The objective of this project is to evaluate the state of practice in fatigue assessment in the offshore industry today. Of interest is an understanding of how fatigue life calculations are undertaken and how both load and resistance side uncertainties are employed in design for fatigue.
This objective will be accomplished via the following tasks:
The primary objective of this project is to investigate the static and dynamic stability of various classes of TLPs under extreme hurricane and loop current conditions where one or more tendons have been lost due to damage or disconnect.
This objective will be accomplished via the following tasks:
The objective of this study was to develop design review recommendations for the connection hardware used for TLPs and similar structures such as mini-TLPs at the tops and bottoms of the tendons.
This project investigated the accuracy of non-invasive deepwater subsea inspections performed by common ROV-supported inspection tools and provided a comprehensive assessment of the knowledge gained from recent work on subrope behavior.
The objectives were:
A number of cold region offshore developments have been carried out or are planned worldwide, including Sakhalin Island (Russia), Kashagan (Caspian), Shtokman (Barents Sea) as well as in the Beaufort Sea (Northstar, PanArctic Drake). An understanding of these analogue projects, as well as those already operational or planned for the United States (e.g., Northstar and Oooguruk), will provide insight and guidance into potential exploration and development technologies that might be applied to cold regions of the Outer Continental Shelf.
The project consisted of four phases. The first phase consisted of a thorough review of the literature about torpedo piles and other seafloor penetrator experiments. The second phase consisted of developing a set of design models to predict the penetration and the capacity of torpedo piles as a function of seafloor velocity, pile geometry and soil shear strength. The third phase consisted of conducting a series of 1:30 model torpedo pile experiments at The University of Texas at Austin using their large soil bed facilities.
Aimed at development and application of numerical models for the analysis of installation, behavior and strength of torpedo anchors, this Research Project will utilize and extend earlier developments at OTRC on suction caissons in clayey soils. By virtue of ease of installation, torpedo anchors have shown promise in deep-water applications. Studies will be conducted to establish the relative significance of factors affecting the performance of torpedo anchors and variants, thus contributing toward improved design of these foundations.
Project will study failures of offshore drilling rigs, MODUs, Jackup Rigs associated with the passage of Hurricane Lili in the autumn of 2002. Develop any recommendations updates on criteria, review data from the Hurricane Andrew timeframe and the make recommendations to SNAME RP for possible future mitigation action.
The Qualifying New Technology Workshop was held in October 2002 and focused on 1) Discuss requirements and processes to qualify new technologies, 2) Develop a methodology and process that could lead to a mutually acceptable plan to MMS and Oil Industry stakeholders.
During the last 10 years, the offshore industry has shown an increasing interest in suction anchors so there is a need to calibrate safety factors for suction anchors. Suction anchors continued to be first choice, but drag-in plate anchors emerged as a potential alternative 5 years ago, especially by Petrobras in Brazil. This JIP objectives were:
Structural reliability analysis for calibration of a design code for design of suction anchors,
Develop design code for suction anchors and describe a model for use in the reliability analysis,
