Performance Evaluation of Active Heave Compensator in Deepwater Installation Operation

Abstract

In this study, a series of model tests were carried out to evaluate the performance of an active heave compensator (AHC) in deepwater installation operations. In the tests, a crane vessel and three different subsea structures were examined during deepwater crane lifting operations with an AHC. To validate the experimental results, time-domain numerical simulations were performed with the same AHC control algorithm. First, free-decay tests were conducted to identify the added mass of the subsea structure and the natural period of the hoisting system. Then, the performance of the AHC was evaluated for regular and irregular wave conditions. The effects of winch capacity and installation water depth on AHC performance are discussed.