Author(s): Tian Hua; Andrew Palmer
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: Jack-ups have many advantages for drilling and production in the Arctic. The technology is developed and well-understood, and a jack-up is a self-contained and operationally flexible system that can readily be installed and moved from site to site. In the Arctic, however, a disadvantage is that the legs are not ideally designed to resist the substantial forces applied by sea ice. It is plainly essential that the legs remain able to lift and lower the hull, and any modification must allow for this. Field experience in the Bohai Sea and elsewhere demonstrates that ice forces on tubular structures can be controlled by adding external cones. The presence of the cones changes the mode of failure of the ice from crushing to repeated bending, and the ice forces are much reduced. This paper examines how cones can be added to a jack-up without adverse impacts on its operation, and without creating additional problems.
Year: 2014