摘要:
The present invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for minimizing vortex induced vibrations and hydrodynamic drag of a drilling riser. Vortex induced vibrations and hydrodynamic drag are minimized by installing on a drilling riser streamlined faring sections. The fairing sections are installed on and removed from a riser through the use of one or more door panels on a rounded front portion that have a latch mechanism which can be easily opened and closed. The fairing sections are configured so they can nest one inside the other for easy storage. A tapered back or tail section of each fairing section has an attachment receptacle for engagement by a handling mechanism with a telescoping arm for grasping the fairing section. The handling mechanism is designed to move the fairing sections between a rack, where they are stored, and a position adjacent to the riser.
摘要:
A deep water platform, suitable for use as a hydrocarbon exploration or production facility in very deep offshore waters, and a method of constructing the same are shown. The platform is positioned on top of flexible, buoyant piles made of large diameter, high strength steel tubing. A watertight bulkhead is located within the pile and the portion of the pile below is filled with seawater, while the portion above the bulkhead is substantially empty and in communication with the atmosphere. The bulkhead is positioned to cause the pile to have a predetermined net buoyancy so that the portion below the bulkhead, which is anchored to the seabed, is in tension. Bending members (trusses) are joined to the top of the pile and are connected to a plurality of neutral buoyancy tendons anchored to the sea floor. The tendons may be driven into the sea floor using a pile driver located within the tendons.
摘要:
A compact offshore tension leg platform having a deck, a hull, and a plurality of elongate tendons securing the hull to an ocean floor foundation provides full well workover and production capabilities for autonomous operation and can be installed and operated in any waterdepth and sustain any environmential loading conditions. The hull supports the well risers of well trees located below the water surface at an elevation in close proximity to the connections of the tendons to the hull. Alternatively the risers and trees may be supported by the deck. A well workover platform, supported by a circular perimeter trackway on the deck may be positioned over any of the well risers for workover operations. Liquid products may be exported from the platform via a seabed pipeline or to a floating tanker moored to a mobile offtake on the deck support column. The hull is configured to minimize loadings in the tendons. All components, except the deck, are installed by a drilling vessel without the need for specialist installation vessels and equipment. The tendons are arranged in groups offset from the hull body to resist platform overturning loadings, and to reduce the tendons pretension required to prevent platform pitch and roll motions. The wells are drilled prior to installation of the hull using a drilling vessel. After installation of the platform, all operations required on the wells are performed autonomously from the platform without the need for another drilling vessel or equipment.
摘要:
A non-rotatable fairing for suppression of vortex-induced vibration of a marine tubular is provided, the tubular having a circular cross section and a centerline that is normal to the circular cross section, the fairing comprising:shaped sides that extend essentially tangentially from the outer surface of the tubular toward a point that is about a distance equal to the outside diameter of the tubular or less from the centerline of the tubular; anda means to fix the fairing to the tubular so that the fairing cannot rotate around the tubular, wherein the maximum length of the cross section of the combined fairing and tubular is between about 1.25 and about 1.5 times the outside diameter of the tubular.
摘要:
Apparatus for mooring attachment of a floating tension leg platform to a subsea anchorage. The apparatus includes a tendon with an enlarged connector on one end, the connector being formed by a frustoconical bearing surface extending away from the end to which it is connected. A connector shroud partially surrounds the frustoconical surface and is connected to it by an elastomeric bearing. An inwardly sloping surface engages a supplementarily sloped surface formed on the attachment receptacle load ring to increase hoop strength. A side-entry bottom receptacle is also disclosed.
摘要:
A Kevlar.RTM. rope termination in which the rope is passed through an opening in a tension leg termination, is divided and laid over a rigid pin, being sealed around the pin with a resin. A flexible bearing member is located between the rope covered pin and a rigid support member contiguous with the inside of the termination, adjacent to the opening so that the rope covered pin can easily rotate within the bearing member without kinking the rope.
摘要:
A lightweight, high modulus mooring element for a tension leg platform comprises a pretensioned composite member in fixed attachment to and surrounded by a metallic tubular member in compression prestress. The hybrid composite assembly offers significant cost and weight savings over an all steel mooring system for use in deep water tension leg platform mooring.
摘要:
A rotating lug anchor connector (10) is disclosed for anchoring the tether (12) of tension leg platform (14) to the sea floor. The connector includes an anchor latch assembly (18) which is mounted on the lower end of the tether. The assembly includes a ring (50) from which three lugs (58) extend. The ring is secured to the tether through an elastomeric assembly (36) which permits the tether to pivot about a pivot point (28) relative to the ring. Guide surfaces on members (74, 76, 78) of the receptacle assembly (20) guide the lugs downward along vertical slots (104) and beneath notches (92) in the members. Upward movement of the tether engages the lugs and notches to secure the tether to the sea floor. For release the tether is lowered to move the lugs in an alignment with the vertical slots for removal.
摘要:
Method and apparatus to stabilize a columnar platform for deepwater offshore applications. An added mass stabilizer system is utilized to control first order heave, pitch, roll, surge and sway motions of the floating platform. The stabilizer is suspended beneath the platform by a set of tendons a sufficient distance to (1) enter a quiescent zone beneath the action of waves and currents, (2) provide a sufficiently long movement arm to resist pitch and roll torquing, and (3) incorporate sufficient flexibility into the suspension system to avoid shock loads. The stabilizer is sized to (a) provide sufficient submerged weight to maintain the tendons in constant tension and, (b) create adequate added mass (actual stabilizer weight plus mass of water moved by the stabilizer) to provide the desired control of first order motions. A secondary mooring system such as a spring-buoy mooring or dynamic positioning system can be provided to control drift produced by higher order motions and first order yaw.
摘要:
A mobile marine drilling assembly has a horizontally disposed pontoon which floats on or is submerged below the surface of a marine environment. A first vertically disposed column is secured to the pontoon and extends upwardly therefrom. A work platform has an opening through which the column extends, and the platform overlies the pontoon and is vertically movable relative thereto along the column. A jack system is operably connected with the work platform and with the column for jacking the work platform along the column between a first position wherein the pontoon floats on the surface of the marine environment and a second position wherein the pontoon is disposed a substantial distance below the surface of the marine environment. An anchor is secured to the floor of the marine environment. A plurality of resilient tendons extend between and are secured to the pontoon and the anchor, and the tendons are under tension when the pontoon is in the second position so that wave and current induced horizontal movement of the pontoon and thereby of the column and the work platform is permitted, and vertical movement is resisted.