Technical Bulletin 2013

Welcome to this edition of the Technical Bulletin, a unique resource of technical papers delivered by experts from Bureau Veritas during 2013.

The Bulletin is divided into six sections grouping the papers under the headings of Hydrodynamics, Sloshing, Hydro-structure Interactions, Structural Integrity, Design & Verification Methodologies, and Rules & Regulations. Long-term developments in hydrodynamics, hydro-structure interactions and marine operations continue to form a major part of BV’s research due to their crucial importance in the evaluation of design integrity. In addition to these major issues, another important activity which has been strengthened in 2013 is that involving structural resistance/integrity. Indeed, it seems apparent that more attention must be paid to structural resistance issues in order to achieve maximum benefit from the results of hydro-structure interaction tools and methodologies in the context of direct calculation procedures. Sloshing-related activities still form an important part of our research activities. The industry-accepted procedure for sloshing assessment which is in place today still needs significant improvement, and several research projects are ongoing. The main technical difficulties associated with this problem are highlighted in four papers in this Bulletin, which serve to underline Bureau Veritas’ leadership in this field. Bureau Veritas always makes every effort to use the results of its R&D activities in practical applications. This is the main objective of all BV research activities. Significant progress has been made in a number of different areas: improved design wave loading parameters, harmonized structural rules, new class of ship stability criteria, improved rules for ice-class ships, new class notation for ship energy efficiency index in operation, advances in underwater noise prediction and measurement, new procedures for alternative design with respect to fire propagation, and many others.

Mention must be made of the high level of international co-operation which is a key element in the success of BV’s Research & Development activities. It is a vital part of the job of classification societies to transfer fundamental research into practical application. In order to achieve this, co-operation with leading worldwide universities and research institutes is essential. Thanks to the well-established Bureau Veritas global network, numerous international co-operation projects are ongoing with recognized partners worldwide, including France, Europe, Asia, Brazil, and the United States.

The results of these activities are used directly to ensure that BV’s tools and procedures embrace the very best and very latest technology. Moreover, several local R&D research units have been established worldwide (including France, Europe, China, Singapore, Korea, Brazil, and the US) in order to improve access to cutting-edge research and innovative technology.

Bureau Veritas’ research activities were recognized on two occasions by the international scientific community in 2013. A team from BV’s Research Department won the prestigious 2013 CEMT Award, presented by the Confederation of European Maritime Technology Societies, in recognition of its research in the field of hydrodynamics and structure. And the ground-breaking research in second-order rolling of FLNGs, performed by BV’s Brazilian R&D team in co-operation with Petrobras, was awarded the OMAE 2013 Best Paper of Offshore Technology Symposium.

Xiao-Bo Chen, Quentin Derbanne, Sime Malenica and Louis Diebold won the 2013 CEMT award.

The latter award was made by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) at the ASME 2014 International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering held in San Francisco. It was presented to Flavia C. Rezende, Manager, Bureau Veritas Technology Centre, Rio de Janeiro, Allan C. de Oliveira, Petrobras R&D Centre, Xiao-bo Chen, Director, Bureau Veritas Deepwater Research and Technology Centre, Singapore, and Fabio Menezes, Petrobras R&D Centre, Rio de Janeiro.

The paper, entitled “A Comparison of Different Approximations for Computation of Second Order Roll Motions for a FLNG”, details extensive research into the roll motions of FPSOs or FLNGs with long natural periods, above the periods of the waves, which is a non-linear response not yet fully understood. The basic research in the paper has led to the establishment of a Joint Industry Project involving nineteen companies, including most of the energy majors, and managed by Bureau Veritas, to develop harmonized guidelines for the estimation of roll motions of FPSOs, which will deliver its results next year.

Flavia Rezende and Professor Carlos Guedes Soares receive the OMAE Award.
Quentin Derbanne (Research Director)
 

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