Numerical simulation of a passive heave compensator for scientific research ships

Research vessels are commonly used on a daily bases for ocean exploration and payload handling. However, due to unpredictable wave motion on the ship and the flexibility of the cable, the heave of the ship is unavoidable and causes danger during operations, loss of payload, possible damages to expensive equipment and prolong period of downtime. A compensator system is an essential part of operations to mitigate this effect and to ensure safety, reduce down-time of operation and increase efficiency while providing longer and better duration of operation even in harsh conditions. In this article, a passive heave compensator system with cylinder, accumulator and depth compensator connected in series by pressure pipes is analyzed and presented. The working principle of the heave compensation system is described; the parameters affecting the performance of the system are simulated and analyzed using MatLab. A 3D model of the system is built using SolidWorks and schematic drawings are produced from AutoCAD. The compensation rate of the system is higher than 77% under the influence of the input wave and the system has a response of an average setting time of 20s. The point of maximum load exerted is at the splash zone