Dynamic Response Analysis of a Triangular Tension Leg Platform

The tension leg platform is widely used in the world. In this paper, a newly developed tension leg platform is evaluated under the environment loads of the South China Sea. The focus is on the coupling response of the platform hull and tendons. The three dimensional potential theory is used to analyze the new developed tension leg platform and its mooring system in the time domain. The new developed TLP is in a triangular-shape with three group tension legs. Every group consists of five tendons; the mooring system has been optimized after preliminary design. Coupling analysis in time domain has been conducted to evaluate its motion and tendon tension under different environmental loads. The results demonstrate the great improvement in the motion responses of this new developed TLP. The coupled motion responses of this platform with tendon lines system in extreme environmental conditions have also been evaluated in order to evaluate the safety in operation conditions.