For the conceptual design of Floating LNG Bunkering Terminal (FLBT), three vessels with different LNG cargo capacity can be side by side moored to FLBT. For the purpose of designing the mooring line and dynamic positioning (DP) system for FLBT, the environmental load must be taken into account during the initial design phase. In order to obtain the wind and current load coefficients, wind tunnel tests for vessels in multi-body arrangement were carried out at FORCE Technology. In case of current load, additional model tests were performed in the ocean engineering basin at the Korean Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (KRISO). Furthermore, the wave drift force was measured in the basin tests by simulating the regular wave conditions. Overall results were compared and contrasted with CFD results to analyze the validity of obtained results. Finally, total environmental loads acting on the FLBT were calculated from the loads acting on each of the floating bodies to evaluate the DP capability and mooring line analysis.
Enactment of the regulation on sulfur emissions set by IMO has emphasized the need of the liquefied natural gas, LNG as a fuel for offshore vessels, and this has soared up the demand for the LNG fueled vessel. To supply the LNG fuel to vessel, bunkering terminal process needs to be carried out, where it can either be performed at land and offshore. Regarding the offshore bunkering process, a national R&D project funded by the Korean government, is being carried out by Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, KRISO to allow operating vessels to receive a vast amount of fuel at once without risking the onshore living from the potential LNG explosion. Such offshore bunkering process involves the number of vessels to operate simultaneously with the 220k FLBT, namely a 170k LNG carrier, 30k and 5k LNG bunkering shuttles. The operating procedure of LNG bunkering is as follows. As the 170k LNGC delivers the LNG fuel to the FLBT, moored with the turret mooring system near shore, it can load and store the fuel for a certain period of time at the same time as unloading it to 30k and 5k LNGBS, where those bunkering shuttle can deliver the fuel to the LNG fueled vessel.
