Offshore staff
SINGAPORE – The Institution of Engineers (Singapore) (IES) has awarded Keppel Corp. and the National University of Singapore (NUS) the Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award 2018 for Applied Research and Development for their Low Motion Semisubmersible (LMS).
The semi, said to be designed for safer, cost-effective and more efficient operations, can be used for drilling, production, or accommodation in harsh, deepwater, and arctic environments.
Aziz Merchant, Co-Programme Leader, Keppel-NUS Corporate Laboratory, and Director, Technology, Keppel Technology and Innovation, said: “With innovative features such as the circular ring pontoon, this LMS design is vastly different from the traditional semisubmersible design.
“It represents a rig of tomorrow and has the potential to disrupt the deepwater segment of the offshore industry.”
Professor Chow Yean Khow, Co-Programme Leader, Keppel-NUS Corporate Laboratory, and Executive Director, Maritime Institute @ NUS, said: “By marrying academic research and industry applications, we were able to develop a game-changing rig design that is practical, safe, and efficient.”
Harsh environments induce higher vessel motions which can reduce operational uptime and complicate accurate calculation of motions and loads.
The LMS’ claimed advantages include:
- Low motion characteristics and optimal station keeping capabilities through a unique column shape, a circular ring pontoon, and additional inclined pencil columns with water chambers
- Increased operability uptime in harsh environments (from 60% to around 90%)
- Reduced drilling maintenance and operation costs from the use of a surface BOP application enabled by low motion characteristics
- Optimized for ease of construction.
The concept’s characteristics of the LMS were verified by a test of a model of the LMS in simulated harsh environment conditions in an ocean basin laboratory in the Netherlands.
Keppel previously received the IES Prestigious Engineering Achievement Award for its proprietary KFELS B Class jackup, Semisubmersible Drilling Tender, and DSS 20NS accommodation semi designs.
07/26/2018
