Current measurement: An important consideration in the design, construction, and operation of offshore facilities

The movement of the offshore industry into frontier areas and harsher environments has given way to increasing concern over current-induced forces for design, construction and operation of offshore facilities. The historical approach to design current determination is slowly being replaced by computational techniques which consider all components of currents with their respective time of occurrence and direction. From a construction standpoint, there is an increasing requirement for near real time data that will be helpful for facility installation. For facility operation, the need is for a good statistical base as well as near real time data for critical operations. This paper discusses industry´s current data requirements as related to the design, construction and operational phases of offshore facilities.