Experimental and Numerical Investigation on the Relative Motions of an FLNG System During Side-by-Side Operation

This paper addresses a study on the relative motions of the floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) systems during side-by-side offloading operation through experimental method and numerical calculation method. Different filling levels and sea state conditions were adopted both in model test and numerical calculation. Model test results were used to validate the numerical models, which was then used to identify the influence of the filling levels and wave/wind directions on the relative motions of the vessels. It is indicated that the numerical calculation results show satisfactory agreement with the experimental results. More severe relative motions of vessels occur when the displacement of the LNGC reduces. When the wind and wave come from the side of the LNGC, the relative sway and heave of the two vessels become more severe while the relative surge is not affected by the shelter effect. The investigation will be beneficial to the further numeral research and FLNG side-by-side offloading operation.