Offshore Platform Anchoring via Arrow-Shaped Penetration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current offshore drilling and production structures are limited in their ability to operate in water depths greater than 200 ft., as jackup platforms are restricted to shallow waters, fixed platforms are not easily transportable, and floating structures require expensive mooring systems that are difficult to install and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A buoyant adjustable offshore platform with a hull comprising elongate columns and a variable ballast system, anchored directly to the sea floor using an arrow-shaped anchor with angularly-spaced penetration members, allowing for secure positioning and easy relocation without the need for mooring systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If floating structures are used for offshore drilling in deep water, then the platform can operate in water depths greater than 800 ft., but the mooring systems become expensive and difficult to install and maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the mooring system from the offshore platform configuration. Instead of using floating structures with mooring lines anchored to the sea floor, the invention uses a bottom-founded platform where the hull directly rests on and is anchored to the sea floor through penetration members, removing the complex mooring system entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by going from top-founded (floating) to bottom-founded (direct sea floor anchoring) configuration. The platform is anchored directly to the sea floor through the hull structure itself rather than through suspended mooring lines, fundamentally changing how the platform interacts with the marine environment.
2Stability of the object's composition
If fixed platforms are used for offshore drilling, then the platform provides stable structure, but the platform is not easily transportable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the platform's anchoring state changeable. The penetration members can be inserted into the sea floor to secure the platform in location A, and then removed to allow transport to location B. This dynamic anchoring capability allows the platform to switch between being fixed (when anchored) and mobile (when unanchored), resolving the contradiction between stability and transportability.
3Ease of operation
If jackup platforms are used for offshore drilling, then the platform is easily transportable, but the platform is restricted to water depths less than 300 ft.
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the operational capability into a new dimension of water depth by designing a hull that can directly penetrate and anchor to the sea floor. This bottom-founded configuration allows the platform to operate in deeper waters (greater than 300 ft.) while maintaining the transportability of jackup platforms, as the entire hull structure can be moved as a single unit when unanchored.
4Reliability
If an anchor with penetration members is used to secure the hull to the sea floor, then the platform achieves secure positioning, but the installation process requires penetrating the sea floor
Solution Approach 1:
The penetration members are pre-positioned on the hull structure during manufacturing, ready for insertion into the sea floor. This preliminary preparation simplifies the installation process, as the members are already in place and require only positioning and engagement with the sea floor, rather than requiring complex assembly operations at the installation site.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient drilling and production operations in water depths from 200 ft. to 600 ft. with enhanced stability and cost-effectiveness by eliminating the need for mooring systems, facilitating easy installation and removal of the platform.
Implementation Method 1
The first buoyant chamber is filled with a gas and sealed from the surrounding environment
Implementation Method 2
Each column includes a variable ballast chamber positioned axially between the first end and the second end of the hull
Data Source
AI summary
An offshore structure for drilling and/or producing a subsea well includes a hull having a longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end opposite the first end. The hull includes a plurality of parallel elongate columns coupled together. Each column includes a variable ballast chamber positioned axially between the first end and the second end of the hull and a first buoyant chamber positioned between the variable ballast chamber and the first end of the hull. The first buoyant chamber is filled with a gas and sealed from the surrounding environment. The offshore structure also includes an anchor fixably coupled to the second end of the hull and configured to secure the hull to the sea floor. The anchor has an arrow-shaped geometry and a central axis coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the hull. The anchor includes angularly-spaced penetration members extending radially from the central axis of the anchor. In addition, the offshore structure includes a topside mounted to the first end of the hull.