

Diameter Weight Strength

in lbs/ft tons

1 1.85 49.1
2 7.39 190
3 16.6 414
3.5 22.7 555

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 Fatigue Life of 3/4” Wire Rope

Load = 30% of breaking strength: Life = ~105 cycles

Load = 20% of breaking strength: Life > 4*106 cycles
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 Figure 3-15.
Chain Nomenaclature.

Stud Link Chain Pitch Wire

Dia.

Stud keeps chain from collapsing

3” chain has breaking strength > 1,000 kips!
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 Chain Quality Inspection

Chain quality needs to be inspected

periodically, to avoid failure:

(i) Links with cracks should be cut out

(ii) In chains with removable studs, worn
or deformed studs should be
replaced
(iii) Check for excessive wear or
corrosion
54
 Table 3-10. Table for Renewing
Stud-Link Chain

For 3” chain, renewal dia. = 2 11/16”

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 Figure 3-18. Typical wire rope
connection to chain.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link

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 Outboard
Wire Line Fairlead
Tensiometers

Mooring
Winches

Wire Rope location for barge

Read tension while moving slowly
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 Station Keeping

Figure 3-20. Drum

Capacity and
minimum drum-to-
sheave spacing
Rd > 200 dwire

o
θ = 1.5 (smooth)
Rd θ = 2.0 o

(grooved) 58
 Figure 3-21. Deck machinery
arrangements for ship-like vessels.

Chain
Dual
Stopper
Wildcat

Chain mooring requires a wildcat & chain stopper.

Tension is usually measured with a load cell.
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Figure 3-22. Typical chain wildcat and
fairlead locations on a semi.

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 Dynamic Positioning

Dynamic positioning uses thrusters

instead of mooring lines
to keep the vessel above the wellhead.

Glomar Challenger used dynamic

positioning as early as 1968.

The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP)

uses dynamic positioning.
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Advantages of Dynamic Positioning

(i) Mobility - no anchors to set or retrieve

- Easy to point vessel into weather
- Easy to move out of way of icebergs

(ii) Can be used in water depths beyond

where conventional mooring is
practical

(iii) Does not need anchor boats

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Disadvantages of Dynamic Positioning

(i) High fuel cost

(ii) High capital cost (?)

(iii) Requires an accurate positioning

system to keep the vessel above the
wellhead.

Usually an acoustic system - triangulation

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 Simple position-referencing system
H1
H2

H3

WH1 = WH2 WH1 = WH3

= WH3 WH2 > WH1 , WH3

W
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Acoustic Position Referencing

To understand the operating principles

of acoustic position referencing, assume
that:
1. The vessel is an equilateral
triangle.
2. The kelly bushing (KB) is in
the geometric center of the
vessel.
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Acoustic Position Referencing

3. The hydrophones are located

at the points of the triangular
vessel.
4. The subsea beacon is in the
center of the well.
5. No pitch, no roll, no yaw and
no heave are permitted.
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Diagram of controller operations.

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