Structure-Assisted Jackup System
AssigneeKeppel Offshore & Marine Technology Centre Pte Ltd
InventorsKok Seng FOO, Michael John Perry, Matthew Chin Kau Quah, Cynthia Wang, Tak On Cheung, Randall Scott Shafer, Peter Noble
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Abstract
The present invention provides a structure-assisted Jackup system comprising a Jackup drilling unit with a main deck structure and a plurality of legs movably coupled with the main deck structure, one or more support base structures disposed on seabed, and a plurality of movable supports, wherein each of the plurality of movable supports is securely coupled with either the main deck structure or one or more support base structure. The present invention also provides a process for assembling the structure-assisted Jackup system.
Claims10
A structure-assisted Jackup system, comprising:
- a main deck structure;
- a plurality of legs movably coupled with the main deck structure, wherein after the structure-assisted Jackup system is assembled, one or more legs provide support (supporting legs) and the remaining legs do not provide support (non-supporting legs);
- a cantilever disposed upon the main deck structure;
- a derrick disposed upon the cantilever;
- wherein the main deck structure, the plurality of legs, the cantilever and the derrick form a Jackup drilling unit;
- one or more support base structures disposed on seabed;
- and
- a plurality of movable supports, wherein each of the plurality of movable supports is securely coupled with either the main deck structure or the one or more support base structure;
- so that during the process of the structure-assisted Jackup system is being assembled, the plurality of movable supports is being moved to a position between the main deck structure and the one or more support base structures while the plurality of legs provide support for the Jackup drilling unit, and when the structure-assisted Jackup system is assembled, the one or more support base structures via the movable structure and the supporting legs in combination provide support for the Jackup drilling unit, and the non-supporting legs are retracted into a position out of water.
A process for assembling a structure-assisted. Jackup system, said process comprising:
- providing one or more support base structures disposed on seabed;
- moving a Jackup drilling unit into a position alongside the one or more support base structures, wherein the Jackup drilling unit comprises
- a main deck structure;
- a plurality of legs movably coupled with the main deck structure, wherein after the structure-assisted Jackup system is assembled, one or more legs provide support (supporting legs) and the remaining legs do not provide support (non-supporting legs);
- a cantilever disposed upon the main deck structure;
- and
- a derrick disposed upon the cantilever;
- lowering the plurality of legs into the seabed;
- lifting the Jackup drilling unit out of the water using the plurality of legs;
- providing a movable support between the support base structure and the main deck structure so that the movable support provides support to the Jackup drilling unit;
- and
- retracting the non-supporting legs out of water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.