Page 10: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 2020)

Leading Of

Capturing the Systems and Physics of a $3b Structure hen Swiss-based Allseas Group wanted Developed by Montreal-based CM Labs, Vortex Studio is a to build a simulation model to capture leading simulation platform for dynamics simulation and 3D the systems and physics of its $3 billion visualization. Allseas’ ultimate simulation objectives were

Pioneering Spirit vessel, it called on CM threefold:

W

Labs Simulations to provide the solution. • Train vessel operators for teamwork-intensive activities

With the help of CM Labs’ Vortex Stu- such as ballast control, top side lift system, and steering, dio simulation software platform, Allseas • Test new concepts and developments in support of con- was able to build extensible simulations that could be en- tinuous R&D, hanced and modifed throughout the life of the vessel. • Provide project teams with a tool for visualizing dif-

The world’s largest vessel really does have to be seen up ferent projects (e.g., to assess clearance for operations, close to be believed. The massive heavy-lift and pipelay identify camera locations, etc.).

vessel, Pioneering Spirit, is so ambitious that it was only de- As mechanical engineers, the Allseas R&D engineering re- livered nearly 30 years after its initial design. Designed by alized that developing their own 3D simulation toolset would

Swiss-based Allseas Group, the 382-m (1,253 ft) long, 124-m involve far too much effort. Although they had extensive ex- (407 ft) wide vessel is the largest in the world. Created for perience performing engineering-grade simulations in MAT- the single-lift installation and removal of large oil and gas LAB, detailed hydraulics, they had always found it necessary platforms and installation of record-weight pipelines, Pioneer to sacrifce the scale of the simulation if they wanted to in-

Spirit can lift entire platform topsides of up to 48,000t and clude mechanical dynamics.

jackets up to 20,000t in a single piece. This reduces offshore “Our goal was to obtain a realistically responding vessel work associated with installation and decommissioning by with Vortex Studio and use lower-level tools for detailed hy- moving the work onshore where it is safer and more cost- draulic or structural computations as needed. All the specifc effective. components, we know a lot about, but putting them all to-

Due to the vessel’s complexity, and the continuous engi- gether in a full-scale model is just not feasible.” neering required to build it, no simulation model has ever “Vortex Studio took a lot of work out of our hands,” te been developed to capture all the systems and physics of the Voortwis adds, “namely on the dynamics simulation and 3D $3 billion megastructure. “That was basically our goal with visualization side.” One of the strengths of Vortex Studio is

Vortex Studio,” said Allseas R&D engineer Ate te Voortwis. in accelerating design time and reduction of costly feld test-

Simulation makes it possible to test op- erational scenarios.

Photos: CM Labs 10 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • July 2020