Seismic responses of an offshore jacket-type platform incorporated with tuned liquid dampers

Abstract

In this article, the efficiency of tuned liquid damper in controlling the dynamic responses of offshore jacket-type platforms under earthquake excitation is investigated. This type of dampers consisting of a number of fluid-containing tanks can be installed on the topside of the platform. Hydrodynamic loads induced by the sloshing of the fluid inside the tank act as resistant forces against the vibration and can thus control the structural response. In this research, using finite element-based software package ANSYS, a jacket-type platform having dimensions appropriate for the Persian Gulf climate (case study: SPD1 platform) was modeled and then dynamically analyzed by the modal and time-history approaches subjected to the records of El Centro, Kobe, and Tabas earthquakes. The tuned liquid dampers were optimally designed and after the verification of FE results, the dynamic responses of the jacket-type platforms with and without the tuned liquid damper system were compared.