TLD Technique for Reducing Ice-Induced Vibration on Platforms

Tuned liquid damper (TLD) containers are designed to provide their sloshing forces in opposite directions against the inertia loads of the vibrating structure and thus to reduce the vibration. The sloshing forces that result from liquid motion may be determined either analytically or experimentally. The efficiency of the TLD in vibration reduction then can be estimated by attaching the TLD subsystem onto the dynamic equation of the vibrating structure. This paper describes investigations of the TLD system for an existing Bohai production jacket, which has routinely been excited by drifting ice during the winter seasons. In addition to a theoretical demonstration, a scaled model test and a full-scale field experiment were performed in this study. The technical strategy and main results of the investigation are presented in this paper.