Numerical Analysis of Supply Vessel Collision with Tripod Jacket Structures

A growing number of Offshore Wind Turbines (OWT) are vulnerable to collision with offshore support and supply vessels. A major collision can lead to a catastrophic accident in the marine environment and resources. This paper focuses on the modeling of a 3-legged Z-braced, and 3- legged X- braced tripod jacket structures type platform using nonlinear finite element analysis. A supply vessel has also been modeled to simulate the collision with the jacket structures. The number of deformed members, indentations, and stresses in the region of impacted legs were obtained from the numerical analysis. The extent of damage was then compared between Z-braced, and X- braced platforms. This study provides a better understanding of the structural performances of different tripod jacket structures.