Author(s): B. W. Graham; R. E. Potter; K. N. Wood; G. Comfort
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The high cost of exploration drilling in the Canadian and U. S. Beaufort Sea regions has led to the search for innovative, economical solutions to the problem of providing a stable drilling platform. One such solution might be the rubble-protection concept. The concept relies on the stability of heavily grounded ice rubble, as observed around the artificial islands now in use, to provide protection against movements of thick ice. It is being proposed for use in regions which experience significant movements of thin ice after freeze-up and then becane landfast. Field tests and model tests have played a major role in the current development of this concept. This paper discusses the model tests conducted in 1982 and 1983 at two different scales, 1:11.5 and 1:5, and with two different modeling materials. The smaller scale tests were conducted using synthetic model ice at the Arctec Canada Limited Calgary basin and the larger scale tests using saline ice in the Esso Resources large outdoor basin. The primary objectives of the tests were, firstly, to develop a structural configuration that would reliably break thin ice and cause it to ground; and, secondly, to develop design loads for the structures and verify the stability of the grounded ice. The evolution of the structural layout is discussed, beginning with the design of the fieldtested structures reported earlier. Results of both model test programs are presented aid comparisons are made between them. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the reliability of the concept.
Year: 1984