The gradual depletion of shallow water hydrocarbon deposits has forced the offshore oil and gas industry to develop reserves in deeper waters. Dynamically installed anchors have been proposed as a cost-effective anchoring solution for floating offshore structures in deep water environments. The rocket or torpedo shaped anchor is released from a designated drop height above the seafloor and allowed to penetrate the seabed via the kinetic energy gained during free-fall and the anchors self weight. Dynamic anchors can be deployed in any water depth and the relatively simple fabrication and installation procedures provide a significant cost saving over conventional deepwater anchoring systems. Despite use in a number of offshore applications, information regarding the geotechnical performance of dynamically installed anchors is scarce. Consequently, this research has focused on establishing an extensive test database through the modelling of the dynamic anchor installation process in the geotechnical centrifuge. The tests were aimed at assessing the embedment depth and subsequent dynamic anchor holding capacity under various loading conditions. Analytical design tools, verified against the experimental database, were developed for the prediction of the embedment depth and holding capacity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/207867 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Richardson, Mark Damian |
| Publisher | University of Western Australia. School of Civil and Resource Engineering, University of Western Australia. Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Mark Damian Richardson, http://www.itpo.uwa.edu.au/UWA-Computer-And-Software-Use-Regulations.html |
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