Subsea Suction Pile Coating for Rapid Embedding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of subsea suction piles is time-consuming and costly due to the need for extended periods of underwater suction application, and the uncertainty of seabed soil consistency, which increases the risk of ineffective embedding and requires significant resources, including surface support vessels and long weather windows.
Innovation Solution
A subsea foundation with a bearing surface coated in a low-resistance, degradable material such as an aerogel or polymeric film that reduces resistance during installation, allowing quicker embedding and subsequent degradation to increase resistance, enabling faster installation and enhanced stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If extended periods of underwater suction application are used to ensure effective embedding, then reliability of foundation installation is improved, but loss of time and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A coating is applied to the bearing surface of the suction pile before installation. This preliminary action prepares the surface to reduce resistance during embedding, enabling faster installation while ensuring effective engagement with the seabed soil once the coating degrades.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing surface properties are changed by applying a coating that transitions from a low-resistance state during installation to a high-resistance state after degradation. This parameter change allows the pile to embed quickly initially, then develop high resistance to movement over time.
2Reliability
If larger and more robust suction piles are used to ensure effectiveness amid uncertain seabed soil consistency, then reliability is improved, but cost and device complexity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing surface undergoes a parameter change from low-resistance to high-resistance state through coating degradation. This allows smaller suction piles to achieve the same effective embedding and resistance performance that would otherwise require larger, more robust structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The degradable coating acts as an intermediary between the suction pile and the seabed soil. It facilitates initial embedding by reducing resistance, then transforms to enhance long-term engagement, eliminating the need for oversized piles to compensate for installation uncertainties.
3Reliability
If larger and more robust suction piles are used to ensure effectiveness amid uncertain seabed soil consistency, then reliability is improved, but cost worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing surface properties are dynamically changed through coating degradation, allowing smaller, less expensive suction piles to achieve reliable embedding and long-term stability that would otherwise require costly, oversized structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The degradable coating serves as a cost-effective intermediary that enables reliable installation without requiring expensive, oversized suction piles. It provides the necessary resistance management during and after installation, reducing overall project cost while maintaining effectiveness.
4Force
If the bearing surface is left bare to maximize friction and cohesion, then resistance to movement is improved, but resistance to movement during installation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing surface is preliminarily treated with a coating that reduces resistance during installation. After embedding is complete, the coating degrades to reveal or form a high-friction surface, providing the benefits of both easy installation and high long-term resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing surface properties are made dynamic rather than static. The coating transitions from a low-friction state during installation to a high-friction state afterward, allowing the surface characteristics to adapt to the different requirements of installation versus long-term operation.
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
This approach significantly reduces installation time, increases resistance to movement, and potentially allows for smaller, less costly suction piles while maintaining efficacy, as the coating degrades to enhance friction or cohesion within a month, facilitating quicker project completion and reduced operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
a low-resistance coating that at least partially covers the bearing surface, which coating has a resistance-reducing property to reduce resistance to movement of the bearing surface relative to the seabed soil
Implementation Method 2
the low-resistance coating is composed or arranged to promote degradation of its resistance-reducing property during or after installation
Implementation Method 3
the low-resistance coating is composed or arranged to promote degradation of its resistance-reducing property during or after installation
Implementation Method 4
When seawater is subsequently pumped out of the suction chamber as disclosed in GB 1451537, the resulting underpressure in the chamber draws the top plate toward the seabed. This causes the skirt to sink further into the soil as the suction chamber contracts under external hydrostatic pressure
Implementation Method 5
the low-resistance coating may have a hydrophobic property, which may be conferred by a hydrophobic coating or a hydrophobic outer layer of the low-resistance coating
Data Source
AI summary
A bearing surface of a subsea foundation has a low-resistance coating such as an aerogel, an aero-clay or a polymeric film. When the foundation is installed, the bearing surface is embedded in the seabed soil using the low-resistance coating to reduce resistance movement of the bearing surface relative to the seabed soil. The coating may then dissolve or fragment away from the bearing surface or transform into a higher-resistance state while remaining on the bearing surface. These mechanisms degrade a resistance-reducing property of the coating to increase resistance to movement of the embedded bearing surface relative to the seabed soil. Suction may be applied to the foundation before or after the resistance-reducing property of the coating has substantially degraded.