Monocolumn behavior in waves: Experimental analysis

A series of tests with a model of a monocolumn platform with a moonpool were performed at the LabOceano/COPPE, at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, with the objective of determining the entrance area at the bottom of the moonpool that minimizes vertical motion in waves. The tests include measurements of monocolumn surge, pitch and heave motion, vertical motion of the water column inside the moonpool, with different mooring systems, in regular, irregular and transient waves.This paper presents experimental results of the monocolumn vertical motion and the internal water column motion in the moonpool in transient waves and results of vertical motion of the water column inside the moonpool with the model held still in transient waves. These measurements allow an analysis of the impact of the moonpool's bottom opening on the monocolumn vertical motion in waves.The theoretical analysis of a mass–spring–damper system with two degrees of freedom, similar to the studied system, has shown some analogy with den Hartog's damped vibration absorber; however, there are significant differences in terms of added mass and coupled terms of added mass and damping coefficients dependent on oscillation frequencies.