Bureau Veritas has developed new tools to assess cargo sloshing in ice conditions to meet demand for safe LNG transportation in the Arctic regions.
In addition, a probabilistic method for assessing ice loads on structure was developed which will reduce the time and data needed to assess the structure of vessels and units designed for heavy ice operation.
Pierre Besse, Director of Innovation, Bureau Veritas, says, ‘All eyes are on the Arctic sea routes and on the opening up of the Arctic mineral and energy resources. We have to ensure the vessels and offshore units that operate in those extreme conditions are safe.’
Calculating Kinetic Energy
A new module for Bureau Veritas’ IceStar ice load calculation tool will calculate the kinetic energy imparted to the cargo by a collision with ice. The kinematics derived from Icetar can then be used together with CFD analysis to determine how the cargo will slosh and the extra loads this will impose on the ship’s structure and the LNG containment system.
‘Ships and Ice Will Interact’
Says Besse, ‘When gas and oil cargoes begin moving regularly through the Arctic it is certain that ships and ice will interact. The energy from those collisions will cause the cargo to move violently, and we have to make sure the ships and especially LNG containment systems are built to withstand that.’
Ice Input Data
A research collaboration with the State Maritime Technical University of St Petersburg has led to BV upgrading IceStar to include the use of probabilistic methods to calculate ice loads.
‘Ice properties vary widely,’ explains Besse. ‘This research has proven that using stochastic methods we can overcome limitations in the input data to produce safe and robust outputs for the loads which ships and offshore structures may expect from Arctic ice.’
