Controlled installation of spudcan foundations on loose sand overlying weak clay

Offshore jack-up rigs are often used for site exploration and oil well drilling. The footings of jack-up rigs are known as spudcan foundations. The risk of rapid uncontrolled penetration of spudcan in seabed (“punch-through”) exposes jack-ups to significant risk during installation in strong over weak layered seabeds. An example for this is a thin loose sand layer overlying a weaker stratum of clay. To prevent spudcans from “punch-through”, an in-situ measurement concept is suggested in this paper to control the installation process of spudcan foundations. First, three-dimensional finite element studies using a Coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian method are carried out to simulate the penetration process. The numerical results have been validated with existing analytical solutions and centrifuge model test data. Furthermore, parametric studies are carried out to quantify the influences of the sand thickness and shear strength of the clay on the bearing capacity of spudcans. Based on the numerical studies an idea for the development of an in-situ measurement concept is suggested to control the spudcan penetration process in-situ.     

Assessing appropriate stiffness levels for spudcan foundations on dense sand

Before a jack-up can operate at a given location, a site-specific assessment of its ability to withstand a design storm during operation must be performed. During this assessment, the complex state of stress and strain under a spudcan is usually simplified to a value of foundation stiffness that is integrated as a boundary condition into the structural analysis. Soil stiffness is a critical parameter affecting the foundation and structural load distribution and displacements, and the jack-up natural period and dynamic response. The level of spudcan stiffness is an area of intense interest and debate. This paper assesses appropriate stiffness levels for numerical simulation. Utilising results from a detailed “pushover” experiment of a three-legged model jack-up on dense sand, the paper compares the experimental pushover loads and displacements on the hull and spudcans to numerical simulations using different assumptions of spudcan stiffness. These include pinned and encastré footings, linear springs and a force-resultant model based on displacement-hardening plasticity theory. Constant stiffness levels are shown to be inadequate in simulating the experimental pushover test. The non-linear degradation of stiffness associated with the latter force-resultant model is critical.     

Advances in the prediction of spudcan punch-through in double-layered soils

Punch-through failure of jack-up spudcan foundations occurs in active oil and gas drilling exploration regions, where relatively stiff soil overlies soft marine layer. Therefore, installation of spudcan foundations in such seabed formations threatens the stability of the jack-up rig. A site-specific assessment of the potential and severity of failure must be completed before the commencement of the installation. However, the accuracy of the prediction is limited by the validity of the design method currently in use. This paper presents advances in the prediction of punch-through failure of jack-up platforms in sand/stiff clay over soft clay soils. New analytical models for spudcan installation in double-layered soils are reviewed and compared to the existing methods in the ISO 19905-1 standard and SNAME standard. The capabilities and limitations of each method are summarised and recommendations are drawn for the theoretical predictions of spudcan punch-through in double-layered soils.     

自升式平台桩靴/地基承载力的数值分析

桩靴/地基承载力的准确预报是确保自升式平台进行海上插桩作业安全性的重要前提,常规的规范算法在处理复杂地基条件时存在困难。基于非线性数值分析方法,在对加载点位置、网格尺寸、地基边界等关键技术进行研究的基础上,以某400ft水深自升式平台为例,分别对海底均质土和成层土的承载力进行了研究。同时,对各土层参数的影响进行了详细分析,为探索插桩过程中地基破坏原理和承载力计算提供了一些参考。     

自升式钻井平台桩靴结构强度分析

桩靴是钻井平台的重要支撑构件,其结构强度对整个钻井平台的安全起着至关重要的作用。以某自升式钻井平台桩靴为研究对象,根据ABS(美国船级社)规范要求,建立桩靴结构强度的力学模型,并合理简化,分析了预压载和自存两种工况下的设计载荷。利用有限元软件MSC.Patran/Nastran对两种工况下桩靴的强度进行分析,研究得到桩靴强度工程化分析流程以及结构强度特性,分析结果为自升式钻井平台的桩靴设计提供参考。     

自升式平台桩靴强度分析

合理的桩靴设计是立插桩式海洋自升式平台在海上安全工作的关键因素之一。以某自升式海洋平台桩靴为研究对象,利用规范和SACS软件对桩靴结构设计进行强度校核和屈曲强度分析,并对桩靴的承载力和计算方法进行研究。     

自升式钻井平台桩靴裂纹分析、处理及修复研究

桩靴是自升式平台的重要组成部分,主要作用是支撑整个平台,将平台所受的载荷传递到海床.一旦桩靴失效,将导致桩腿下沉,平台无法保持水平.文章利用有限元方法研究了自升式平台桩靴在出现裂纹后的应力水平,并研究相关的应对措施与修复方法.     

自升式平台层状地基条件下插桩过程数值模拟研究

对于采用独立式桩靴结构的自升式平台,桩靴的入泥深度是保障平台安全作业的关键问题之一。采用ABAQUS软件的Explicit求解器,以位移增量步方式计算地基极限承载力;在施加初始地应力场的前提下,引入无限元边界处理方法,考虑了土壤无限大边界条件的影响,并使用ALE自适应网格技术有效地解决了土壤模型的大变形问题;最后,将有限元计算与经验公式计算进行比对分析。结果表明,在一定预压载荷条件下,有限元计算结果能较全面精确地反映插桩结果,弥补经验公式考虑参数单一、无法解决层状土承载力之间不连续问题以及无法动态模拟插桩过程的不足。     

自升式服务平台桩靴结构优化设计

桩靴作为自升式平台的重要结构之一，在整个平台的就位和作业等方面发挥着重要作用。针对350ft自升式多功能服务平台的2种桩靴结构形式，应用MSC Patran和Nastran建立有限元模型，依据美国船级社相关规范对不同工况下2种不同形式桩靴的强度进行评估，并分别对2种桩靴的质量进行统计。对计算结果进行分析比较，并提出一些可行性建议。     

Advances in the three-dimensional fluid–structure–soil interaction analysis of offshore jack-up structures

The operation of mobile jack-up drilling rigs in harsher ocean environments requires enhanced understanding of their behaviour in storm loading conditions and suitable numerical simulation tools for the assessment of their suitability for a particular site. This paper introduces the numerical program SOS_3D, which incorporates appropriate models for the three components of the structure, the soil and the environmental loading of offshore structures like jack-ups. The program is formulated for three-dimensional (3D) analysis and provides an integrated approach to the inter-related aspects of fluid–structure–soil interaction analysis. In applying the program, results of an example jack-up subjected to both symmetric and asymmetric loading situations are compared and discussed. Quasistatic push-over analyses are used to illustrate aspects of jack-up behaviour in three dimensions. Furthermore, jack-up response to storm loading conditions is predicted in dynamic wave loading analyses, demonstrating the necessity of 3D dynamic simulations and emphasising the benefit of using a force-resultant foundation model based on plasticity theory.     

Determination of limiting cavity depths for offshore spudcan foundations in a spatially varying seabed

The importance of accurate prediction of limiting cavity depths during offshore spudcan foundations installation has been variously highlighted in the literature. Nonetheless, most of the previous research is deterministic in nature and confined to homogenous soils. Since offshore clayey soils can be highly spatially variable, there is a practical need to take proper account of the spatial variability in the prediction of limiting cavity depths. In a bid to remedy this situation, large deformation finite element calculations combined with three-dimensional random fields were repeatedly conducted in this study within a Monte-Carlo framework. The continuous penetration of a spudcan initiated from surface was explicitly modeled until a full-localized flow-around mechanism was observed. Spatial variability was found to clearly affect the soil back-flow and thereby the limiting cavity depth, the latter of which takes a range of values that can be approximately modeled as a log-normal distribution. Characteristic limiting cavity depths at various probability levels were ascertained. An algebraic expression was proposed to explicitly predict the characteristic limiting cavity depths in random soils from the fractile. Particular attention was paid to the lower and upper 5% characteristic values, which are likely to be useful for reliability-based design.     

Cyclic storm loading soil-structure interaction for a three independent leg jack-up

A 2-D analysis of the soil-structure interaction for a jack-up platform is presented. The special features of the analysis are:

• -soil behaviour modelling under cyclic loading uses elasto-plastic equations with a multiple yield surface and kinematical hardening;

• -the study is not executed on a single isolated spud-can, but on a more comprehensive structural model including the soil and a 2-D reduction of a complete jack-up structure;

• -the loading history consists of some one-hundred cycles representing two storm sea states separated by small set-up cycles.

The main result is that the bottom fixity displayed during the first storm is not significantly degraded during the second storm, even though irrecoverable displacements and rotations occur.     

冰激自升式钻井平台的动力响应分析

由于冰荷载研究的限制,冰区自升式钻井平台尚未形成基于动冰力响应分析的结构设计。为了合理地开展自升式平台结构的抗冰概念设计与安全评价研究,冰荷载下自升式钻井平台的动力响应分析是十分必要的。该文首先分析该类柔性结构在动冰荷载下的动力特性;其次,结合开展的自升式平台冰荷载模型实验研究,明确带齿条桩腿的自升式平台冰荷载作用形式;最后,对渤海某自升式钻井平台在典型冰况下进行冰振动力响应分析。文中的研究对冰区自升式钻井平台抗冰设计及冰振安全评估提供了合理的参考。     

Hysteretic damping model for laterally loaded piles

Fatigue assessment is a critical design aspect for many offshore structures. Soil-foundation interaction has a direct impact on the system dynamic response of these structures. While the stiffness of the soil-foundation interaction influences the system's natural frequency, the damping influences the amplification of the structural response to environmental excitations. This paper presents a simplified model for estimating the soil damping due to nonlinear soil response for pile foundations, which have wide applications in the offshore industry, such as for supporting jacket platforms, wind turbines and wellhead facilities. The proposed model is fundamentally linked to the damping response of the soil measured at element level therefore it offers design engineers an efficient and accurate way to estimate soil-pile interaction damping based on site-specific soil data. Approaches to include the suggested model for structural analysis are also proposed.     

风电安装平台插桩过程的试验与理论研究

针对风电安装平台在多层土中的插桩过程,通过现场取样测试获取土壤的物理参数,并通过插桩试验得到其平均插桩深度,以此建立插桩过程的数值模型,对插桩阻力与深度的变化规律以及土壤的流动失效机制进行了研究。结果表明,经验法选取土壤弹性模量与实际相差较大,试验测出的平均插桩深度为7.3m;数值结果与试验结果吻合良好,证明了理论模型的正确性;土壤发生了表面隆起、空腔形成、壁面坍塌和土壤回流四种失效模式。     

桩基建模方法对自升式钻井平台动力响应的影响

随着海洋油气开采作业水深的不断增加,海洋平台固有频率随之降低,易与相同频率成分的波浪产生共振,因此对平台动力响应特性研究是非常有必要的,而桩基模型在平台动力响应分析中发挥着关键作用。以某400英尺自升式钻井平台研究对象,基于等效建模的思想,分别建立了固支桩基、铰接桩基、线性弹簧桩基及非线性弹簧桩基四种有限元模型,并对其进行静力分析、模态分析及瞬态动力学分析,通过对比得到的振动频率、动力放大因子及波流惯性力,得出弹簧桩基模型在平台动力响应分析中的有效性及合理性结论。     

121.92m（400ft）自升式钻井船极限水深条件下插桩预测

根据南海121.92 m（400 ft）水深海域的海底土质特性,利用静力触探试验测试结果预测海底土的承载力,进而确定自升式钻井船插桩深度范围。结合理论计算和现场实际,得出南海121.92 m（400 ft）水深海域的自升式钻井船桩腿入泥深度数据库。     

Aspects of the stability of jack-up spud-can foundations

A three-level procedure for assessing jack-up foundation stability for more or less homogenous soils is described. The objective is to provide a rational framework for these assessments that ensures their safe operation in extended year-round operations and enables their use in deeper waters than at present.

The three levels of the procedure have to be entered successively as long as foundation stability cannot be proven. The first level is a screening exercise and essentially replaces the well-known preload check. The second level compares factored foundation loads resulting from a structural analysis with foundation capacities obtained with ultimate bearing capacity formulae. The most refined third level assesses whether the displacements associated with these loads lead to an acceptable situation, i.e. capacity increase and/or load redistribution that does not result in collapse of the jack-up unit.

Since, for maximum benefit, this third-stage analysis requires a non-linear foundation model to be linked with the structural package used: such a tool is provided in the paper. Examples are given to demonstrate the impact of the assessment procedure.

This procedure forms part of the overall in-house approach to the assessment of jack-ups and has already been offered to the jack-up industry as part of the continuing efforts towards establishing common and accepted standards for jack-up assessments. Further developments have been identified and will be pursued.     

自升式钻井平台抗滑移能力分析

在理论公式的基础上,通过Abaqus软件模拟桩靴在土壤中的滑移过程,建立一种分析桩靴抗滑移阻力数值方法.首先研究各船级社抗滑移理论公式;在此基础上,建立桩靴-土系统有限元模型,利用CEL方法,建立研究所需工况,研究土体受力产生流动变形,得出抗滑移阻力数值解和土壤流动机制;最后将抗滑移阻力理论解与数值解进行对比分析与讨论.弥补现有理论公式不足,为计算桩靴抗滑移阻力提供一种精确的方法.     

自升式平台作业适应性分析

自升式平台在较大水深海域及恶劣环境条件下的作业安全性受到威胁,常规的作业适应性分析方法不能满足科学决策的需要,为此研究了平台整体安全性能与作业区域环境条件的匹配性.以海洋石油HYSY93*平台为例,通过作业水深适应性、桩基稳定性、结构完整性等分析,研究平台适应性评估的分析方法.结果表明,该平台在某海域只适合于非台风季作业。