04-Jan-16

Loads on Offshore Structures

Earthquake Engineering Research Centre

International Institute of Information Technology
IIIT Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad - 500032

Type of loads:

Gravity loads
Accidental loads

- Dead loads - Fire loads
- Live loads - Blast loads
- Fluid loads
Seismic loads

Environmental loads
Vessel deflection
- Wind loads induced loads

- Wave loads
- Current loads

Inertia loads

Fatigue loads
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Gravity loads:

Dead loads include all fixed items in the structures. It

includes all primary steel structural members.

Facility loads:
- Mechanical equipment
- Electrical equipment
- Instrumentation items

Live loads
- Storage 20 kN/m2
- Walkway 5 kN/m2
- Access platform 5 kN/m2
- Galley 10 kN/m2 3

Environmental loads:

Wind loads

Wave loads

Current loads
Spectrum

Wind spectrum

Seismic loads Wave spectrum

Complex Fixed
structures structures

Frequency

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Wind loads:

Response

Response
Due to turbulence Due to turbulence
gust gust

Due to mean wind Due to mean wind

Time Time

(a) Short period structures (b) Long period structures

Load transfer mechanism:

Gravity loads

Wind
loads

Environmental loads
(Wave and current)

Soft soil layer

Hard soil layer

Pile reaction

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Wind averaging period:

Structure Wind speed Load Dynamic

Smaller elements in Static or
3 s gust
structure dynamic
Structures smaller than 50 m 5 s gust Dynamic
Structures larger than 50 m Total static
15 s gust
load
1 minute Dynamically
Large super structure (deck)
sustained sensitive
Substructure (jacket) 1 hour Total static Dynamically
sustained load insensitive

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Calculation of Wind Force:

For strong wind conditions the design wind speed U(z,t) at
height z above sea level and corresponding to an averaging
time period t(s); where t<to, to=3600 s.
t
U( z, t ) = U (z ) 1 0.41 x I u (z ) x ln ft/s

to
Where the 1 hour mean wind speed U(z) at level is given by,
z
; C = 5.73 x 10 (1 + 0.0457 x U o )
-2
U( z) = U o 1 + C x ln
32.8
The turbulence intensity Iu(z) at level z is given by,
0.22
z
I u (z ) = (0.061 + 0.0131U o )
32.8

Where Uo (ft/s) is 1 hr mean wind speed at 32.8 ft. 9

Calculation of Wind Force:

Wind drag force on an object should be, Empirical relations based
on regression analysis

F = 0.5 [U (z, t )]2 C s A

Where,
F=wind force
=mass density of air (slug/ft3, 0.0023668 slug/ft3)
U=wind speed (ft/s)
Cs=shape co.efficient
A=Area of object (ft2)
Source: API RP 2A , Clause 2.3.2
Averaging time period plays a major
role in design wind load.
-1 hr average Practice in U.S.A
-30, 10, 1 min average
-15, 5, 3 s gust
Practice in INDIA

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