Compliant offshore structure stabilized by resilient pile assemblies

Patent · Tue Jan 26 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5464227

Piazza, M P; Gunderson, R H; Burns, J Q; Lunde, P A

A compliant offshore platform is described comprising: a vertically extending tower having a bottom end portion proximate the ocean bottom; piles extending upward from the ocean bottom adjacent the tower; and resilient coupling elements, each of the coupling elements resliently securing the tower to one of the piles. The coupling elements include: a coupling housing defining a vertically extending cylindrical recess; a first sleeve situated at an upper position within the housing to define an upper annular region intermediate housing and and first sleeve; a second sleeve situated at a lower position within the housing to define a lower annular region intermediate housing and second sleeve; elastomeric material occupying at least a portion of each annular region, the elastomeric material having a radially outer surface supported by the housing and a radially inner face supported by the corresponding one of the sleeves, whereby loads are transferred from the housing to the sleeve through deformation of the elastomeric material; and one of the sleeves being secured to one of the piles and the other of the sleeves being secured to the tower, whereby movement of the tower relative to the pile is resiliently resisted by deformation of the elastomeric material.

• Assignee: Exxon Production Research Co., Houston, TX
• Patent Number(s): US 4721417
• OSTI ID: 5464227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
42 ENGINEERING
420206 -- Engineering-- Mining & Drilling Equipment & Facilities-- (1980-1989)
COUPLINGS
DESIGN
ELASTOMERS
FOUNDATIONS
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
NATURAL GAS WELLS
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
OIL WELLS
POLYMERS
SLEEVES
SUPPORTS
WELLS