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Arctic

Response to Spray Ice Structures to Ice, Atmospheric, and Oceanographic Forces

The objective was to determine the response of spray ice barriers and spray ice islands to environmental forcing functions. This study used photogrammetric analysis to quantify the original geometry of the spray ice barrier placed around Exxon's CIDS Platform, during the winter of 1984; and to determine how the barrier reacted to ice movements. The analysis included a quantification of the frequency and magnitude of winter ice movements and the amount of erosion of the spray ice barrier during the pre-breakup and post-breakup periods.

Chukchi Sea Transportation Cost Comparison Study

This was a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to study the feasibility and reliability of transporting hydrocarbons from the proposed lease sale areas to shore by pipelines, oil tankers, or combinations of the two systems. Terminals and support facilities were considered in the feasibility study. This study was performed in two stages. The first consisted of data collection and evaluation, defining the study criteria, and screening all possible transportation options. Stage II consisted of a more detailed technical and economic evaluation of transportation options selected in Stage I.

Feasibility of Production, Loading and Storage Systems for the North Aleutian Basin

This is a Joint Industry Project (JIP) with five oil companies. The purpose of the project was to study the safety, feasibility, and cost of production systems required to produce oil and gas in Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale 92. It examined the feasibility of both steel jackets and concrete gravity platforms, as well as a tanker based floating production, storage and loading system with subsea completion and marine riser.

Measurement of Ice Stress Around a Caisson Retained Island in the Beaufort Sea

This was a joint industry project (JIP) with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to measure forces transferred through ice rubble around an offshore Arctic structure. In-situ ice stress measurements were obtained adjacent to an instrumented caisson structure in Mackenzie Bay and in the ice rubble surrounding the structure. Plausible mechanisms for the transmission of ice loads through the ice rubble field to the structure were evaluated.

TAP-098-Punching Shear Resistance of Concrete Offshore Structures for the Arctic

This a joint industry/Government project with five participants from industry. This is a continuation of Project No. 53 and a result of the MMS-sponsored International Workshop on the Performance of Offshore Concrete Structures in the Arctic Environment. The emphasis of this project is on problems associated with structural deterioration due to the extreme temperature and large concentrated forces caused by moving sea ice. Punching shear tests will be carried out in conjunction with analytical studies.

Engineering Properties of Multi-year Ridge Sea Ice

This project was a continuation of the Joint Industry Project (JIP) No. 40. The initial work at CRREL on Phases I and II of the project consisted of collecting ice samples from the field and conducting uniaxial and multiaxial load test on the samples. Phase III of the project, sponsored by the Shell Development Company, will supplement the initial tests at CRREL and will make the data set more complete and usable. Phase III of this Joint Industry Project (JIP) will be conducted at GEOTECH in Calgary, Canada.

Probability Based Design Criteria for Ice Loads on Fixed Structures in the Beaufort Sea

This was a Joint Industry Project (JIP). The objective of this project was to develop a probabilistic ice load model for the Beaufort Sea which can be used to choose realistic, site-specific, design criteria for ice based on a measure of the load exceedance probabilistics. This included defining realistic ice load scenarios to describe ice conditions in different seasons at various locations and the development of probabilistic measures for the frequency and severity of each scenario based on sound statistical methods.

Structural Icing Study, St. George Basin

The objective was to assess the current knowledge of ice accretion on offshore structures in the Arctic, with emphasis on the St. George Basin. This is an adjunct project to Projects Number 56 and 61. Using industry sources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) supervised the installation of sensors on two mobile drilling rigs operating in the St. George Basin.

Evaluation of Short, Large-Diameter Piles for Arctic Applications

The objective was to evaluate the current state-of-knowledge of multiple large-diameter piles (spuds) as an effective part of the foundation system for gravity structures in the Arctic. A literature survey was performed and analysis was conducted to investigate the sensitivity of critical design parameters for spud pile foundations. Analytical tools for spud pile design were evaluated and recommendations for design guidelines were made.

TAP-089-Wave Erosion of a Frozen Berm

The objective was to examine the process of wave erosion of frozen or partially frozen slopes. A specific application is the erosion of proposed unprotected causeway berms and gravel islands to be constructed in the Arctic. The rate of erosion and the type of scope protection required were identified. Tests were conducted at prototype scale to correctly model the thermal erosion into the frozen slope. The resiliency of the frozen gravel core to limited wave attack were also established.

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