Hydraulic and earth engineering – Marine structure or fabrication thereof – Floatable to site and supported by marine floor
Patent
1989-02-14
1991-04-30
Taylor, Dennis L.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Marine structure or fabrication thereof
Floatable to site and supported by marine floor
405196, 405195, E02B 1700
Patent
active
050113356
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for making a foundation for a jackable platform on a sea bottom. The platform comprises a preferably buoyant or self-floating deck, and a plurality of legs upon which the deck can be jacked up and/or down so that the platform can be moved or relocated by floating it to the desired location and then jacked up to a position above the sea surface as supported by the legs.
The present invention relates further to a means for making a foundation for a jackable platform of the before-mentioned type.
Existing platforms of the type described above possess inherent limitations in that the platform legs have limited length and strength. If such a platform is to be used in water which is deeper that the legs are designed for, the legs must be replaced and/or reinforced. Such an operation is both time consuming and expensive, especially since it would also require the mountings and/or the jack means on the deck as well as the deck structure to be modified.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to reduce the above-mentioned shortcomings and in order to facilitate a simple adaption of existing jackable platforms for use in depths greater than for which the platforms were designed, it is proposed in accordance with the present invention to detachably connect one or more tubular elements to the lower ends of the support legs. Upon submersion of the legs, the tubular elements will contact and partially penetrate the sea bottom. Thereafter, gravel or the like is supplied to the internal space in the tubular elements up to a pre-determined level. The legs are then lowered (i.e., jacked downwardly) until they rest firmly on or partially penetrate into the supplied layer of gravel or the like contained in at least one of the tubular elements. Thereafter, the self-floating platform deck is jacked up to a desired level above the sea surface. The tubular elements can advantageously be suspended from the legs while the platform is located near the shore preferably in a protected area, and thus be towed out to the installation site along with the platform and legs. The tubular elements can, for example, be suspended from the legs by means of chains, cables or the like.
The cross-sectional area of the tubular elements should be greater than the cross-sectional area of the jackable legs. The upper and/or lower parts of the tubular elements should be open or at least partly open and the tubular elements can advantageously be conically shaped having a larger lower diameter than upper diameter.
The tubular elements should be movably suspendable from the platform legs. The tubular elements can further be mutually connected and spaced apart by reinforcement elements. The lower ends of the tubular elements can further be provided with a penetrating edge or a skirt body which is adapted to be pressed down into the sea bottom.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE
The present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawing FIGURE which shows a partially schematic elevation view of an embodiment of a platform in accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The FIGURE shows a jackable platform 5 comprising a buoyant or self-floating deck structure 6 having at least three legs 1 (only two of which are shown). The legs 1 can be jacked up and/or down relative to the deck structure 6 in a conventional manner. Jacking means are shown schematically at 11 in the drawing FIGURE. The jacket means can be of any known type suitable for use with the jackable platform of the present invention.
The length of the legs 1 will impose a limitation on the water depth in which the platform can be used. In order to increase the depth in which a particular platform can be used, tubular elements 2 are provided as foundations below legs 1. The tubular elements 2 preferably have cylindrical or conical shapes. The tubular elements 2 may be formed as open, reinforced pipes made, for example, of steel or concrete. As shown in the FIGURE, t
REFERENCES:
patent: 2210408 (1940-08-01), Henry
patent: 2909901 (1959-10-01), Suderow
patent: 4007598 (1977-02-01), Tax
patent: 4063426 (1977-12-01), Hansen
patent: 4431345 (1984-02-01), Inoue
patent: 4472084 (1984-09-01), Boon
patent: 4553878 (1985-11-01), Willemse et al.
Norwegian Contractos A/S
Taylor Dennis L.
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