Hydraulic and earth engineering – Marine structure or fabrication thereof – With anchoring of structure to marine floor
Patent
1988-01-22
1989-11-21
Taylor, Dennis L.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Marine structure or fabrication thereof
With anchoring of structure to marine floor
405203, 114265, E02B 1700, B63B 3544, B63B 2150
Patent
active
048818526
ABSTRACT:
Described herein are a system for securing and tensioning the tethers 12 of a tension leg platform 10 and a TLP installation method incorporating such a system. The tethers 12 preferably extend upward from the ocean bottom 16 to a position slightly below the bottom of the unballasted TLP hull 20. At least one tether tensioning tool 26 is situated within the hull 20 for lowering a tether extender 22 to each tether 12 and then biasing each tether-tether extender unit upward to tension the tether 12. The use of a removeable tensioning tool 26 avoids the need for a dedicated tensioning system for each tether 12. The tensioning system 28 of the present invention permits use of a simplified method for installing a TLP 10. Because the tethers 12 extend to an elevation which, at least initially, is below the draft of the TLP hull 20, the tethers 12 may be installed offshore prior to hull installation. Following tether installation, the hull 20 is floated to a position above the tethers 12 and the securing and tensioning system 28 is used to lock the hull 20 to the tethers 12.
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"New Tethering Method Key to TLP Design", no author named, Ocean Engineering, Mar. 1987, pp. 22-23.
"Tension Goes on at World's First Tension Leg Platform", Hutton, Offshore Engineer, Aug. 1984, pp. 26-29.
Exxon Production Research Company
Phillips Richard F.
Ricci John A.
Taylor Dennis L.
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