ASOP — New generation ocean platforms

The concept of articulation is applied to a new design of an offshore platform that was developed through numerical modeling and validated with model basin tests. The new design is ideal for use in marginal fields, or where pipelines are not fully developed and storage capability is required. Five configurations of upright floats were tested. The main objective was to study the effect of changing the size and number of floats on the global performance of the platform. Model basin test results showed that the original configuration is optimal, and has superior motion characteristics compared to existing concepts such as semi-submersibles and Spars.