Minimal tension leg tripod
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorDavid A. Huete
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tension leg tripod is disclosed for supporting surface facilities on a deck for conducting hydrocarbon recovery operations in deepwater location applications. The tension leg tripod has an elongated, buoyant central vertical column or caisson with three outrigger pontoons. Three tendons are grouped in tendon cluster arrays, each being connected on one end to the outrigger pontoons at a location which is spaced apart from the vertical. The other end of the tendons are anchored to the ocean floor.
Claims8
A tension leg tripod for providing surface facilities for conducting hydrocarbon production operations from the ocean floor from a deepwater location, comprising:
- an elongated, buoyant vertical central caisson;
- a deck supported by the central caisson;
- a three cornered arrangement of outrigger pontoons connected at the lower end of the central caisson in a horizontal plane;
- and
- three tendon cluster arrays, each connected on one end to one of the outrigger pontoons at a comer thereof at a position spaced substantially equidistance from the central caisson and circumferentially dispersed, the tendon cluster arrays each comprising:
- three tendons anchored to the ocean floor at their lower ends;
- a substantially planar substantially, horizontally disposed tribrach receiving the upper ends of the tendons;
- and
- a tendon bracket connection pivotally securing the tribrach to a downwardly disposed surface of the superstructure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.