Deep Penetrating Anchors - a cost effective anchoring solution for mooring oil and gas facilities in deep water. The offshore oil and gas industry is currently directing considerable research efforts towards the development of cost-effective anchoring solutions suitable for mooring floating installations in deep water. This project aims to enhance the limited understanding of the Deep Penetrating Anchor (DPA), which has been identified as having the most potential to meet industry demands as it ....Deep Penetrating Anchors - a cost effective anchoring solution for mooring oil and gas facilities in deep water. The offshore oil and gas industry is currently directing considerable research efforts towards the development of cost-effective anchoring solutions suitable for mooring floating installations in deep water. This project aims to enhance the limited understanding of the Deep Penetrating Anchor (DPA), which has been identified as having the most potential to meet industry demands as it extends the current water depth limit of 2000 metres. Successful completion of this project will result in a DPA experimental database that will not only form the basis for predicting anchor performance, but will also serve as a means of validating robust and versatile design tools that can be used in offshore engineering practice.Read moreRead less
A novel foundation to extend the operation of mobile structures into deeper water. Oil and gas is a key industry in Australia, contributing A$17 billion to the economy. However, with the large accessible reserves in shallower waters becoming exhausted, Australian oil and gas companies require new technologies to extend their capabilities. The research in this proposal addresses this concern, providing an extension of the operational depth range of mobile jack-up platforms from 120 to 200 m. This ....A novel foundation to extend the operation of mobile structures into deeper water. Oil and gas is a key industry in Australia, contributing A$17 billion to the economy. However, with the large accessible reserves in shallower waters becoming exhausted, Australian oil and gas companies require new technologies to extend their capabilities. The research in this proposal addresses this concern, providing an extension of the operational depth range of mobile jack-up platforms from 120 to 200 m. This creates the opportunity to develop the significant number of Australia's smaller gas fields that are currently uneconomical to exploit. The proposed project will contribute to the future competitiveness of Australia's oil and gas industry and ensuring energy supply for the sustained growth of the Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Application of flow-round penetrometers for characterising soft sediments. Soft sediments present unique challenges in geotechnical engineering due to their sensitivity to disturbance during sampling. Strength measurement therefore relies on field tests, and novel penetrometers that force soil to flow around the probe have the potential for significantly improved accuracy compared with conventional cone penetrometers. The project aims to establish a definitive framework for interpreting result ....Application of flow-round penetrometers for characterising soft sediments. Soft sediments present unique challenges in geotechnical engineering due to their sensitivity to disturbance during sampling. Strength measurement therefore relies on field tests, and novel penetrometers that force soil to flow around the probe have the potential for significantly improved accuracy compared with conventional cone penetrometers. The project aims to establish a definitive framework for interpreting results of field tests using flow-round penetrometers, through careful comparison of laboratory and field strength measurements. Applications of the work range from characterising deepwater sediments for offshore developments, to monitoring the strength of pastes in the mining and materials handling industries.Read moreRead less
Physical modelling of on-bottom pipelines and offshore anchoring systems. The collaborative research programme will consist of physical modelling of suction caissons, piles and pipeline sections in order to advance the geotechnical design of deepwater facilities for offshore hydrocarbon production. The collaboration will underpin new technologies, such as steel catenary risers and suction caissons for deepwater anchoring, providing benchmark data for the validation of analysis tools. Benefits al ....Physical modelling of on-bottom pipelines and offshore anchoring systems. The collaborative research programme will consist of physical modelling of suction caissons, piles and pipeline sections in order to advance the geotechnical design of deepwater facilities for offshore hydrocarbon production. The collaboration will underpin new technologies, such as steel catenary risers and suction caissons for deepwater anchoring, providing benchmark data for the validation of analysis tools. Benefits also include the exchange of recent technical advances between geotechnical centrifuge facilities in Australia, France and the UK, all of whom are active in modelling offshore foundation systems, ensuring that Australian research remains at the forefront of world best-practice.Read moreRead less
Follower-embedded plate anchors to underpin economic development in ultra deep water. Oil and gas is a key Australian industry, worth over $15 billion annually. In order to maintain current hydrocarbon production levels, Australian offshore oil and gas companies are extending their capabilities beyond the 2000 metre water depth limit. The offshore industry has identified economic and geotechnical limitations of current anchoring technology to be the major challenge that must be overcome in order ....Follower-embedded plate anchors to underpin economic development in ultra deep water. Oil and gas is a key Australian industry, worth over $15 billion annually. In order to maintain current hydrocarbon production levels, Australian offshore oil and gas companies are extending their capabilities beyond the 2000 metre water depth limit. The offshore industry has identified economic and geotechnical limitations of current anchoring technology to be the major challenge that must be overcome in order to make this transition into deep and ultra-deep water. The research proposed in this project focuses directly on this critical issue, with potential for immediate application to the Australian offshore oil and gas industry, and ensuring the continued viability of the key oil and gas industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Geotechnical engineering solutions for deep-water oil and gas developments. Offshore extraction of oil and gas lies at the heart of Australia's prosperity, but faces escalating challenges in water depths already in excess of 1 km and approaching 3 km. Safe and economic design of seabed systems and pipelines requires novel techniques for assessing the engineering properties of seabed sediments, and for foundation and anchoring systems that must withstand extreme loading conditions. This project c ....Geotechnical engineering solutions for deep-water oil and gas developments. Offshore extraction of oil and gas lies at the heart of Australia's prosperity, but faces escalating challenges in water depths already in excess of 1 km and approaching 3 km. Safe and economic design of seabed systems and pipelines requires novel techniques for assessing the engineering properties of seabed sediments, and for foundation and anchoring systems that must withstand extreme loading conditions. This project contributes to future exploitation of offshore hydrocarbon reserves, by developing new technology and improved reliability in offshore geotechnical design, with consequential benefits to our economy and in minimising impact on the marine environment. Read moreRead less
Shallow foundation solutions for offshore oil and gas facilities. This research will develop reliable predictions of limit loads for offshore skirted shallow foundations to replace current industry design guidelines that are excessively conservative. This project has direct application to the design of the range of established skirted shallow foundation systems for offshore structures as well as new concept hybrid production platforms and liquefied natural gas terminals designed to be buoyant af ....Shallow foundation solutions for offshore oil and gas facilities. This research will develop reliable predictions of limit loads for offshore skirted shallow foundations to replace current industry design guidelines that are excessively conservative. This project has direct application to the design of the range of established skirted shallow foundation systems for offshore structures as well as new concept hybrid production platforms and liquefied natural gas terminals designed to be buoyant after offloading, thus imparting a sustained uplift on the foundation. The direct economic benefit of this research would be in the region of $3-5M per project. Continued development of Australia's offshore resources will provide jobs for many Australians and sustain an essential market of the Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Application of field penetrometer data to offshore geotechnical design in deep water. Offshore oil and gas extraction is a $17 billion/year industry and a major component of GDP, but facing increasing challenges in Australia as exploration extends into water depths exceeding 1 km. In order to develop safe and economic facilities in these environments, solutions to significant technical challenges are required, ranging from new technology to assess the strength of seabed soils, to formulating res ....Application of field penetrometer data to offshore geotechnical design in deep water. Offshore oil and gas extraction is a $17 billion/year industry and a major component of GDP, but facing increasing challenges in Australia as exploration extends into water depths exceeding 1 km. In order to develop safe and economic facilities in these environments, solutions to significant technical challenges are required, ranging from new technology to assess the strength of seabed soils, to formulating response models for oil and gas pipelines and shallow foundations or anchoring systems. This project contributes to future exploitation of offshore hydrocarbon reserves while minimising impact on the marine environment; it brings direct benefits to our economy and helps maintain our world leadership in offshore geotechnical research.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100903
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$394,020.00
Summary
Advanced numerical and physical modelling of dynamically penetrating anchors for deep water oil and gas developments. Dynamically penetrating anchors (DPAs) are a recent and promising mooring concept for deep water oil and gas developments. Yet, the application of dynamically penetrating anchors remains limited due to a lack of understanding of their performance during dynamic installation and monotonic pull-out and because there are no robust models to simulate these processes. This project wil ....Advanced numerical and physical modelling of dynamically penetrating anchors for deep water oil and gas developments. Dynamically penetrating anchors (DPAs) are a recent and promising mooring concept for deep water oil and gas developments. Yet, the application of dynamically penetrating anchors remains limited due to a lack of understanding of their performance during dynamic installation and monotonic pull-out and because there are no robust models to simulate these processes. This project will advance numerical and physical models of dynamically penetrating anchors impacting the seafloor and embedding into the sediment, and rotating to align with the mooring line upon pull-out. This will lead to accurate predictions for both installation and operation. Robustness will be ensured by accounting for the actual failure mechanisms, high strain rates, potential anchor diving and characteristics of calcareous silt.Read moreRead less
Investigation of alternative footing shapes to mitigate instabilities during installation of offshore drilling platforms. Spudcan footings are used to support three legged mobile drilling rigs, exploring and extracting oil and gas in water depths of up to 150 metres. Despite efforts by the industry to minimise the risks during rig installation, punch-through incidents (i.e. unexpected rapid penetration of the footings) and bending of the leg whilst installing the spudcan next to a footprint (poc ....Investigation of alternative footing shapes to mitigate instabilities during installation of offshore drilling platforms. Spudcan footings are used to support three legged mobile drilling rigs, exploring and extracting oil and gas in water depths of up to 150 metres. Despite efforts by the industry to minimise the risks during rig installation, punch-through incidents (i.e. unexpected rapid penetration of the footings) and bending of the leg whilst installing the spudcan next to a footprint (pockmark from previous rig installation) continue to occur at an increasing rate, causing economic loss of $5 to50 million per incident. Combining advanced physical and numerical modelling, this project aims to develop optimised spudcan shapes, and corresponding design approaches and guidelines, to mitigate these risks, ensuring safe installation of rigs in hazardous regions.Read moreRead less