Hydrodynamic and Mooring Analysis of a Floating Offshore Data Center Platform

Abstract

The aim of this work is to perform the analysis of the hydrodynamics and seakeeping of an offshore floating data center with and without mooring lines, with the objective of determining the effects of placing this system in the sea and whether the system will withstand normal and extreme sea conditions or not. For this, it was needed to define the methodology of analysis, which consisted in selecting the adequate mathematical models, numerical methods, numerical tools and simulation set up, for correctly defining the parameters of the model and simulations. Having performed the numerical simulations, it was found that the selection of the location to place the system is of great importance, as the data center did not meet the requirements for a rough sea state. A carefully analysed location with less severe sea states was selected and the system performed successfully. The RAO proved to be an important tool for analysing the critical motions and response of the system, which allowed to better understand the behavior of the wave-structure interaction in this case. It was also found that the right selection of the mooring system plays an important role in assuring the hydrodynamic stability and integrity of the whole system. This study highlights the importance of assessing the hydrodynamics and wave-structure interaction study of an offshore system.