1649results about "Caissons" patented technology

A method and apparatus for deployment and retrieval of ocean bottom seismic receivers. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a carrier containing a plurality of receivers attached to a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The carrier comprises a frame in which is mounted a structure for seating and releasing said receivers. The structure may comprise a movable carousel or a movable conveyor or fixed parallel rails or a barrel. In the case of the barrel, the receivers are axially stacked therein. The structure is disposed to deliver said receivers to a discharge port on said frame, where the receivers are removable from said carrier. The apparatus includes a discharge mechanism for removing said receivers from said carrier. In another embodiment, the method comprises the steps of loading a carrier with a plurality of receivers, attaching said carrier to an ROV, utilizing said ROV to transport the carrier from a surface vessel to a position adjacent the seabed and thereafter utilizing said ROV to remove receivers from said carrier and place the receivers on the seabed. In yet another embodiment, an ROV adjacent the seabed engages a deployment line extending from the vessel. The deployment line is used to guide receivers attached thereto down to the ROV for “on-time” delivery and placement on the seabed.

An offshore floating production, storage, and off-loading vessel has a monolithic non ship-shaped hull of polygonal configuration surrounding a central double tapered conical moon pool and contains water ballast and oil storage compartments. The exterior side walls of the hull have flat surfaces and sharp corners to cut ice sheets, resist and break ice, and move ice pressure ridges away from the structure. An adjustable water ballast system induces heave, roll, pitch and surge motions of the vessel to dynamically position and maneuver the vessel to accomplish ice cutting, breaking and moving operations. The moon pool shape and other devices on the vessel provide added virtual mass capable of increasing the natural period of the roll and heave modes, reducing dynamic amplification and resonance due to waves and vessel motion, and facilitate maneuvering the vessel. The vessel may be moored by a disconnectable turret buoy received in a support frame at the bottom of the moon pool and to which flexible well risers and mooring lines are connected.

PCT No. PCT / IE97 / 00002 Sec. 371 Date Jul. 10, 1998 Sec. 102(e) Date Jul. 10, 1998 PCT Filed Jan. 10, 1997 PCT Pub. No. WO97 / 25483 PCT Pub. Date Jul. 17, 1997An ice composite body has an inner ice core covered by a protective outer armor layer. Thermal insulation is provided between the inner core and the outer armor layer. Refrigeration is accomplished by a system of conduits for refrigerant are located within the body. The insulation and the refrigeration are adapted to maintain the ice core in a frozen condition relative to the ambient temperature. The base of the body cavity can be in direct contact with the water bed such that the ice core is freeze bonded to an advancing ice front in the water bed. The ice composite body provides structures of equal or greater strength than equivalent structures using conventional materials.

An embodiment of an apparatus useful for up-righting a wind turbine pillar at an offshore installation location includes a barge having first and second towers and an open area therebetween and which extends downwardly to the offshore installation location. At least two pulling lines extend from the towers to the pillar and are useful to assist in moving the pillar into a generally up-right orientation between the towers and lowering the pillar downwardly through the open area to the offshore installation location.

A deepwater windpower plant (DWP) has a tension leg-type floating platform with an evacuable base for adjusting its buoyancy for installation at ocean depths ranging from 40 meters up to 1.5 kilometers and more. The DWP has a typical offshore wind turbine assembled close to shore which is then towed to a desired installation site on the ocean, and held in place by a gravity anchoring base (GAB), to which an evacuable portion or space of the DWP platform is anchored. The GAB has upwardly extending mooring tethers and a power cable which are brought to the ocean surface by attached buoys. The GAB is sunk to the ocean floor at the installation site under controlled conditions so that the GAB lands flat on the ocean floor. As the GAB sinks to the ocean floor, the mooring tethers and power cable are pulled to the surface by their respective buoys. The GAB is loaded with heavy ballast material that can be dropped from barges on the ocean surface into the upwardly open GAB below the barges.

An offshore floating production, storage, and off-loading vessel has a hull of generally cylindrical or polygonal configuration surrounding a central double tapered conical moon pool and contains water ballast and oil and / or liquefied gas storage compartments. The exterior side walls of the polygonal hull have flat surfaces and sharp corners to cut ice sheets, resist and break ice, and move ice pressure ridges away from the structure. An adjustable water ballast system induces heave, roll, pitch and surge motions of the vessel to dynamically position and maneuver the vessel to accomplish ice cutting, breaking and moving operations. The moon pool shape and other devices on the vessel provide added virtual mass for increasing the natural period of the roll and heave modes, reducing dynamic amplification and resonance due to waves and vessel motion, and facilitate maneuvering the vessel. A disconnectable turret buoy at the bottom of the moon pool connects risers and mooring lines.

A method and system for transporting an offshore structure such as a wind turbine generator includes a supporting frame in which the offshore structure is assembled on land in an upright configuration. The frame is used for lifting the structure onto a transport vessel, on which it is retained in the upright configuration. At its location of use, the offshore structure is transferred to a pre-prepared foundation. The foundation is provided with a frame which cooperates with the supporting frame. The supporting frame includes a plurality of legs having hydraulically controlled feet. The frame of the foundation includes an equal number of supporting formations on which the feet ultimately rest. The feet are moveable in response to the hydraulic control along a nominally vertical line of action and provide a damping arrangement for the mounting of the offshore structure.

A floating foundation for wind turbines is disclosed, where the foundation essentially comprises at least three submerged buoyancy bodies connected to the lower end of the tower of the wind turbine at a common node member situated well above the surface of the sea. The buoyancy bodies are connected to the node member by means of relatively thin leg sections, whereby wave load on the foundation is reduced. By applying the foundation according to the present invention, stress concentrations and torques in the node member are reduced, whereby it becomes possible to apply a relatively lightweight and hence cheap node member. The overall weight of the construction is thereby reduced and hence the volume of the buoyancy bodies necessary to counteract the overall weight of the construction.

An ocean wave energy system for generating power from ocean waves includes a platform supporting an array of hollow columns whose respective lower ends are in fluidic communication with ocean waves and whose respective upper ends are in air communication with a turbine arrangement such that wave motion occurring at the lower ends is operable to cause air movement within the columns for propelling the turbine arrangement to generate power output. The system further includes one or more position-adjustable and / or angle-adjustable submerged structures near the lower ends of the columns for forming ocean waves propagating in operation towards the lower ends of the columns to couple the waves in a controllable manner into the hollow columns.

An elongated, annular hull of a floating offshore platform includes one or more segmented, helical strakes disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the hull to reduce vortex-induced vibrations resulting from water currents. The hull may comprise a single annular hull or a plurality of parallel, adjacent hulls. Each strake includes a plurality of generally rectangular segments extending substantially radially outward from the hull. Each of the segments includes a pair of spaced-apart radial stanchions supporting a generally rectangular frame to which a corresponding panel is attached. The panels have a radial width that is about 13 percent of the effective diameter of the hull. The segments are arranged in a spaced-apart, end-to-end relationship that defines a discontinuous, but generally helical band extending around the circumference of the hull from about 35 feet (11.7 m) below the mean water line of the hull to its lowermost end.

The invention relates to improved water control gates and related inflatable actuators, and associated sealing, manufacture and operation apparatus and methods. Advancements in technologies related to air fitting design, inflated bladder stress relief, inflatable bladder strength enhancement, water gate related slide friction mitigation, abutment and other impounded water seals, gate panel fabrication, traffic accommodating water impoundment structures, and water gate panel system operation efficiency, as well as nappe aeration, hinges, and bladder manufacture technology are some of the advancements disclosed herein.

A mounting system is disclosed for mounting structures and equipment such as wind-electric generators on water. The structure is attached to a carrier, which is attached to a foundation through connecting elements. Buoyancy tanks or the inherent buoyancy of the carrier or the connecting elements are used to maintain a stable position of the carrier in the water. Utilizing connecting elements that transfer pushing and pulling force undesirable movements of the carrier are suppressed while requiring only moderate forces on the foundation.

A method and apparatus for deployment of mooring systems for buoyant marine structure such as mobile offshore drilling units (MODU's) and for connecting the same to the mooring lines thereof. An anchor handling vessel carries one or more anchors each having a deployment connection and a mooring connection and individually moves each anchor over its stern roller and deploys it to the sea bottom for installation. A handling line is disconnected by ROV from the deployment connection and is moved from the deployment connection to the mooring connection so as to become the main mooring line. Syntactic buoys are then mounted on the main mooring line for elevating it above the sea bottom for recovery. When MODU stationing is desired the anchor handling vessel then recovers the surface buoy and connects to the rig mooring line using a short section of mooring chain. A J-chaser stopper device is then installed in the mooring string and is connected to the mooring line of the MODU by a short section of chain. The J-chaser lowers the mooring string, completing the mooring connection between the anchor and the MODU. A plurality of mooring strings, typically eight, are deployed in this manner to properly station the MODU. Disconnection of the MODU is accomplished essentially by the reverse of the above deployment procedure.

Platform for drilling after or production of hydrocarbons at sea, consisting of a semi-submersible platform body which supports drilling and / or production equipment on its upper surface. The platform body is designed as a vertical mainly flat bottomed cylinder which is provided with at least one peripheral circular cut-out in the lower section of the cylinder since the centre of buoyancy for the submerged section of the platform is positioned lower than the centre of gravity of the platform.

A system and method utilizing compressed gas according to which the gas is compressed at a location above ground and transported to an underwater location. The gas is stored at the underwater location and later returned from the underwater location to the above-ground location for utilization as energy.

An apparatus and method for a wind power foundation. An embodiment of a wind power plant includes a tower having a top and a bottom. The plant also includes an assembly, the assembly including a transition piece that is coupled with a concrete cap. The assembly has a top and a bottom, with the top of the assembly being coupled with the bottom of the tower. The plant also includes a jacket structure. The jacket structure has a top and a bottom and multiple legs, with the bottom of the assembly being coupled with the top of the jacket structure.

There is provided a buoyancy system for a structure having at least one component being substantially stationary with respect to the bottom of a water covered area. The system comprises a set of buoyancy modules of engineered materials to apply an identified amount of buoyancy. The set of buoyancy modules is attached to the structure at a set of buoyancy load transfer locations. The set of buoyancy modules comprises layers of the engineered materials. The engineered materials comprise a substantially reinforced axial layer, a substantially reinforced hoop layer; and a leak prevention layer.

Jacket frame floating structures comprise one or more elongate vertical support columns formed of an open cross-braced jacket formwork of tubular members interconnected together and at least one cylindrical buoyancy capsule disposed in the open framework near an upper end and at least one cylindrical second buoyancy capsule near a lower end in vertically spaced relation. The buoyancy capsule(s) may be a single, or a plurality of upper and lower capsules bundled in circumferentially spaced relation with a central opening therethrough. Alternatively, a keel tank may replace the lower capsule. The buoyancy of the upper buoyancy capsule(s) is adjustably tuned to provide a buoyant force and a sufficient water plane area and moment of inertia required for stability of the floating structure, and the water mass and weight of the lower buoyancy capsule(s) or keel tank(s) is adjustably tuned to raise or lower the center of gravity of the entire mass of the floating structure with respect to its center of buoyancy according to ballast and variable or fixed loads including deck payloads to stabilize the structure. Alternatively, a keel tank may replace the lower capsule. The buoyancy of the upper buoyancy capsule(s) is adjustably tuned to provide a buoyant force and a sufficient water plane area and moment of inertia required for stability of the floating structure, and the water mass and weight of the lower buoyancy capsule(s) or keel tanks(s) is adjustably tuned to raise or lower the center of gravity of the entire mass of the floating structure with respect to its center of buoyancy according to ballast and variable or fixed loads including deck payloads, to stabilize the structure, and to compensate for different operational, environmental, survival and installation stages of the structure. The length of the upper buoyancy capsule(s) is sufficient so as to be partially submerged and allow oscillation of the trough and crest of waves within its top and bottom ends.

A submarine cold water pipe water intake system of an ocean thermal energy conversion power plant is installed at a cold water inlet of a power boat, and the cold water pipe includes: a water intake head; a water intake pipe formed by connecting composite pipes in a series, and each composite pipe is formed by arranging a plurality of wavy inner pipes sequentially into a tubular shape; a connecting pipe formed by engaging an outer pipe and an inner pipe, and an inner pipe of the connecting pipe being connected to the cold water inlet of the power boat, and an end of the outer pipe of the connecting pipe is connected to a connecting portion of the water intake pipe.

A primary earth penetrating mandrel formed of a hollow shell steel plate octagonal in cross-section has an upper end and a blunt lower end joined by an upwardly and outwardly tapered wall. The mandrel is driven downwardly in the earth to simultaneously form a vertical tapered cavity while compacting the sidewall of the cavity to provide structural integrity. The mandrel is then moved upwardly from the bottom of the cavity and aggregate is deposited in the bottom of the cavity following which the mandrel is lowered so that its blunt lower end engages the deposited aggregate and densifies the aggregate by vertical vibratory action and static force with these steps being repeated until the pier top is near the surface of the earth at which time the upper aggregate portions are densified by either the primary mandrel or a secondary mandrel having a substantially larger lower end surface than the lower end surface of the primary mandrel. A second embodiment includes a conduit in the primary mandrel for injecting concrete or grout into aggregate previously deposited in the cavity.

The present invention is the marine air floatation hauling and locating and depositing installation process of case and barrel shaped foundation structure for soft soil. The construction process includes inflating the case and barrel shaped foundation structure in water for it to float and hauling to the installation site; locating in the floating state; deflating for deposition via controlling the deflation speed and amount to control the deposition speed and inclination; pumping out air from the structure and applying pressure for further deposition; pumping out water from the structure for further deposition until pumping out all water inside the structure and completing the installation. The said process needs no large hoisting and transportation apparatus, and is simple, controllable and low in cost.

A floating offshore platform configuration is provided, which decouples pitch, roll, and heave motions from acting on tensioned risers and accommodates the angular displacement induced by floating offshore platform surge and / or sway excursion without inducing bending in the riser at its entrance to the floating offshore platform. The risers are guided by an inner structure that is tethered from the sea floor and centered inside an outer hull structure. Outer hull structure heave, pitch and roll motions are substantially isolated from acting on the inner structure through a connection mechanism, and each riser is allowed to individually expand or contract.

A method and apparatus for raising, leveling, and supporting a foundation by placing steel piers beneath the necessary peripheral and interior beams and using a jack to raise the slab beams, then allowing the slab beams to rest on piers. The piers are constructed from steel piling segments, driven into the ground, connected with adhesive, and anchored at a depth offering reactive force sufficient to support the foundation. The piling is pointed at its bottom facilitating insertion and preventing upheaval. A crown is attached to the upper most end of each pier which offers a platform to provide a stable support once the jack is removed and easy access to the slab beam for later readjustment. Multiple piers are utilized to achieve a level foundation. Piers may be placed beneath interior beams on a slab without drilling holes in the interior of the slab.

System and method for monitoring a reservoir underwater. The system includes plural nodes, each having a seismic sensor for detecting seismic waves; a remote operated vehicle (ROV) configured to deploy or retrieve the plural nodes to seabed; and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) configured to monitor and exchange data with the plural nodes. At least one node of the plural nodes has a head that houses the seismic sensor and the head is configured to burrow in the seabed, up to a predetermined depth, and the head remains in electrical contact through a connector with a base of the at least one node.