Abstract
A New concept for the LNG-FPSO ship, with moonpool and bilge step in bottom, is proposed. This concept is investigated with regard to motion reduction and sloshing phenomena of the cargo and operation tanks. The principal dimensions of the ship are $L\timesb B\times D\times t(design)=270.0\times51.0\times32.32\times13.7(m)$, with a total cargo capacity of 161KT; a 98% loading condition is considered for this study. The moonpools and rectangular step at the bilge have been designed for the purpose of decreasing the motion within the tank. For the motion analysis, linearized three-dimensional diffraction theory, with the simplified boundary condition was used. The six-degree of freedom coupled motion responses were calculated for the LNG-FPSO ship. Viscous effects on the roll motion responses of a vessel were taken into account in this calculation program, using an empirical formula suggested by Himeno(1981). The case study for the moonpool size has been conducted using theoretical estimation and the experimental method. For the optimization of the moonpool size and effect of the bilge step, 9 cases of its size, both with and without bilge step, were involved in the study. no motion responses, especially roll motion, for the designed LNG-FPSO ships are much lower than those of other drill ships and shuttle tankers. The limit criterions are satisfied. To check the cargo tank and operation tank sizes, we performed a sloshing analysis in the irregular waves which focuses on the pressure distribution on the tank wall and the time history of pressure and free surface for No.2 and 5 tanks of LNG-FPSO with chamfers. Finally, optimum tank sire was estimated.