[wavesurfer]

Technical Seminar
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Meeting Room 100
Fugro Inc
6100 Hillcroft
Houston, TX 77081

New Semisubmersible Design with Damper
Chamber Columns – A Cost Effective Solution
for Dry and Wet Tree Applications

Abstract:
In this seminar, a new conceptual semisubmersible platform design is presented. This design is developed to provide a cost effective solution that can be used in deepwater dry or wet tree applications. The new semisubmersible design resembles the conventional design with a ring pontoon. However, in the new design, the columns have been configured with free flooding inner damper chambers; hence the name Damper Chamber Column Semi (DCC Semi). At quayside and during wet tow, the column configurations provide large water plane area for stability purposes, while for the in service conditions the inner chambers are flooded and the trapped water provides considerable amount of “free” added mass that significantly reduces the semisubmersible motion response. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the
advantages of using the DCC Semi over the conventional semi designs when used in wet tree application. Results also are presented for the DCC Semi motion response when used in ultra-deep water Gulf of Mexico dry tree applications.