AU2015203123A1 - Undersea anchoring system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract An undersea anchor that includes a frame that is fixed to the seafloor by one or more pile anchors, for example grouted pile anchors. The frame is configured to permit it 5 to function with one or more seabed drills to allow the pile anchor(s) to be installed at an angle relative to horizontal so the pile anchors can take horizontal and vertical loads.

Description

UNDERSEA ANCHORING SYSTEM AND METHOD 5 Field An improved undersea anchoring system for anchoring objects in water. Background Mooring of offshore objects typically requires multiple mooring lines between 10 the platform and the sea floor, and suitable anchors on the sea floor connected to the mooring lines. Mooring systems currently used include catenary mooring illustrated in Figure 1 and taut mooring illustrated in Figure 2. Figure 3 illustrates a known mooring line spread. In catenary mooring, catenary mooring lines resist horizontal forces by the 15 weight of the lines, which are usually steel chain or wire rope. As the top of the line moves horizontally, the sag in the catenary is reduced and the horizontal restoring force increases. The horizontal stiffness of the line is directly related to the weight of the line relative to the horizontal force. In taut mooring, taut mooring lines resist horizontal force by stretching. The 20 lines are relatively light (for example synthetic rope), and remain relatively straight under tension. The horizontal stiffness is directly related to the stiffness of the line, not to its weight. Anchors for these types of moorings must be designed to take the maximum horizontal and vertical loads at the seabed exerted by the lines. Catenary moorings 25 generally are designed so that the anchors do not experience any vertical loads ("uplift"). This requires longer line length ("scope") than a taut mooring, and requires a larger area on the seafloor assigned for the mooring spread, i.e. a larger "foot print". Mooring of offshore objects in deep water in recent years has favored taut moorings because the reduced cost for mooring lines and the smaller foot print. However, taut 30 mooring requires anchors that are able to withstand uplift. 1 There are many common types of anchors in use today. The drag embedment anchor is commonly used with catenary moorings for temporary systems such as drilling rigs. Most permanent moorings in use today use a taut mooring and a piled anchor, either driven with underwater pile hammers, or installed using a suction 5 principle. These "suction anchors" are installed by setting them vertically on the seabed to create a seal around their base. By pumping water from their interior a large pressure differential is achieved which results in the pile being "sucked" into the seabed. Many conventional anchors require a thick layer of suitable sediment or sand to function. They are not suitable for rock bottoms, or for areas with highly organic 10 sediment, e.g. coralific or calcareous sediments. For these types of areas, gravity anchors or bored piled anchors are available. Two forms of a gravity anchor include a grillage overlaid with rock or iron ore, or a gravity box filled with ballast. Gravity anchors resist uplift with weight, and horizontal forces with bottom friction. Gravity anchors need to be very heavy to resist vertical and horizontal loads. If 15 the anchors are deployed in deep water, the only vessels capable of lifting and lowering these heavy anchors may be large derrick vessels costing several hundred thousand dollars per day. Alternately, a lighter box or grillage may be lowered with a smaller cheaper vessel, but ballast must then be installed. Bored piled anchors typically require an expensive drilling vessel for 20 installation. In addition, bored piled anchors require mooring line attachment above the seabed. It is not generally favorable to attach the mooring line at the top of the pile because of the large bending moment that is imparted to the pile from the eccentricity of the horizontal force. The attachment point is typically below the sea floor, close to the center of the reaction force from the soil. This presents a difficult design issue for piles 25 that are bored into rock, as it becomes impossible to attach the mooring line below the seabed. For this reason, drilled anchors are more commonly used as tension piles. 2 Summary An undersea anchoring concept is described that is particularly applicable to a rock bottom or where the sediment thickness is insufficient for a conventional anchor. The undersea anchor can be remotely installed with a seabed drill, eliminating the need 5 for an expensive deep water drilling rig on the surface. In addition, the anchor is designed in a manner that allows most of the mooring force to be taken in the axial direction along a pile, eliminating the bending and shear forces which are associated with a conventional bored pile and mooring. The undersea anchor can be employed with, for example, a taut mooring system to achieve an optimum relationship between 10 the horizontal and vertical forces on the anchor. In one embodiment, the undersea anchor employs a frame that is fixed to the seafloor by one or more pile anchors, for example grouted pile anchors. The frame is configured to permit it to function with one or more seabed drills, and to orient the drill(s) to allow the pile anchor(s) to be installed at a predetermined angle. In one 15 embodiment, the predetermined angle is an acute angle relative to horizontal so the pile anchor(s) can take horizontal and vertical loads. In one embodiment, the frame is designed to permit use of a plurality of pile anchors. When grouted pile anchors are used, a system for grouting the pile anchors in deep water can be employed. The disclosed undersea anchor can be used to anchor any type of object in 20 water, for example floating structures such as an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) system, a drilling platform, and the like. In addition, the disclosed undersea anchor can be used for anchoring floating objects in any body of water, freshwater or saltwater. Therefore, the terms undersea, seafloor and the like are intended to include freshwater uses as well. 25 In one embodiment, an undersea anchor includes a frame, a mooring line connection site connected to the frame, and a seabed drill mounting system on the frame permitting mounting of a seabed drill on the frame. The mounting system orients a seabed drill so that the seabed drill can install a pile anchor in the seabed at a predetermined angle. The seabed drill is used to install at least one pile anchor that is 30 connected to the frame, with the pile anchor being disposed at the predetermined angle. 3 In one embodiment, the pile anchor extends at an acute angle relative to horizontal that is generally parallel with a resultant load direction of a mooring line that is connected to the frame. The mounting system permits adjustment of the position of the seabed drill on 5 the frame so that the seabed drill can install a plurality of the angled pile anchors. The mounting system can be any system allowing adjustment of the drill position, for example a pair of parallel U-shaped rails. The frame can include a pair of the parallel U-shaped rails on first and second sides of the frame. In one embodiment, when the pile anchors are at an acute angle, the pile 10 anchor(s) can extend at an angle of greater than or equal to about 20 degrees but less than about 90 degrees relative to horizontal. An anchoring method includes placing a frame, that includes a mooring line connection site, on the sea floor. A seabed drill is installed on the frame so that the seabed drill can install a pile anchor in the seabed at the predetermined angle. The 15 seabed drill is used to install a pile anchor at the predetermined angle, and the installed pile anchor is then connected to the frame. Drawings Figure 1 illustrates a conventional catenary mooring concept. 20 Figure 2 illustrates a conventional taut mooring concept. Figure 3 illustrates a conventional mooring line spread of a conventional mooring system. Figures 4A-D are perspective, top, side and end views, respectively, of an undersea anchor disclosed herein. 25 Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a pair of seabed drills engaged with the anchor for installing the pile anchors. Figure 7 illustrates another embodiment of an undersea anchor disclosed herein. 4 Detailed Description With reference to Figures 4A-D, a new undersea anchor 10 is illustrated. The anchor 10 includes a frame 12 intended to rest on the seafloor, and one or more pile anchors 14 that fix the frame 12 to the seafloor. The anchor 10 is particularly suited for 5 use on seafloors that are primarily flat rock, or where the sediment thickness is insufficient to allow use of conventional embedment or suction anchors. In the illustrated example, the frame 12 is generally rectangular in shape, comprised of a latticework of steel beams (or beams of other suitable material), and uses eight pile anchors 14. In this example, the bottom of the frame 12 is generally flat, 10 allowing the frame to rest on a generally flat seafloor. The bottom of the frame 12 could have other configurations to generally correspond to the contour of the seafloor on which the frame will be disposed. The frame 12 also includes a mooring line connection site 16 formed by a pair of flanges 22a, 22b on a plate 24 that is suitably fixed to the top of the frame 12. Other mooring line connection configurations could be 15 employed. In addition, additional mooring line connection sites could also be provided on the frame 12. Along opposing sides of the frame 12, angled walls 18 are formed. The walls 18 form connection sites for connecting the ends of the pile anchors 14 to the frame. The walls 18 are disposed at angles such that the planes of the walls are generally 20 perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the pile anchors 14. The pile anchors 14 are for example grouted pile anchors, oriented and configured to take both vertical and horizontal loads. Although eight pile anchors 14 are illustrated, a larger or lesser number of pile anchors could be used, based in part on the particular application of the anchor 10 and the anticipated loads. In addition, 25 although Figures 4A-D illustrate four pile anchors on each side, the number of pile anchors on each side of the frame may vary and need not be equal on each side. The pile anchors can extend at any predetermined angle. In the illustrated examples, the pile anchors extend at an acute angle a relative to horizontal. In the illustrated embodiment, the pile anchors extend at the same angle a relative to 30 horizontal. For example, the pile anchor(s) can extend at an angle a of greater than or 5 equal to about 20 degrees but less than about 90 degrees relative to horizontal. In one embodiment, the angle a can be about 45 degrees. In one embodiment, the longitudinal axis of at least one of the pile anchors 14 is generally parallel to the mooring line resultant load direction, designated by arrow 20. 5 In the example illustrated in Figures 4A-D, the longitudinal axis of four of the pile anchors 14 on one side of the anchor 10 are generally parallel to the mooring line resultant load direction 20. Thus, the anchor 10 is particularly suited for use with a taut mooring line system. This also allows optimization of the mooring line design, by permitting use of steeper, more vertical/less horizontal mooring line design which 10 results in reduced length of mooring line. Since mooring line is a very specialized product which is expensive to manufacture, a shorter mooring line may reduce the cost of the mooring line. However, the anchor 10 can be used with mooring line systems other than taut mooring line systems. In addition, the size and configuration of the pile anchors 14 can vary depending 15 in part on loading, as well as the number of pile anchors 14 that are used. However, in the illustrated embodiment, it is believed that pile anchors between about 100 mm to about 200 mm in diameter, and approximately 12 m long would suffice. The length can change based on the composition and strength of the seabed. In another embodiment, a spacing of the pile anchors 14 can be, for example, at least about 8 times the pile anchor 20 diameter to avoid interaction effects and maximize the load carrying efficiency of the pile anchors. An example of a suitable grouted pile anchor useable with the frame 12 is the Ischebek Titan 103/51. Grouted piles are a well established anchoring technique in onshore civil engineering construction applications. The piles are drilled into the 25 ground using a tubular pipe with a sacrificial drill bit on the end. Once the pile reaches the desired depth, drilling is stopped. Fluid grout is then pumped into the tubular pipe and exits through drainage holes in the pipe and/or drill bit. The fluid grout then fills the annular spacing between the tubular pipe and the borehole wall in the ground. Once the grout sets the tubular pile is bonded to the ground. 6 The frame 12 is designed to interact with one or more seabed drills to allow the angled piles to be installed. A means of configuring the frame 12 to interact with the seabed drill will be described below with respect to Figure 5 and 6. The seabed drill needs to be capable of drilling the pile anchors into the seabed. The seabed drill 5 handles the functions of rotating and/or hammering the pile anchors, driving them into the seabed, racking the stock of pile anchors and pile anchor components, and assembling lengths of the pile anchor and pile anchor components as the drill penetrates the seabed. Suitable seabed drill rigs are known, although they are mainly used for seabed coring and sampling. An example of a suitable seabed drill rig is the 10 ROVDRILL M80, manufactured by Seafloor Geoservices of Houston, Texas. By using a seabed drill, the need for an expensive deep water drilling rig on the surface is eliminated. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate an embodiment of an undersea anchor 30 with a frame 32 configured to interact with a seabed drill 34. In this embodiment, each side of the 15 frame 32 includes a pair of parallel, U-shaped rails 36 extending along the length thereof. The open faces of the rails 36 face each other so as to form guide channels for receiving and guiding edges of the seabed drill 34. This permits the drill 34 to be positioned at different positions along the frame 32. A similar rail system can be employed on the frame 12 illustrated in Figures 4A-D, on one or both sides thereof, for 20 mounting one or more seabed drills. In addition, each side of the frame 32 is angled so that when the seabed drill 34 is mounted in the guide channel, the drill 34 is oriented at the correct angle for drilling pile anchors 38 into the seabed at the desired angle a. Other mechanisms for allowing the seabed drill to interact with the frame for drilling the pile anchors at the appropriate 25 angle can be used. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a pair of drills 34 working simultaneously, each on a set of rails 36, and each attached to match the desired angle of the pile anchors. However it is contemplated that only a single drill could be deployed. The grout for the pile anchor can be prepared and mixed on a surface support vessel and pumped down to the seabed drill rig. The grout can then be pumped into the 30 tubular pile as discussed above. This is a well known process in the oil & gas industry 7 where tubular oil well casings and pipes are regularly grouted into the seabed. Alternatively, the grout could be mixed at or near the seafloor. A pressure control system can be used to control the grout pressure and avoid the risk of seabed hydro fracture. Seabed hydro-fracture is not desired as it may degrade the strength of the 5 seabed soil or rock and therefore compromise the strength of the pile anchors. Although not illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the anchor 30 would also include one or more mooring line connection sites for connecting one or more mooring lines to the anchor 30. The mooring line connection site(s) could be similar to the connection site 16 in Figures 4A-D or could be configured in any manner to permit connection of 10 one or more mooring lines. Figures 4A-D and 5-6 show the frame as being generally rectangular. However many different frame shapes are possible. For example, Figure 7 illustrates a frame 50 that is generally polygonal, for example six-sided. The frame could also be generally circular. A polygonal or circular design may be beneficial by permitting a single seabed 15 drill to be mounted on the frame 50, such as by using the rail system discussed for Figures 5 and 6, so that the single seabed drill could potentially install all of the pile anchors without having to removed the drill and remount the drill on the frame 50. At least one of the pile anchors 52 in Figure 7 is oriented such that it is generally parallel to the mooring line resultant load direction of a mooring line connected to the mooring 20 line connection site 54. Different drilling orientation angles are also possible. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate an angle a from horizontal that is larger than the angle illustrated in Figure 4D. By angling the pile anchors, most of the mooring force is taken in the axial or longitudinal direction of the pile anchor, minimizing and perhaps eliminating the bending and 25 shearing forces normally associated with bored pile anchors. In order to ensure the integrity of the anchor frame with grouted pile anchors once it has been installed, a number of quality control operations may be carried out. For example, to obtain and verify the tensile capacity for a single application, a remote controlled pull out test can be performed. In this test, a jacking system with load 30 monitoring equipment can be used to pull against the pile, reacting from the frame, and 8 the load capacity of the pile can thus be verified. This test creates a tensile load. A lateral push/pull test can also be performed between two adjacent working piles in order to verify the lateral capacity. All tests can be performed at a uniform rate of load application or alternatively they may be performed cyclically or indeed to simulate any 5 pre-planned load regime. The ability to perform these tests is provided by the rail mounting system used for mounting the seabed drill on the frame, where the testing equipment can be configured to mount on the frame in the same manner as the seabed drill(s). The examples disclosed in this application are to be considered in all respects as 10 illustrative and not limitative. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein. 9

Claims (18)

1. An undersea anchor system, comprising: a frame; 5 a mooring line connection site connected to the frame; and a seabed drill mounting system on the frame permitting mounting of a seabed drill on the frame, the mounting system orienting a seabed drill on the frame so that the seabed drill can install a pile anchor in the seabed at a predetermined angle. 10

2. The undersea anchor system of claim 1, further comprising a seabed drill mounted on the mounting system of the frame, the seabed drill configured to install a pile anchor in the seabed at the predetermined angle.

3. The undersea anchor system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle 15 is an acute angle relative to horizontal.

4. The undersea anchor system of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the mounting system is configured to permit adjustment of the position of the seabed drill on the frame so that the seabed drill can install a plurality of pile anchors. 20

5. The undersea anchor system of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the seabed drill mounting system comprises a pair of parallel U-shaped rails.

6. The undersea anchor system of any one of claims 1-5, comprising at 25 least one pile anchor connected to the frame, the pile anchor is disposed at the predetermined angle.

7. The undersea anchor system of any one of claims 1-6, comprising a plurality of the pile anchors connected to the frame, each pile anchor is disposed at the 30 predetermined angle. 10

8. The undersea anchor system of claim 6, wherein the pile anchor has a longitudinal axis that is generally parallel to a mooring line resultant load direction. 5

9. The undersea anchor system of claim 6, wherein the pile anchor is a grouted pile anchor.

10. A method of anchoring a mooring line to a sea floor, comprising: placing a frame on the sea floor, the frame including a mooring line connection 10 site; installing a seabed drill on the frame so that the seabed drill can install a pile anchor in the seabed at a predetermined angle; and using the seabed drill to install a pile anchor at the predetermined angle, and connecting the installed pile anchor to the frame. 15

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising connecting the mooring line to the mooring line connection site so that the pile anchor has a longitudinal axis that is generally parallel to a resultant load direction of the mooring line. 20

12. The method of claim 10, adjusting the position of the seabed drill on the frame, and installing an additional pile anchor at a predetermined angle.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined angle is an acute angle relative to horizontal. 25

14. An undersea anchor, comprising: a frame; mooring line connection site connected to the frame; and a plurality of pile anchors connected to the frame, each pile anchor is disposed at 30 a predetermined angle. 11

15. The undersea anchor of claim 14, wherein at least one of the pile anchors has a longitudinal axis that is generally parallel to a mooring line resultant load direction. 5

16. The undersea anchor of claim 14 or 15, wherein the pile anchors are grouted pile anchors.

17. The undersea anchor of any one of claims 14-16, wherein the frame 10 includes a seabed drill mounting system that permits adjustable mounting of a seabed drill thereon.

18. The undersea anchor of any one of claims 14-17, wherein the predetermined angle is an acute angle relative to horizontal. 12