Author(s): M. Karulina
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Keywords: No keywords
Abstract: Offshore ice-resistant fixed platform “Prirazlomnaya” was installed in the southeast part of the Barents Sea, and offloading of oil produced at this platform has been carried out since 2014. This is the first major project on drilling, production, storage and offloading of oil in the Arctic implemented in Russia that was preceded by several years of theoretical and experimental investigations. Platform ice-resistant block has square shape in plan with chamfered corners and inclined sides intended to decrease global ice loads acting on the platform. Extended sides with length at waterline of about 107 m result in rather rapid formation of ice pile-ups in front of the platform that in their turn define the level of ice loads acting on the platform. Moreover, ice pileups hinder normal operation of complex that includes the platform itself, shuttle tankers for oil offloading, supply and ice management vessels as well as vessels on duty for salvage and rescue operations. The paper reviews main fields of ice studies performed by Krylov State Research Centre, Russia, between 1996 and 2017, including 1) analysis of environmental conditions at the oil field in winter period; 2) investigation of Prirazlomnaya interaction with drifting ice features and determination of ice loads; 3) study the conditions and mechanisms governing ice buildup accumulation in front of the platform and the behaviour of these buildups as ice conditions change; 4) development of ice management measures intended to eliminate ice buildups and mitigate the intensity of their accumulation. Some of the proposed methods to deal with ice pileups were implemented in practice during several expeditions to the area of “Prirazlomnaya” site in 2014-2018. The results of investigations and expeditions are given in the paper.
Year: 2018