Work

Design and comparative assessment of the mooring system for the deepwater artificial seabed in internal solitary waves

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The Deepwater Artificial Seabed (DAS), a novel submerged floating structure for offshore oil production, mitigates the direct impact of harsh sea surface conditions but faces severe challenges from large-amplitude internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the South China Sea. The mooring system may either fail to constrain platform displacement due to insufficient tension or suffer structural damage from impact loads induced by excessive stiffness. This study seeks to determine the optimal mooring configuration for the DAS in ISWs. Three patterns are proposed, including a pure taut mooring and two hybrid systems with buoys or clump weights. A nonlinear coupled dynamic analysis method, experimentally validated is developed to investigate the dynamic response of the DAS under different mooring configurations. To quantify the influence of ISW amplitudes on system performance, a sensitivity analysis is conducted. Results demonstrate that the vertically arranged pure taut mooring system exhibits comprehensive advantages over the tested hybrid configurations, characterized by minimal heave motion fluctuations, stable restoring forces, and a simple structural layout. This framework offers a practical reference for mooring design and performance evaluation of submerged floating structures in ISWs.

Source: Ocean Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2026.128367

Authors: Xingwei Zhen, Yuting Cheng, Qiuyang Duan

Institutions: Dalian University of Technology, Naval University of Engineering

Language: English

Topic: Offshore Engineering and Technologies

Subfield: Ocean Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,150