The avoidance of “slack” tethers is one of the factors which may establish the required tether pretension in a tension leg platform (TLP) design. Selection of an appropriate safety factor on loss of tension depends on how severe the consequences may be. It is sometimes argued that if tethers go slack, the result may be excessive platform pitch or roll motions, tether buckling, or “snap” or “snatch” loading of the tether. The results reported here show that a four-legged TLP would not be susceptible to larger angular motions until two adjacent legs lose tension simultaneously. Even then, this analysis shows that a brief period of tether tension loss (during the passage of a large wave trough) does not lead to excessive platform motion. Similarly, momentary tension loss does not cause large bending stress in the tether or significant tension amplification as the tether undergoes retensioning. This paper presents TLP platform and tether response analysis results for a representative deepwater Gulf of Mexico TLP with large-diameter, self-buoyant tethers. The time-domain, dynamic computer analysis included nonlinear effects and platform/tether coupling.
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February 1988
Research Papers
Analysis of Brief Tension Loss in TLP Tethers
J. N. Brekke,
J. N. Brekke
Exxon Production Research Company, Houston, Tex. 77001
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T. N. Gardner
T. N. Gardner
Exxon Production Research Company, Houston, Tex. 77001
Search for other works by this author on:
J. N. Brekke
Exxon Production Research Company, Houston, Tex. 77001
T. N. Gardner
Exxon Production Research Company, Houston, Tex. 77001
J. Offshore Mech. Arct. Eng. Feb 1988, 110(1): 43-47 (5 pages)
Published Online: February 1, 1988
Article history
Received:
April 4, 1985
Revised:
August 6, 1987
Online:
October 30, 2009
Citation
Brekke, J. N., and Gardner, T. N. (February 1, 1988). "Analysis of Brief Tension Loss in TLP Tethers." ASME. J. Offshore Mech. Arct. Eng. February 1988; 110(1): 43–47. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3257122
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