MX2007003412A - Solution mining to refloat and dispose of an offshore floating structure. - Google Patents

Solution mining to refloat and dispose of an offshore floating structure.

Info

Publication number
MX2007003412A
MX2007003412A MX2007003412A MX2007003412A MX2007003412A MX 2007003412 A MX2007003412 A MX 2007003412A MX 2007003412 A MX2007003412 A MX 2007003412A MX 2007003412 A MX2007003412 A MX 2007003412A MX 2007003412 A MX2007003412 A MX 2007003412A
Authority
MX
Mexico
Prior art keywords
ballast
water
tank
fixed
suspension
Prior art date
Application number
MX2007003412A
Other languages
Spanish (es)
Inventor
James A Haney
Shree R Akhave
Original Assignee
Mcdermott Sa J Ray
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mcdermott Sa J Ray filed Critical Mcdermott Sa J Ray
Publication of MX2007003412A publication Critical patent/MX2007003412A/en

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63BSHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B13/00Conduits for emptying or ballasting; Self-bailing equipment; Scuppers
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63BSHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B35/00Vessels or similar floating structures specially adapted for specific purposes and not otherwise provided for
    • B63B35/44Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices
    • B63B35/4406Articulated towers, i.e. substantially floating structures comprising a slender tower-like hull anchored relative to the marine bed by means of a single articulation, e.g. using an articulated bearing
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63BSHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B39/00Equipment to decrease pitch, roll, or like unwanted vessel movements; Apparatus for indicating vessel attitude
    • B63B39/02Equipment to decrease pitch, roll, or like unwanted vessel movements; Apparatus for indicating vessel attitude to decrease vessel movements by displacement of masses
    • B63B39/03Equipment to decrease pitch, roll, or like unwanted vessel movements; Apparatus for indicating vessel attitude to decrease vessel movements by displacement of masses by transferring liquids

Abstract

An improved fixed ballast for a floating offshore structure. The material used for the ballast may be a dense liquid that is pumped into the fixed ballast tank during ballasting and forced out of the tank during deballasting. The material may also be a soluble material that is ground up into particles and added to water. After a saturated solution is obtained, more particles are added to produce a slurry. The slurry is delivered into the ballast tanks. Removal of the slurry is accomplished by pumping sea water into the ballast tanks until all of the ballast material is dissolved and forced out of the tank.

Description

MINING SOLUTION FOR REFLOTATION AND PLACEMENT OF A SEA FLOATING STRUCTURE Field and Background of the Invention The invention is generally related to structures of flotation offshore and more particularly to the refloating and removal of such structures. A pole vault is a flotation structure that has been used to support drilling and production equipment for oil production in the offshore environment. As seen in Fig. 1, a superstructure 1 containing the payload is supported on a buoyant, vertical cylinder known as a hard tank 2. A lattice 3 extends downward to support a tank which is known as a soft tank 4 (also known as a fixed ballast tank). The function of the soft tank is to carry the fixed ballast, which improves the stability and reduces the movements of the pole vault in response to the action of the waves. The hard tank, the lattice, and the soft tank are manufactured as a unit 5 that lies on its side. The superstructure is built elsewhere in the vertical position. Unit 5 is loaded onto a transport vessel and transported to the vicinity of the installation site. The conveyor ship drops the ballast down and the unit 5 floats out of the conveyor, which leaves the unit floating horizontally in the water, as shown in Fig. 2. To obtain the unit in the vertical position the tank soft is flooded. With the loss of buoyancy at the bottom end of the unit, the unit becomes unstable and rotates in a stable vertical position, as seen in Fig. 3. In the vertical position observed in Fig. 3 the soft tank 4 is completely flooded, ready to receive the fixed ballast. The name fixed ballast refers to the fact that the fixed ballast can not be moved once it is installed. Fixed ballast is a suspension of particles of a dense material and water. The suspension is introduced into a tube above the surface of the water. That tube extends down to a compartment in the soft tank. The suspension runs down the tube and enters the compartment, displacing the seawater from the flooded compartment through an opening in the upper part of the compartment. As the water decant from the suspension, the particles sink to the bottom of the compartment leaving room for more suspension, if necessary. Once the fixed ballast is in the right place the superstructure can be lifted and fixed on the unit to obtain the finished pole, as seen in Fig. 1. The soft tank 4 can be divided into compartments so that the different amounts of fixed ballast can be placed in each compartment. As an example, Fig. 4 shows a soft tank 4 that is divided into eight compartments. The box in the center region of the soft tank 4 is not a compartment, but is actually a box opening, or central wall through the soft tank. By doing this the combined gravity center of the fixed ballast can be moved to a desired position in the plant that is not the center of the soft tank 4. The position of the center of gravity of the fixed ballast is chosen to produce a combined center of gravity of the platform of the complete pole vault that is in the center of the structure in plan. The posts of the lattice are indicated by the number 6. The weights supported by the pole are divided into three categories when the center of gravity problems are considered. There are weights that will never move because they are part of the structure, or there will be no reason to move them. These fixed weights have a known center of gravity that can be compensated by the center of gravity of the fixed ballast. There are weights that are expected to move in normal operations. When these weights move the active ballast system in the hard tank is used to fix the pole. Finally, there are future team weights that will be added at a future time. These fixed weights that will be added in the future will cause the center of gravity of the pole to move. Since the fixed ballast can not be moved, the design of the pole must include enough ballast capacity in the hard tank 2 to fix the pole when the future weight is added. The dense material that moves into particles and forms in suspension is usually an enriched iron ore that is chosen because it is economical, dense and benign to the environment. If there is a spill during the installation of the suspension, or a leak during service, it is essential that the fixed ballast material is not toxic to marine life. Once the water has been decanted from the fixed-phase particle matrix, the fixed ballast will conglomerate into a weak solid mass. In the prior art, at the end of the economic life of the pole vane platform, the superstructure is removed and the rest of the structure is separated from any use and cleaned. Then the structure is towed to the sea and sinks to get rid of it. Due to the potential environmental problems there is an increased interest in the recovery and salvage of entire pole structures instead of sinking them. This means that the unit 3 of Fig. 3 must be rotated in the horizontal float position of Fig. 2. Thus, the vertical procedure described in the above must be reversed. In other words, unit 5 must be refloated. Once the unit is in the horizontal position and can be towed to shore and saved. The problem with this is that the fixed ballast must be removed before it is possible to refloat the unit. Since the fixed ballast is conglomerated into a solid weak mass through the years of service, the fixed ballast is not easily removed and the problem becomes very difficult to solve. Large pole structures that have not been in operation for many years and, as a result, the known technique has not addressed this problem. While the above discussion is directed to pole structures because the use of large pole structures is relatively new, it should be understood that the problem of removing fixed ballast in order to refloat a structure applies to any sea structure inside flotation using fixed ballast as described in the above. Brief Description of the Invention The present invention addresses the problem of removing the fixed ballast and then refloating an offshore flotation structure using fixed ballast. For new structures, the fixed ballast material that can be removed by operations conducted above the surface of the water is chosen. The operations are conducted through tubes that are pre-installed during the manufacture of the structure. The tubes are used during the installation and removal of the fixed ballast. The material used for the ballast can be a dense liquid that is pumped into the soft tank compartments during ballasting and is released out of the tank during refloating. The material can also be a soluble material that is milled into particles and added to the water. After a saturated solution is obtained, more particles are added to produce a suspension. The suspension is introduced into the soft tank through the tubes. Removal of the suspension is achieved by pumping seawater through one of the pipes until all the ballast material is dissolved and released out of the tank. The various features of novelty characterizing the invention are indicated particularly in the appended claims and which form a part of this description. For a better understanding of the present invention, and the operating advantages achieved for its use, the reference is made to the accompanying drawings and the descriptive matter that forms a part of this description, wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which the reference numbers shown in the drawings designate similar or corresponding parts throughout the same: FIG. 1 illustrates a pole structure in the normal operational position. FIG. 2 illustrates a lattice type pole structure in a horizontal float orientation. FIG. 3 illustrates a lattice type pole in the vertical float position with the added detail of the flow tubes to the soft tank compartments. FIG. 4 is a view taken along lines 4-4 in Fig. 3. Description of Preferred Modes Fig. 3 illustrates a sea-going flotation structure (type of pole) where tubes 7 and 8 are installed on unit 5 and run from above the surface of the water in the sub-soft tank 4. One of the tubes (tube 7) extends to a point that is closer to the bottom of the soft tank 4. The other tube ( tube 8) enters the soft tank 4 and ends near the upper part of the soft tank 4. The upper parts of both tubes 7 and 8 extend above the surface of the water when the completed structure is in its normal operational position as illustrated in Fig. 1. Pipes 7 and 8 are pre-installed during the construction of the structure. During ballast operations, the ballast material is pumped through tube 7 into the soft tank 4. The ballast material, which is heavier than water, displaces the water from the soft tank 4 and drains the water out of the soft tank 4 through the tube 8. The material of the ballast is pumped into the soft tank 4 until all the water has been displaced from the soft tank 4 or until the weight of the desired ballast has been supplied in the soft tank. The ballast material may be a suspension that is formed as follows. A material that is soluble in water is milled into particles and added to the water until a saturated solution is obtained. More of the ground particles are then added to the saturated solution to form a suspension, which produces a ballast material. A suspension of calcium chloride is an example of a suitable suspension material. It is sufficiently dense, soluble in water and benign to the environment. Another option for ballast material is a liquid that is sufficiently dense to provide the desired ballast effect. The liquid must be denser than water, soluble in water, and benign to the environment. The cesium format is an example of a liquid that meets these requirements. The ballasting is carried out as follows. When the suspension option is used, the suspension is supplied in the soft tank 4 through the tube (tube 7) that ends near the bottom of the soft tank 4. The suspension that enters the bottom of the soft tank 4 displaces the sea water out of the soft tank 4 through the tube 8. Once the desired amount of the suspension has been supplied in the soft tank 4, the material suspended in the suspension is allowed to settle. Then more of the suspension material can be added if the additional ballast weight is needed. When the dense liquid option is used, the dense liquid is supplied in the soft tank 4 through the tube (tube 7) which ends near the bottom of the soft tank 4. The dense liquid displaces the sea water out of the soft tank 4 through tube 8. For both actions, the upper parts of tubes 7 and 8 are plugged after the desired amount of ballast material has been supplied in the soft tank 4. When the suspension ballast is removed to debase and refloating the structure, the water is pumped into the soft tank 4 through any tube 7 or 8. The water dissolves the suspension material and makes it go up to the other tube. The water is pumped into the soft tank 4 until the salinity of the return liquid indicates that the suspension ballast material has been removed. The structure can then be floated in a horizontal position and removed. When the heavy liquid ballast is removed, compressed air is introduced into the soft tank 4 through the tube 8. The compressed air displaces the dense liquid through the tube 7. The structure can be floated in a horizontal position once the material of the dense ballast has been forced from the soft tank. The invention provides another advantage. The invention allows the removal of the fixed ballast from the soft tank. The place to provide extra ballast capacity in the hard tank to arrange the structure after the additional future equipment is added, the ballast in the soft tank 4 can be moved to arrange the structure. The weight can be removed or added to the soft tank compartments to move the center of gravity of the fixed ballast to the desired location. The invention is applicable to all types of offshore flotation structures using fixed ballast and will encounter the problem of refloating for disassembly as referred to above. While modalities and / or specific details of the invention have been shown and described in the foregoing to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it is understood that this invention may be incorporated as fully described in the claims, or as otherwise. way is known to those skilled in the art (including any and all equivalents), without departing from such principles.

Claims (7)

  1. CLAIMS 1. In an offshore flotation structure having a ballast tank that receives fixed ballast, an improved fixed ballast material, the fixed ballast material characterized in that it comprises a suspension formed from a water-soluble material. A method for removing the fixed suspension ballast according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises pumping water into the ballast tank containing the suspension until the material has been dissolved and removed from the ballast tank. 3. In an offshore flotation structure having a ballast tank that receives fixed ballast, an improved fixed ballast material, the fixed ballast material characterized in that it comprises a liquid that is more dense than water. 4. A method for removing the dense liquid ballast according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises pumping compressed air in the ballast tank to release the liquid from the ballast tank. A method for removing the dense liquid ballast according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises pumping water into the ballast tank to release the liquid from the ballast tank. 6. A method for adding fixed ballast to an offshore flotation structure, characterized in that it comprises: a. dissolving a soluble material to water, in water to form a saturated solution; b. form a suspension by adding additional water-soluble material to the saturated solution; and c. Pump the suspension into a ballast tank in the floating seaward structure. 7. A method for adding fixed ballast to an offshore flotation structure, characterized in that it comprises pumping a liquid that is more dense than the water in the ballast tank in the offshore flotation structure.
MX2007003412A 2006-03-24 2007-03-22 Solution mining to refloat and dispose of an offshore floating structure. MX2007003412A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US11/389,446 US20070221112A1 (en) 2006-03-24 2006-03-24 Solution mining to refloat and dispose of an offshore floating structure

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
MX2007003412A true MX2007003412A (en) 2008-10-28

Family

ID=38531993

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
MX2007003412A MX2007003412A (en) 2006-03-24 2007-03-22 Solution mining to refloat and dispose of an offshore floating structure.

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US20070221112A1 (en)
MX (1) MX2007003412A (en)
NO (1) NO20071293L (en)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7900572B2 (en) * 2008-07-30 2011-03-08 Seahorse Equipment Corporation Drag-inducing stabilizer plates with damping apertures
US8418640B2 (en) * 2008-07-30 2013-04-16 Seahorse Equipment Corp Semisubmersible offshore platform with drag-inducing stabilizer plates
JP5738643B2 (en) * 2011-03-25 2015-06-24 戸田建設株式会社 Installation method of offshore wind power generation equipment
JP5738642B2 (en) * 2011-03-25 2015-06-24 戸田建設株式会社 Installation method of offshore wind power generation equipment
CN102390496A (en) * 2011-10-17 2012-03-28 中国海洋石油总公司 Water injection device for hard cabin during column platform righting process
CN102431628B (en) * 2011-10-17 2015-02-25 上海交通大学 Time-sharing loading system for loading cabins of hard cabin of column-type platform
GB2535494B (en) 2015-02-18 2018-04-11 Acergy France SAS Lowering buoyant structures in water

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3318278A (en) * 1966-10-17 1967-05-09 Nat Lead Co Ballasting of ships
DK126629B (en) * 1968-08-05 1973-08-06 Mitsui Shipbuilding Eng Tanker for transporting suspended material.
US3812984A (en) * 1971-05-06 1974-05-28 J Cladingboel Transport of woodchips

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US20070221112A1 (en) 2007-09-27
NO20071293L (en) 2007-09-25

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