Sliding-resistant bottom-founded offshore structures
AssigneeAtwood Oceanics, Inc.
InventorsMark A. Childers, David Rowan, Alan Quintero
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bottom-founded offshore structure in relatively shallow waters is protected against sliding. It uses at least one pile and a suction pump inside the pile. The pile has a length-to-diameter ratio such as to achieve sufficient pile imbedment with the selected suction pump. A dedicated pile lowering and lifting device lowers and lifts the pile as needed. Guides allow the pile's vertical motion and limit its rotational motion during imbedment and extraction. A stop device limits the vertical motion of the pile's top rim during pile extraction. The pile is reusable, light weight, easy to install and to extract, self-contained, and economical in relationship to its high holding power when imbedded.
Claims30
A slide-resistant, bottom-founded structure for use over the waterbed of a relatively shallow waterway, comprising:
- at least one pile having a generally circular section and a top end movably mounted on said structure;
- a self-contained imbedment system operatively associated with said at least one pile and with said structure for imbedding said at least one pile into the earth foundation underneath said waterbed;
- said embedment system including a predetermined suction pump inside said at least one pile;
- said at least one pile having a length-to-diameter ratio sufficient to achieve said imbedment of said at least one pile using said predetermined suction pump;
- and
- said pump, in use, pumping out water from said at least one pile and creating therewithin a sufficient under-pressure to forcibly imbed said at least one pile into said earth foundation.
A slide-resistant, bottom-founded structure which, in normal use, is stationed at a rest position on the bed of a relatively shallow waterway, comprising:
- at least one pile having a top end and a bottom base;
- coupling means for releasably and movably coupling said top end to said structure;
- an imbedment system operatively coupled to said pile;
- said imbedment system including a suction pump mounted inside said at least one pile for forcibly imbedding said base into said bed, thereby increasing the slide resistance of said bottom-founded structure;
- and
- control instrumentation means mounted on said structure and on said at least one pile for monitoring and controlling the performance of said suction pump.
A slide-resistant, bottom-founded offshore structure which, in normal use, is stationed at a rest position on the seabed of a relatively shallow seaway, comprising:
- a plurality of piles, each one of said piles having a top end and a bottom base;
- coupling means for releasably and movably coupling said top end of each one of said piles to said structure;
- an imbedment system operatively coupled to each one of said piles;
- said imbedment system including a suction pump mounted inside each one of said piles for forcibly imbedding each of said pile's base into said seabed, thereby increasing the slide resistance of said bottom-founded structure;
- and
- control instrumentation means mounted on said structure and on each one of said piles for monitoring and controlling the performance of each suction pump within each one of said piles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.