Neural Network Meta-Models for FPSO Motion Prediction From Environmental Data With Different Platform Loads

The current design process of mooring systems for Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading units (FPSOs) depends on the availability of the platform's mathematical model and the accuracy of dynamic simulations. These simulations then provide the FPSO's time series motion which is evaluated according to design constraints. This process can be time-consuming and present inaccurate results due to the mathematical model's limitations and the overall complexity of the vessel's dynamics. We propose a Neural Simulator, called NeuroSim, a set of data-based surrogate models with environmental data as input, each model specialized in predicting different motion statistics relevant to mooring system design: Maximum Roll, Platform Offset, and Fairlead Displacements. The surrogate models are trained by current, wind, and wave data given in 3 hours periods at a Brazilian Offshore Basin from 2003 to 2010, and the associated dynamic response of a spread-moored FPSO is obtained through time-domain simulations using the Dynasim software. Hyperparameter Optimization techniques are performed to obtain optimal Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models specialized in different platform drafts. Finally, the proposed models are shown to correctly capture platform dynamics, providing good results when compared to motion statistics obtained from Dynasim. We conclude that an ANN surrogate model can be trained directly on actual measured metocean conditions and corresponding FPSO motion statistics to provide increased accuracy and reduced computational time over traditional methods based on dynamic simulation. Moreover, the proposed architecture can be integrated into an automated learning framework: The data-based surrogate models can be continuously fine-tuned and updated with newly measured data, improving accuracy over time.