ROUTAGE AND MONITORING DURING PLATFORM TOWING AND PROVISION OF REAL SEA STATES MEASURED BY THE SAR IN WAVE MODE FOR A CORRELATION WITH MEASUREMENTS OF BARGE MOVEMENTS : THE N'KOSSA PROJECT CASE STUDY

Demonstration Case Study (Ref: 342137)

I Name:

ROUTAGE AND MONITORING DURING PLATFORM TOWING AND PROVISION OF REAL SEA STATES MEASURED BY THE SAR IN WAVE MODE FOR A CORRELATION WITH MEASUREMENTS OF BARGE MOVEMENTS : THE N'KOSSA PROJECT CASE STUDY

II Keywords:

Primary Keywords: Forecast, Transport, Oil

Secondary Keywords: Structure design, Sea-state, Waves, Datawell, Wind

III Summary:

Marine operators, like ELF and Mc DERMOTT-ETPM, need to minimize the risks of exceeding the transport design criteria when transporting large structures and platforms towards production sites.
Elaborated by MétéoMer, this procedure make use of technologies which have been developed within a CLAROM project and a SAAD project. It use satellite wind and sea-state data and lead to a permanent control of the meteo analyses and exactness of the model calculations on a large scale area.
Furthermore, tow movements measurements are implemented in order to make 'a posteriori' analyses and control of the calculation codes for movement prediction.

IV Description:

1 Customer Need:

When transporting large structures and platforms towards production sites across meteorological perturbed areas, risks of exceeding the transport design criteria must be minimized. Due to the slow progress of the towing, 5 to 8 days forecasts are unsufficient to guarantee good conditions during the whole route which can long 40 days or more.
For the optimization of the towing, the operations manager requests that meteorological events be anticipated, optimized routes proposed when approaching highly perturbed zones and the prevailing sea states supplied.

2 Method:

The entire technology described in the case study for platform installation, with a systematic calibration of swell calculations through satellite data is also applied here, except that the forecasting area is larger since it is a route instead of a specific site and that local swell and current measurement equipments cannot be implemented.

Here, special emphasis will be put on SAR in wave mode whose data is compared with results from our ISFS model. Moreover, the platform is equipped with instruments for continuous data measurements of pitch, roll, yaw, heave, sway, surge and the corresponding accelerations, transmitted to the tug through a direct telemetry link.
The archived data enable 'a posteriori' analyses and control of the calculation codes for movement prediction.
This technology is undertaken in MétéoMer by two marine meteorologists while the system for measuring tow movements is installed with a link on the tug, finally supplying us with the necessary information. Satellite information is also available at MétéoMer by direct link with ESRIN-Frascati for reception of LBR measurements in a 2-4 hours delay. Data are processed on a Sun station as well as meteo analyses and ISFS final calculations.
Moreover, Meteosat pictures are also permanently received.
Final synthesis are continuously available and meteo reports are sent every 12 hours.

3 Result:

Service consists in providing the predicted sea states that the operations manager can analyse and use in two modes:

Such choices are subject to highly accurate predicted parameters, calibrated with satellite measurements.


 Satellite measurements along the NKP route

Satellite measurements along the NKP route

This operation has been achieved using a set of method incuding :

These different comparisons enable to check the accuracy of meteorological analyses and correctness of our calculations and offer an a priori guarantee of the forecasts on a 24 hours period and more.


 Datawell device for the measurement of structure movements

Datawell device for the measurement of structure movements

This picture shows the equipement used for the monitoring and storage of the behavior of the transportation barge in waves and wind.
Information is supplied in real time to contol the transportation and stored to allow the fatigue parameters analysis recorded during transportation.
Systems lies in a self powered movement sensor coupled to a radio link for data transmittal on the tow. On board, data is received, processed, stored and display on a PC screen according to the customers' specifications.

4 Deliverables:

For such a study, MeteoMer supply :

5 Customer opinion:

With this assistance, ELF and McDERMOTT-ETPM benefited from metocean reliable information in operational conditions.
In case of structure transport, such procedures offer an increased guarantee on the metocean conditions and allow the coordination of companies actions, for the oprimisation of the towing.

6 Cost / Benefit:

Cost for this service is around 450 ecu per day, including data cost. (Cost for a tow ranges from 45 to 77 Kecu per day).

V References:

  1. Customer References

    Customer1 Customer2
    Name: Mr. Perinet Mr. Pelleau
    Mr.Lhopitallier
    Company: Mc Dermott-ETPM ELF Congo
    Address: 32 Av. Pablo Picasso
    92754 Nanterre cedex France
    Tour ELF La Defense
    92078 Paris cedex 45 France
  2. Provider References

    Name: Mr Lasnier
    Company: MeteoMer
    Address: Quartier les Barestes - RN7 - 83480 Puget sur Argens - France
    Tel: +33 (0)4 94 45 66 11
    Fax: +33 (0)4 94 45 68 23
    E-mail: 4meteomer@meteomer.fr
    Web: www.meteomer.fr www.meteomer.com  
  3. Scientific References

    Name: Mr Lasnier
    Company: MeteoMer
    Address: Quartier les Barestes - RN7 - 83480 Puget sur Argens - France
    Tel: +33 (0)4 94 45 66 11
    Fax: +33 (0)4 94 45 68 23
    E-mail: 4meteomer@meteomer.fr
     Web: www.meteomer.fr www.meteomer.com