Global FPSO Design Adapts to Varying Sea Conditions Through Integrated Analysis

Addressing the challenges of prolonged design cycles and limited adaptability to various maritime regions associated with traditional custom-built Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO), this study proposes a generic structural design solution for FPSO tailored to the major oil-producing regions worldwide. By analyzing the environmental conditions prevalent in key global oil and gas production areas, along with the critical parameters of in-service FPSO, this research identifies the primary size range for large- and medium-sized universal FPSO. Furthermore, it completes the overall layout design compatible with multipoint mooring, inboard-turret single-point mooring, and outboard-turret single-point mooring systems. Additionally, the study introduces a design concept featuring variable cargo hold lengths specifically tailored for the South China Sea. By deriving design values for once-in-a-century environmental loads that encompass most of the world’s extreme sea areas and combining these with typical mooring configurations, three-dimensional finite element models and hydrodynamic models of the cargo hold area, as well as the bow and stern mooring areas, were established. Structural strength and buckling assessments were conducted in accordance with relevant codes. This study focuses on the design and analysis of hull structural reinforcements for various mooring systems. The design and analysis of structural reinforcements for the hull were conducted for various mooring systems. Based on a generic main hull, structural reinforcements were implemented for key structures and critical joints to satisfy the structural strength requirements of different mooring configurations. Both the main hull structure and the mooring reinforcements adhere to regulatory standards. The research findings provide technical feasibility support for the structural design and configuration optimization of generic FPSO.