Investigation of TLP behavior under tendon damage

A serious attention has been concentrated on this problem in API-RP-2T and various aspects of that such as dynamic and static behavior of TLP, tendon tensions after one tether failure. Also it has introduced safety factors in different loads and healthy conditions. This paper deals with effect of damage tendon condition of TLP on behavior and tensions of tendons in wave frequency range. Equilibrium of TLP is studied and stiffness matrix of TLP is derived in tendon damage condition. Wave loads and hydrodynamic coefficients are calculated by boundary element method. Then, motion equations are solved for 48 load and healthy conditions and wave frequency portion of tensions and motions are extracted from time history of them. It is shown that although damage tendon condition has no extreme influence on response amplitude magnification, it has a relatively major effect on tension of tendons which are close to failed tendon. In addition, roll and pitch magnifications have major effect on increase in tension of tendons. Also, it is seen that critical wave heading occurs in direction of diagonal of group of failed tendon.