A Novel Bi-Modal Wave Analysis Approach to Pipelay Installation Analysis

The single wave or uni-modal wave analysis approach to define the installation seastates, based on a single wave with varying directions, wave heights and periods, is a standard approach among the installation contractors. However, in many of the offshore projects, e.g. offshore Trinidad, and Senegal and Mauritania, bi-modal seatates or waves are a common occurrence, but they are not considered in the installation analysis due to the complexity of the analysis and the computation time required to capture two waves, i.e. wind-sea and swell concurrently from different directions. A novel bi-modal wave analysis approach is developed to assess the risk to pipelay installation operations due to the impact of bi-modal waves on the installation vessel, characterised by two peak frequencies of varying directions, wave heights and periods. The approach requires the use of clustered data, based on hindcast wave data over a period of time which can be provided by the Metocean Specialist. A combination of statistical evaluation of the clustered data and vessel response screening is used to identify critical clustered pairs for further installation analysis, and to complement the established single wave analysis and the associated installation seastates. An example is provided in this paper to illustrate the benefits of bi-modal waves consideration, and to demonstrate the use of this novel approach in order to ensure any potential risk is captured so that the pipelay installation operations can be carried out in a safe offshore environment.