Smart.Leg: A new method for heavy deck offshore installation
A new shockless floatation method, called Smart.Leg, developed by ETPM, is presented for the installation of a heavy deck on a jacket in open sea using a conventional cargo barge and specific recoverable devices. The details and advantages of the method are discussed. The paper also summarizes the dynamic analyses carried out to assess the efficiency of the specific devices; one is mounted on the barge and designed to stabilize it inside the jacket and another one is fitted inside the deck legs and designed to land the deck smoothly on the jacket. The advantages of the integrated deck concept for large offshore platforms have been widely publicized. However, so far, the installation of heavy decks in open sea using the flotation method has been limited either by the shocks to be absorbed during the mating operation or by the difficulty of maintaining the barge steady inside the jacket. With the new method and associated equipment, mating shocks are virtually eliminated and the barge is smoothly and steadily maintained within the jacket. The system allows a deck weighing up to 20,000 tons to be installed in a 2m/10s heading swell. The results of the numerical analyses performed provide crucial data on motions and forces for the design of the new floatation method. The prototype tests (scale 1/4) give precise indications about Smart.Leg parameters and the tank tests (scale 1/40) enable validation of the numerical analysis.
- OSTI ID:
- 423149
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960525--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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