A Comparison of Different Approximations for Computation of Second Order Roll Motions for a FLNG

The use of FLNG units for gas exploration and production offshore is a subject in study by some oil companies. More complex and sophisticated than a FPSO production plant, a gas production plant has strict motion criteria in order to have an optimal operational performance. Due to this, designers have been trying hull concepts with small initial stability and higher roll motion periods in order to reduce the unit motions and improve the plant performance. Indeed, the increase of roll natural period dramatically reduces the first order roll motions. However, the unit still responds at its resonance due to second order excitation. These kinds of loads are also more complex and require a great computational power to be evaluated. Due to its complexity, which would involve the solution of a non-homogeneous free surface boundary condition, some approximations are used in order to assess the second order loads and motions. In this paper, the different formulations for the first part of QTF, contributed by first order quantities, are revisited and the differences are highlighted. Furthermore the approximations for the computation of the second part of the QTF, contributed by the second order potential, are benchmarked for the case of a FLNG operating in deep water depth.