Author(s): Eleanor Bailey; Jonathon Bruce; Rocky Taylor
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: Offshore operations in Arctic and sub-Arctic environments often use pipelines as a means of transporting hydrocarbons back to shore-based facilities or as subsea tiebacks from excavated drilling centres to offshore platforms. In shallow waters drifting ice features, such as sea ice ridges and icebergs, can scour or gouge the seabed posing a threat to subsea infrastructure. The main focus of the Development of Ice Ridge Keel Strength (DIRKS) project was to investigate the failure mechanisms associated with gouging ice ridge keels. This was investigated through a series of large-scale keel-gouge tests to investigate the strength characteristics of a first-year ice keel and its subsequent failure as it was pushed into an artificial seabed over a range of speeds. The ice keels were constructed from freshwater ice blocks with the aid of a keel former that produced keels with idealized geometries of 1.7 m depth, 4 m length and 3.5 m width. During testing, the forces applied to the keel were controlled and recorded using custom built control software. Cameras were used to analyze failure processes occurring within the keel. In this paper, we focused on the influence interaction speed had on the strength and deformation behaviour of the keels produced in this test program.
Year: 2014