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ESDEPWG15A
STRUCTURALSYSTEMS:OFFSHORE

Lecture15A.9:Installation
OBJECTIVE
Todescribethegeneralmethodsofjacketinstallation.Todiscussthevariousstagesofoperationfromloadoutthroughoffshorepositioningand
installation,includingconstructionpracticesandequipment.Toindicatethecalculationsnormallyinvolved.
PREREQUISITES
Lectures15A.1:OffshoreStructures:GeneralIntroduction
RELATEDLECTURES
Lectures3.1:GeneralFabricationofSteelStructures
Lectures3.2:Erection
Lecture3.3:PrinciplesofWelding
Lecture3.4:WeldingProcesses
Lectures15A:StructuralSystems:Offshore
SUMMARY
Thephasesofinstallationofasteeljacketloadout,seafastening,offshoretransportationandinstallationaredescribedandtheassociated
analysesareindicated.

1.INTRODUCTION
1.1ProjectPhases
Asteeljacketinstallationusuallyconsistsofthefollowingprojectphases:
LoadoutComprisesthemovementofthecompletedstructureontothebargewhichwilltransportitoffshore.
SeafasteningComprisesfittingandweldingsufficientstructurebetweenthestructureandthebargetopreventthejacketshiftingduringtransit
totheoffshoresite.
OffshoreTransportationComprisesthetowtothelocationoffshoreandarrivalofthebargeattheoffshoresitewiththeseafastenedstructure.
InstallationComprisestheseriesofactivitiesrequiredtoplacethestructureinthefinaloffshorelocation.Theseactivitiesincludejacketliftand
upending,positioning,pileinstallation,jacketlevellingandgrouting,togetherwithsupportservicesfortheseactivities.

1.2ConstructionPhilosophy
Indecidinghowbesttofabricate(i.e.verticaloronitsside)andinstall(i.e.lifted,launchedorselffloating)agivenjacket,theoptionsare
principallydeterminedbytheinstallationequipmentavailableandthejacket'sintendedwaterdepth.Ingeneral,thepreferenceistoliftthejacket
intolocation.Themotivationforthisinstallationmethod,ratherthanthemoretraditionalbargelaunching,isareluctancetospendmoneyon
jacketsteelworkwhichwillonlybeusedduringthetemporaryinstallationphase.Thesizeofsuchliftedjacketshasbeenincreasingasoffshore
liftingcapacityhasgrown.Withmodernliftingcapacitynowupto14000tonnes(seeTable1),jacketsapproachingthisorderofmagnitudeare
nowcandidatesforliftingintoposition.
Figure1showshowthe6000tonnejacketfortheKittiwakefieldintheNorthSeawasliftedfromthebargeintothewaterandupendedina
continuousoperation,endingwiththejacketontheseabedreadyforpiling.Theadvantageofthisapproachisthatthejacket,beingloweredinto
thewater,doesnotrequirethelaunchframesnecessaryforlaunchingfromabarge.Also,sincetheweightofthejacketistakenbythecranes
throughout,thereisnoneedforspecialbuoyancytanksanddeballastingsystems.

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Jacketsdestinedfordeeperwaterareheavierandareusuallyerectedontheirsideandlaunchedfromabarge(Figure2).Thismethodof
constructioniscurrentlyapplicableforjacketsupto25000tonnes.Alaunchedjacketusuallyrequiresadditionalbuoyancytankswithextensive
pipeworkandvalvingtoenablethelegsandtankstobefloodedinordertoballastthejacketintotheverticalpositiononsite.Forinstance,inthe
caseoftheBrae'B'jacket(alarge19000tonnejacketinstalledin100mwaterdepthintheNorthSea)itwasnecessarytoprovide11000tonnesof
additionalbuoyancy.Thisbuoyancywasprimarilytolimitthejackettrajectorythroughlaunch(i.e.tostopithittingtheseabed)butwasalso
essentialformaintainingbottomclearanceduringupending.Theadditionalbuoyancytooktheformoftwo'saddle'tanks,twopairsoftwin
'piggybanktanks'andtwelve'cigar'tubesinstalleddownthepileguides(Figure3).Altogethertheauxiliarybuoyancyaddedabout3,300tonnes
additionalweighttothejacket.

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Verylargejackets,inexcessoflaunchcapacity,havebeenconstructedasselffloatersinagravingdock,towedoffshoresubsequenttoflooding
thedock,andinstalledonlocationbymeansofcontrolledfloodingofthelegs(seeFigure4).

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1.3InstallationPlanning
Theinstallationofajacketconsistsofloadingout,seafasteningandtransportingthestructuretotheinstallationsite,positioningthejacketonthe
siteandachievingastablestructureinaccordancewiththedesigndrawingsandspecifications,inanticipationofinstallationoftheplatform
topsides.
Animportantaspectistheavoidanceofunacceptableriskduringoffshoreactivitiesfromloadoutthroughtoplatformcompletion.Itisrecognised
thatthepotentialcosttotheprojectassociatedwithfailuretosuccessfullyexecutemarineactivitiesisparticularlyhigh.Normallythereforethe
contractorisobligedtoproduceproceduresfortheseactivitieswhichdemonstratethattheriskoffailurehasbeenreducedtoacceptablelevels.He
isalsorequiredtodemonstratethat,priortothecommencementofanactivity,allthenecessarypreparationshavebeencompleted.
Aninstallationplanmustbepreparedforeachinstallation.Theplanwillincludethemethodandproceduresdevelopedfortheloadout,
seafasteningandtransportationandforthecompleteinstallationofthejacket,piles,superstructureandequipment.Dependingonthecomplexity
oftheinstallation,detailedproceduresandinstructionsmaybeneededforspecialitemssuchasgrouting,diving,weldinginspections,etc.
Limitationsonthevariousoperationsduetofactorssuchasenvironmentalconditions,bargestability,liftingcapacity,etc.mustbedefined.The
installationplanisnormallysubdividedintophases,e.g.,loadout,seafastening,transportationandinstallation.
Installationdrawings,specificationsandproceduresmustbepreparedshowingallthepertinentinformationnecessaryforconstructionofthetotal
facilityonlocationatsea.Thesedrawingstypicallyincludedetailsofallinspectionaidssuchasliftingeyes,launchrunnersortrusses,jacking
brackets,stabbingpoints,etc.Forjacketsinstalledbyflotationorlaunching,drawingsshowinglaunching,upendingandflotationprocedures
mustbeprepared.Inaddition,detailsarealsoprovidedforpiping,valvingandcontrolsoftheflotationsystem,etc.aswellasbargearrangements
andtiedowndetails.
Theengineeringinputintoanoffshoreinstallationprojectalsoinvolvesthedesignofalltemporarybracing,seafastenings,rigging,slings,
shacklesandinstallationaids,etc.Thesemustbedesignedinaccordancewithanapprovedoffshoredesigncode,e.g.APIRP2A[1].
Qualitymanagementisavitalandintegralcomponentofalloffshoreinstallationprojects.AgeneralnoteonQualityAssuranceforOffshore
ConstructionisappendedtoLecture15A.8:Fabrication.Itisequallyapplicabletoanoffshoreinstallationproject.

2.LOADOUTANDSEAFASTENING
Loadoutentailsthemovementofthecompletedstructureontothebargewhichwilltransportitoffshore.Seafasteningentailsfittingandwelding
sufficienttiesbetweenthejacketandthebargetopreventthejacketshiftingwhileintransittotheoffshoresite.
Jacketswhichhavebeenfabricatedontheirsideareusuallyloadedbyskiddingtheentirestructureontoacargoorlaunchbarge.Duringloadout,
thejacketissupportedontheskidways,usuallyontwoinnerlegsofthejacket,seeFig.9ofLecture15A.1.Thelegsfunctionasthebottom
chordofalargetruss,whichcanspanbetweenpointsofsupport,especiallywhenpartofthejacketisonthebargeandpartstillontheskidways.
Wherejacketsarefabricatedinthevertical,i.e.inthesameattitudeasthefinalinstallation,theymaybeliftedontothebargeorskiddedout.In
thislattercase,adequatetemporarypadsandbracesmustbeprovidedunderthecolumnstodistributetheloadsduringskidding.
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Initialfrictionofthejacketontheskidwaysmaybeashighas15percent,especiallyifthejackethasbeenerectedwithitsweightbearing
continuouslyontheskidway.Insomecasesthejacketisinitiallyfabricatedslightlyabovetheskidwaysusinghydraulicorsandjacks.Then,at
thetimeofloadout,thejacketisloweredontotheskidways.Toreducetheslidingfriction,greaseonhardwood,orheavylubricatingoilonsteel,
orevenfibrefilledTeflonfacedpads,areused.Valuesofslidingfrictionaslowas3percentareusuallyattained.
Thebargeshouldbeofadequatesizeandstructuralstrengthtoensurethatthestabilityandstaticanddynamicstressesinthebargeand
seafasteningsduetotheloadingoperationandduringtransportationremainwithinacceptablelimits.Thebargemustalsohavethecapabilityto
launchthejacket,ifthisisrequired,withouttheuseofaderrickbarge.Forabargewhichfloatsduringtheloadout,theballastsystemmustbe
capableofcompensatingthechangesintideandloading.Itisusualinthiscasetoloadoutonarisingtidesothatthetideassiststheballast
system.Inthecaseofabargewhichwillbegroundedduringloadout,thebargemusthavesufficientstructuralstrengthtodistributethe
concentrateddeckloadstothesupportingfoundationmaterial.
Thejacketmustbeloadedinsuchamannerthatthebargeisinabalancedandstablecondition.Bargestabilitycanbedeterminedinaccordance
withregulationssuchasthosepublishedbyNobleDenton,TheAmericanBureauofShipping,ortheUSCoastGuard.Allowablestaticand
dynamicstressesinthebargehullandframingduetoloadout,transportationandlaunchingmustnotbeexceeded.
Asimplifiedchecklistfortheoperationsrelatingtojacketloadoutmightbe:
1.Isthejacketcomplete?Hasthestructurebeenanalysedforloadoutstressesonthebasisoftheactualstructureasfabricatedatthetimeof
loadout?
2.Isthelaunchbargesecurelymooredtotheloadoutdock,sothatitwon'tmoveoutduringtheloading?Isthebargeproperlymooredagainst
sidewaysmovement?
3.Ifcompressionstrutsareusedbetweenthebargeskidwaysandthoseonshore,aretheyaccuratelyalignedandsupportedsotheywon'tkick
outduringloadout?Havethepulllines,shackles,andpadeyesbeeninspectedtoensuretheyareproperlyinstalledandcan'tfoulduring
loadout?
4.Canthebargebeproperlyballasted?Ifthetidewillvaryduringloadout,areballastingarrangementsadequate?Willballastbeadjustedas
theweightofthejacketgoesontothebarge?Aretherepropercontrols?Isthereanadequatestandbyballastsystem?Aretherebackup
systemstopullthejacketbacktoshoreifanythinggoeswrongduringloadout?Iftheballastcorrectionistobemadeiteratively,stepby
stepasthejacketisloaded,arethereclearpaintmarkssothateachstepcanbeclearlyidentified?
5.Haveclearlinesofsupervisionandcontrolbeenestablished?Arethevoiceradiochannelschecked?Havethemarinesurveyorsbeen
notifiedsothattheycanbepresent?Owner'srepresentatives?CertifyingAuthority?Havetheirapprovalsbeenreceived?
Oncethejacketisonthebarge,thebargemustbeballastedfortransportation.Duringloadout,manytankswillbepartiallyfull,inordertocontrol
deckelevationandtrim.However,withthejacketfullysupportedonthebarge,theseconsiderationsarenolongerrelevantandthetankscanbe
ballastedtosuitthedemandsoftheseavoyage.Ballasttanksshouldnormallyeitherbefullorcompletelyempty,toeliminatefreesurfaceand
sloshingeffects.Thedraftandfreeboardwillhavebeencarefullyselectedtomaximisestability,andespeciallytominimisesubmersionof
projectingmembersofthejacketduringthetowandtheconsequentslamming,buoyancyandcollapseforces.
Largejacketlaunchandcargobargesarerelativelyflexiblestructuresinthatthejacketstructureisnormally(much)stiffer.Therefore,ballasting
thebargetoobtaintherequireddraftandtrimshouldpreferablybedoneatthedocksidebeforeseafasteningsareattached.Ifoneschemeof
ballastingistobeusedforashelteredchanneltowandanotherfortheopensea,theseafasteningsshouldbefreedduringthereballastingtoavoid
imposingunduestressesonthejacketlegsor,alternatively,calculationsshouldbeperformedtodemonstratethatfreeingisnotrequiredbythe
reballastingprocedure.
Seafasteningsareinstalledafterloadoutandmustbecompletedpriortosailaway.Theyaremajorstructuralsystems,subjectedtobothstaticand
dynamicloads.Whenthebargeisonthehighseasitmustbeassumedthatitcanencounterconditionswhichare"asbadascouldhavebeen
statisticallyforeseen".Accordingly,thegravityandinertialforcesinvolvedmustbecalculatedforallanticipatedbargeaccelerationsandanglesof
rollandpitchduringthedesignseaconditionsadoptedforthetow(usuallythe10yearreturnstormforthatseasonandlocation).Indetermining
thiscriteria,thereliabilityoftheshorttermweatherforecastshouldbeconsidered.Sincetheloadsaredynamic,impactmustbeminimised.
Seafasteningsshouldbeattachedtothejacketonlyatlocationsapprovedbythedesigner.Theyshouldbeattachedtothebargeatlocationswhich
arecapableofdistributingtheloadtothebargeinternalframing.Theyshouldalsobedesignedtofacilitateeasyremovalonlocation.
Seafasteningsarenormallysubjecttothesamecoderequirementsforfabricationasthejacket.

3.OFFSHORETRANSPORTATION
Thetransportationofheavycomponentsfromafabricationyardtotheoffshoresiteisacriticalactivity.Itisespeciallysointhecaseofthejacket
sincethebehaviouroftheunitusuallyinfluencestheverificationofbargestrength,thedesignofseafastenings,andindeedthedesignofthe
jacketitself.Alsotherearethepracticalaspectsoftugselection,towroute,etc.tobeconsidered.
Thesizeandpowerrequirementsofthetowingvesselsandthedesignofthetowingarrangementmustbecalculatedordeterminedfrompast
experience.Tugselectioninvolvessuchconsiderationsaslengthoftowroute,proximityofsafeharboursandtheanticipatedweatherconditions
andseastates.Asaminimumthetugsshouldbecapableofmaintainingstationina15metre/secondwindwithaccompanyingwaves.However,
thiscriteriondependsonthelocation.Forinstance,therequirementintheMediterraneanistypicallythatthemaintugshouldmaintainstation
againsta20metre/secondwind,5,0msignificantseastateand0,5metre/secondcurrent,actingsimultaneously.Weatherforecastingisprovided
throughoutthetowsothat,ifexceptionalweatherthreatens,aprearrangedportofrefugemaybesought.
Experiencehasshownthatthefirstphaseoftransportationisthemosttreacherous.Thereareseveralreasonsforthis.Intheharbourareaabigtug
cannormallyexerciseverylittlecontrolevenwithashortenedtowline.Withashorttowlinebetweentwoconsiderablemasses,thelargetugand
themuchlargerbarge/jacket,theriskofsnappingishigh.Thusitisstandardpracticetolengthenthetowlineonceoutoftheport.Also,because
ofthenatureofmanyports,closecontrolisessentialinordertoavoidthepossibilityofrunningaground.Normally,therefore,theharbourtugs
takethebargeoutundertheguidanceofapilotwhoknowstheport.Whenthebargeisoutoftheporttheproblemsarenottotallysolvedsinceit
mustbeassumedthattheworstcanhappen,i.e.thetowlinemaybreak.
Thetugmusthavesufficienttimetopickuptheemergencytowlineandcontrolthebargebeforeitdriftsintoshallowwater.Thusthedepartureis
normallysubjecttostrictweatherforecastconditionsforaperiodwhichassumesthatthespeedofthetowisbetween1and2knotsforthefirst
100nauticalmilesfromthecoast.Consequently,asaminimum,afavourable48hourweatherforecastisrequired,e.g.Force5anddecreasing.
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Oncethetowisunderway,trimwillbeadjustedtooptimisetowspeedandgivedirectionalstabilityduringtow.Usuallythebargewillbe
trimmeddownbythestern.
Thebehaviourofthejacketseafastenedtothebargemustbesatisfactorybothfromthepointofviewofstaticanddynamicstability.Bothare
verifiedbymeansofnumericalanalyses.However,particularlyforlargerstructures,thesensitivityofthedynamicanalysiswillusuallywarrant
verificationbymodeltesting.
Theintactstaticstabilitycriteriausuallyadoptedisthattherightingarmbepositivethroughoutarangeof36aboutanyaxis.Thesocalled
dynamicstabilityofwindoverturningcriteriasimplyensurethatforagivenwind,theenergywhichtendstooverturnthebargeisatleast40%
lessthanthatwhichisavailableduetotheinherentrightingstabilityofthebarge.
Inconsideringthemotionsofthejacketandbargeitisintuitivelyplausiblethatrollwillbethemostproblematicalmotion(fromthepointofview
ofbodyaccelerations)andthatthelargestrollwillbecausedbyabeamsea.Itmaybelessobvious,butneverthelesstrue,thatifthebargewidth
and,toalesserextentthelength,arereduced,therollwilldiminishandifthebargeissetata(much)deeperdraft,therollwillalsodiminish.All
oftheseconsiderationsreflectstaticpropertiesofthejacketandbarge.Improvementscanoccasionallybemadebychoosinganarrowerbarge
(althoughobviouslystabilitywillsuffer)orincreasingthedraft(althoughinthiscasestabilitymayagainsufferandpartsofthestructurewhich
werepreviously'dry'maynowbesubjectedto'slamming').Incorrect"balancing"oftheseaspectscanhaveveryseriouscost/riskimplicationsin
overallprojectterms.Thus,foralargejacket,thebargeselectionprocessisnormallyperformedataveryearlystageofthedesignprocess.

4.OFFSHOREINSTALLATION
Thissectionisconcernedwiththestagesofjacketinstallationcommencingwithremovalofthejacketfromthebargetoitsplacingontheseabed
andtemporaryonbottomstability.Lecture15A.6:Foundationscoversthesubjectofpileinstallation.

4.1RemovalofJacketfromBarge
Unlessajacketisaselffloater,itmustfirstberemovedfromthetransportationbarge.Therearetwobasicmethodsused:
launch
lift
4.1.1Launch
Thelaunchsiteisnormallyatorneartheinstallationlocation.Withheavyjacketsinshallowwateritmaybenecessarytolaunchthejacketin
deepwateratsomedistancefromtheinstallationlocationandtowthejackettosite.
Immediatelypriortolaunch,theseafasteningsecuringthejackettothebargeiscut.Thejacketisthenpulledalongthebargeskidways(which
wereusedforloadout)bywinches.Asthejacketmovestowardsthesternofthebarge,thebargestarttotiltandapointisreachedwhenthejacket
isselfsliding.Aninitialtilttothebargemayhavebeenprovidedbyballastingimmediatelypriortolaunch.Asterntrimofapproximately5is
usuallyaimedfor.
Theskidwaysterminateinrockerarmsatthesternofthebarge.Asthejacketmovesalongtheskidwaysitscentreofgravityreachesapoint
whereitisverticallyabovetherockerarmpivot.Furthermovementcausestherockerarmandjackettorotate.Thejacketwillthenslideunderits
ownselfweightintothewater.VariousstagesinthelaunchofajacketareshowninFigure1ato1d.
Onceinthewatertheselffloatingjacketisbroughtundercontrolwithlinesfromtugsand/ortheinstallationvessel.
Thejacketmustbedesignedandfabricatedtowithstandthestressescausedbythelaunch.Thiscanbeachievedeitherbystrengtheningthose
memberswhichmightbeoverstressedbythelaunchingoperation,ordesigningintothejacketaspecialtruss,commonlyreferredtoasalaunch
truss.Spacingbetweenjacketmembersorlaunchtrusseswillbedictatedbythespacingbetweenlaunchskidways.Thusajacketwillgenerally
bedesignedfromtheoutsetforinstallationbyaspecificbarge.
Oncelaunchedthejacketmustfloatwithareserveofbuoyancyinordertostopthedownwardmomentumofthejacket.Thisrequiresthejacket
tobewatertight.Itiscommonpracticetogainadditionalbuoyancybysealingjacketlegsandpilesleeveswithremovablerubberdiaphragms.
However,thereisfrequentlyaneedforevenmorebuoyancy.Thisisachievedbyaddingbuoyancytanks.Theseneedtoberemovableandare
locatedwheretheygivemostbenefit.Buoyancytanksfrompreviouslaunchesareoftenused.
Thelaunchofajacketisclearlyacriticalphaseinthelifeofthejacket.Considerabledesigneffortisrequiredinordertoensurethatthelaunch
sequenceisfeasible.Ajacketlaunchnavalanalysisisrequiredinorderto:
ensurethatanadequateslidingvelocityismaintainedduringtherockerarmrotation
verifythatthetrajectoryfollowedhasasafeseabedclearance
determinethejacketbehaviourduringlaunch
defineoperationalrequirementsduringlaunch,includingballastconfiguration
checkthestabilityofthejacketduringlaunchandwhenfreefloating.
TheplotsshowninFigures1ato1dareextractedfromsuchananalysis.Thejacketweightwas14,000tonnesandwasbeinginstalledin105
metresofwater.Theanalysisshowedthatitshouldtakeapproximately2minutesbetweenstartofselfsliding(Figure1a)andthejacketreaching
itsfinalfloatingposition(Figure1d).
4.1.2Lift
Anincreasingnumberofjacketsarebeinginstalledbydirectlift.Thistrendhasbeenencouragedbytheavailabilityoflargecranevesselssuchas
theMicoperi7000.CurvesshowingloadcapacityagainstliftingradiusareshowninFigure2.Anotherfactortendingtoincreasedirectliftjackets
aresavingsinweightthatarebeingachievedinjacketdesign.
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Inadirectliftthejacketisliftedoffthebargecompletelyinair.Asecondformofliftisthebuoyancyassistedlift.Inthiscasethebargeisflooded
andhencesubmerged.Thisresultsinpartofthejacketbeingbuoyant,reducinghookloads.Buoyancytanksmaybeaddedtothejacketif
required.
Shallowwaterjacketsmaybeliftedintheverticalposition.Inthiscasenoupendingisrequiredandinstallationisstraightforward.Deepwater
jacketswillingeneralbeliftedontheirside.Twocraneswillnormallybeused,notingthatlargederrickbargessuchastheMicoperi7000are
fittedwithtwocranesasstandard.Whenconsideringatandemliftitshouldbenotedthatitisunlikelythatbothhookswillcarrythesameload,
andthatthemaximumpermissiblejacketweightwillbelessthanthesumofthetwocranecapacities.Itshouldalsobenotedthatcranesare
frequentlyguyedbacktogivemaximumliftcapacityandcarrylessloadiftheyarerevolving.Thiscanfurtherreducetheapparentliftcapacity.
Finally,theweightofliftingslingsneedtobeconsidered,thesecontributingasmuchas7%oftheliftweight.
Whenthejacketistoberemovedfromthetransportationbargebylifting,itisnormalfortheinstallationvesseltobecorrectlymooredand
positionedsothatupendingandsetdownmayproceedasoneintegralliftoperation.
Theselectionofasuitableinstallationvesselisclearlyessential.Inadditiontoliftcapacity,itisalsonecessarytoconsiderstabilityandmotion
responsecharacteristics.IntheharshNorthSeaenvironmentsinstallationvesselsareusuallysemisubmersiblessuchastheMicoperi7000.In
moremoderatewaterstheyareoftenflatbottomedbarges.Inintermediateenvironments,e.g.,theGulfofMexico,shipshapedvesselsmaybe
used.
ThelargesemisubmersiblecranevesselsusedintheNorthSeahavefulldynamicpositioningsystemsforlocatingthemselvesonsite.Theyalso
havesophisticatedcomputercontrolledballastsystemstokeepthevessellevelduringliftingoperations.Duringalifttheballastsystemisalso
usedtocounteractheelandincreasehoistingandloweringspeedsduringthecrucialliftoffandsetdownoperations.
Thenaturalperiodoflargeinstallationvesselsinroll,pitchandheavetendtobeclosetothetypicalpeakperiodsoftheseaspectraencountered
offshore.Thesemotionsthereforepredominate.Normallythismeansthatbeamseasshouldbeavoidedsincethisexcitesrollwhichisthemost
disruptivemotion.However,the"bestattitude"isnotalwayspossiblesinceitdependsontheworkthatthevesselisrequiredtoperform.
Accordinglyvesseloperatorsperformextensivestudiestodeterminepermissibleseastatesforspecificoperationsandvesselcaptainsinvariably
"experiment"withdifferentheadingsinaparticularseainordertominimisemotionsandmaximiseworkability.
Thefirststagesinliftingajacketfromthetransportationbargeinvolvepositioningthebargeandconnectingtheslingstothehook.Thebargewill
normallybecontrolledbytugs.Onceeverythingisreadyforlifttoproceedtheseafasteningswillbecut.Thenextstageistotransfertheweight
ofthejacketfromthebargetothecrane.Thegeneralrequirementhereistoliftasrapidlyaspossible.However,carefulcontrolandphasingwith
bargeandcranevesselmotionsisrequiredinordertoensurethatoncethejacketisliftedclearofthebargeitdoesnothitthebargeasa
subsequentwavepassesthrough.Thesameliftprocedureisadoptedinbothadirectandbuoyancyassistedlift.
Oncethejacketisliftedclearofthebarge,thebargeisremovedbytugs.Upendingofthejacketwillthennormallyproceeddirectly.

4.2JacketUpendingandSetdown
Unlessajacketistransportedandliftedinitsuprightposition,itwillbenecessarytoupendthejacketattheinstallationlocation.Upendingmay
beachievedbycontrolledfloodingofbuoyancytanks,byusingacranevesselorbyacombinationofboth.
4.2.1UpendingbyBallastcontrolandFlooding
Alargecranevesselwillnotnormallyberequiredforeitheralaunchedorselffloatingjacket.Upendingisthereforeachievedbycontrolled
flooding.Asmallinstallationvesselwillusuallyberequiredfortheinstallationofpilesoncethejackethasbeensetdown,sothisisusedasthe
platformfromwhichtocontrolthevariousfloodingoperations.Thisinstallationvesselwillalsobeusedtohelppositionthejacket.
Figure3showsasketchoftheBrae'B'jacketshowingtheauxiliarybuoyancytanks.Inthiscasethefloodingsysteminvolved42primaryand22
contingencysubseavalvesunderdirecthydrauliccontrol.Thenitrogenpowersourceandassociatedcontrolpanelswerecontainedinwatertight
capsules.
Figure4showsasequenceofsketchesindicatinghowaselffloatingjacketisupended.Instep1thewaterlinecompartmentsatoneendofthe
jacketareflooded.Morewaterlinetanksarefloodedinstep2untilbystep3theupperframeofthejacketreacheswaterlineandmayalsobe
flooded.Thejacketisthenallowedtorotateuntilalllegsareequallyfloodedasinstep4.Thejacketsnaturalpositionwillthenbefloatingupright
asinstep5.Furtherfloodingofthejacketasinstep6willenablethejackettobeloweredontotheseabedinacontrolledmanner.
TheupendingofalaunchedjacketwillbesimilartothatshowninFigure4.Themaindifferenceisthattheremaybelessexcessbuoyancywith
whichtocontroltheoperation.Inthiscaseacombinationoffloodingandlift,asshowninFigure5,maybeusedtoupendandsetdownthe
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Thecraneandballastingoperationsneedtobeclearlydefinedbeforetheoperationbegins.Thisinvolvescarefulnavalanalysisofthefreefloating
positionofthejacketatvariousstagesduringtheupendingprocedure.Afeatureoftheseanalysesistheneedtoconsiderwhathappensinthe
eventofbuoyancytanksbeingaccidentallyflooded,oroffloodingvalvesfailingtooperate.Contingencyproceduresandequipmentmustbe
provided.
4.2.2Upendingusingthecranevessel
Figure5showsthemostsimpleuseofacranetoupendandsetdownajacket.Thisisacceptableforjacketsthatarelaunched.Forhorizontally
orientedjacketsthatarelifteddirectlytheprocedureismoreinvolved.
Ahorizontallyliftedjacketmaybeupendedinoneoftwoways.Perhapsthemoststraightforwardistolowerthejacketintothewatersothatit
floats.Slingscanthenberemovedandnewslingsattachedatthetopofthejacket.ThejacketmaythenbeupendedasshowninFigure5.This
mayrequireclosurestolegsandsomeadditionalbuoyancy.
Asecondmethodistoupenddirectly,asshowninFigure6.Thisrequiresspecialpadearssothatthenecessaryrotationbetweenslingsandjacket
canoccur.Carefulnavalanalysisisalsorequiredinordertocarefullydeterminehookloadsandtoensurethatthejacketremainsstable.

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Onceupendedthejacketcanbesetdownontheseabed.Sincetheliftingpointsaresubmergeddiversmayberequiredtodisconnecttheslings
fromthejacket.
AlthoughtwocranehooksareshowninFigure6,itshouldbenotedthatforlightweightjacketsitispossibletoupendusingasinglecrane.In
thiscasethemainandauxiliaryhooksareusedtogether,forexamplethemainhooktakingtheweightofthejacketwiththeauxiliaryhook
providingtheupendingforce.
Anincreasingtrendistoinstallajacketoveranexistingwellorwells.Apredrillingtemplatewillhavebeenusedtopositionthewells,thesame
templatebeingusedtopositionthejacket.Itisnecessarytoensurethatthewellheadsareprotectedfromdamageduetoaccidentalcontactwith
thejacket.
Oncesetdownthejacketshouldbepositionedatorneargradeandlevelledwithinthetolerancesspecifiedintheinstallationplan.Oncelevel,
careshouldbeexercisedtomaintaingradeandlevelnessofthejacketduringsubsequentoperations.Levellingthejacketafterallpileshavebeen
installedshouldbeavoidedifatallpossibleasitiscostlyandfrequentlyineffective.Ifnecessary,levellingshouldtakeplaceafteraminimum
numberofpileshavebeendrivenbyjackingorlifting.Inthisinstanceproceduresshouldbeusedtominimisebendingstressesinthepiles.

4.3OnbottomStability
Oncesetdownontheseabed,itisnormalforpilingtoproceedasrapidlyaspossible.However,thisfarintotheinstallationprocedurethe
weatherandhenceseaconditionsmaybedetioriating.Thisisaresultoflongtermweatherforecastingbeinglessreliablethanshortterm
forecasting.Itshouldalsobenotedthatanyproblemsencounteredduringtheinstallationprocedurewillresultindelayandthatitmaybesome
timebeforethejacketisadequatelyfixedtotheseabedbypiling.
Itisnecessaryforthejackettobestableandlevelduringpiling.Aseparateonbottomstabilityanalysisisthereforecarriedout.Threeconditions
needtobemet:
(1)verticalresistancetojacketweightandpilingloads
(2)stabilityagainstslidingunderwave/currentloading
(3)stabilityagainstoverturningunderwave/currentloading.
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Incarryingouttheaboveanalysesitisnecessarytouseanappropriateseastatetogeneratehydrodynamicloading.Thisshouldbethemaximum
statisticalwavewhichmayoccurpriortopilingbeingcompleted.Assuminginstallationtooccurinthesummermonths,atypicalcriteriamaybe
a1yearsummerstormwave.
Theprovisionsthatneedtobemadetoensureonbottomstabilityvarygreatlydependingonjacketlocation,heightandonseabedsoil
conditions.Forexample,withgoodsoilconditionsthejacketmaybeabletobesupporteddirectlyonexistingjacketsteelwithnoextraprovision
made.However,withpoorsoilconditionslarge'mudmats'mayberequiredinordertospreadtheload.Thesecaninfluencelaunchandinstallation
dynamics.
Formanyjacketsitisnotpossibletoachievestabilityagainstslidingandoverturningusingflatmudmats.Inthesecircumstancesmudmatswith
skirtsmaybeused.Skirtsconsiderablyimprovetheresistancetosliding,andinsiltyorclaysoilscanallownominaltensionloadingtoresist
overturning.Anotheroptionfrequentlyusedistostabanumberofpilesassoonasthejacketissetdown.Thesewillpenetratesomedistance
underselfweightprovidingadditionalslidingresistance.Sincemostpilesareinclined,thepilesalsoprovideadegreeofresistancetoover
turning.

5.CONCLUDINGSUMMARY
Therearebroadlyfourphasestotheinstallationofasteeljacketloadout,seafastening,offshoretransportationandinstallationoffshore.
Indecidinghowbesttofabricateandinstallagivenjacket,theoptionsareprincipallydeterminedbytheinstallationequipmentavailable
andthejacket'sintendedwaterdepth.
Aninstallationplanmustbepreparedforeachinstallation.Loadoutentailsthemovementofthecompletedstructureontothebargewhich
willtransportitoffshore.
Seafasteningentailsfittingandweldingsufficienttiesbetweenthejacketandthebargetopreventshiftingwhileintransittotheoffshore
site.
Thetransportationofheavycomponentsfromafabricationyardtotheoffshoresiteisacriticalactivityrequiringcarefulcalculationand
planning.
Removalofthejacketfromthebargeisaccomplishedeitherbydirectliftingwithaderrickbargeandloweringintoposition,orby
launching.Anumberofengineeringstudiesarerequiredforjacketlaunchandsetdown.

6.REFERENCES
[1]APIRP2A,RecommendedPracticeforPlanning,DesigningandConstructionofFixedOffshoreInstallations,latestedition.Engineering
designprinciplesandpracticesthathaveevolvedduringthedevelopmentofoffshoreoilresources.

7.ADDITIONALREADING
1.DetNorskeVeritasMarineOperationsRecommendedPracticeRP5Lifting(June1985).Principlesandgoodpracticeforoffshoreheavy
lifts.
2.AISCSpecificationfortheDesign,FabricationandErectionofStructuralSteelforBuildings,latestedition.APIcodereferstothis
specificationforcalculationofbasicallowablestressesofalljacketmembers.
3.AWSStructuralWeldingCodeAWSD1.188.AlljacketweldingandweldprocedurequalificationsarerequiredbytheAPIcodetobe
undertakeninaccordancewiththiscode.
4.DetNorskeVeritas,RulesfortheDesign,ConstructionandInspectionofOffshoreStructures,1977.Rulesforconstructionandinstallation
ofsteeljacketsasrequiredbyDNV.
5.LloydsRegisterofShipping,RulesandRegulationsfortheClassificationofFixedOffshoreInstallations,1989.BasedonLloyd's
experiencefromcertificationofover500platformsworldwide.
Operator

Name

Type

Mode

LiftingCapacity

Heerema

Thor

Monohull

Fix

2720

Rev

1820

Fix

2720

Rev

2450

Fix

4536+3628=8164

Rev

3630+2720=6350

Fix

3630+2720=6350

Rev

3000+2000=5000

Fix

4000

Rev

3800

Fix

1820

Rev

1450

Fix

3360

Odin

Hermod

Balder

McDermott

DB50

DB100

DB101

Monohull

Semisub

Semisub

Monohull

Semisub

Semisub

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Rev

2450

DB102

Semisub

Rev

6000+6000=12000

M7000

Semisub

Rev

7000+7000=14000

Notes:
1.Ratedliftingcapacityinmetrictonnes
2.Whenthecranevesselsareprovidedwithtwocranes,thesearesituatedatthevesselssternatapproximately60mdistancectc.
Table1MajorOffshoreCraneVessels
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