Offshore Operation - Wave Forces Computed for a Typical Drilling Site

Costly damage by severe wave attack to many engineering structures has illustrated the need for a consideration of the nature of wave action in plans for offshore drilling operations. Using wave data it is possible to answer questions pertaining to engineering problems such as platform elevation, structure orientation, and expected wave forces. For locations where wave records are not available a technique can be used to obtain information about wave characteristics from past meteorological data and near shore submarine topography. Forces exerted on structures by waves may be divided into four parts. A completed study is given in which frequencies of various wave heights and maximum frictional drag forces are computed for a typical offshore drilling site. INTRODUCTION Waves of tremendous proportions accompanying hurricane winds crash against breakwaters and other offshore structures causing untold damages. Wave forces exerted on structures at these times are enormous, as shown by past records of incidents where massive portions of breakwaters have been broken off and moved by waves. On other similar occasions, whole structure; have been unloosed and smashed or floated away. These incidents, which seem almost incredible, serve to illustrate the great amount of energy contained in large waves, and to show that this energy results in powerful forces destructive to offshore installation~ which are not designed sufficiently strong to withstand wave attack. In the past the expected frequencies of waves having various characteristic.% have rarely been considered in the design of structure affected by wave action. As a result, many structures have failed to accomplish the purpose for which they were designed or have collapsed under wave attack. Others have been constructed to withstand greater wave energy than is ever encountered, with resulting waste of material and construction time. In this study an analysis is made of the frequencies of waves having different characteristics which affect the plans for offshore drilling installations. After such an analysis the erection of these structures can proceed with less risk involved and with more efficiency and economy. ENGINEERING ASPECTS In the offshore drilling program wave forces play an extremely important part in design and construction of drilling rigs in shallow water. The design of a platform or other structure from which drilling equipment is operated is critical, becauze any damage to the platform may endanger personnel and result in complete loss of equipment. Since a platform built too close to the water would be battered by breakers, and one built unnecessarily high would involve undue expense, it is necessary to know the most desirable elevation at which the platform should be erected. This is only one of many questions about structural planning which can be answered using existing technique for determining wave characteristics. The purpose of efficient design for the portions of many types of offshore structures which are acted upon by wave forces is the same as that of all designs which deal with frictional forces of a fluid on a solid. For these structures the problem is comparable to that encountered by undersea craft moving through water, except that in the case of a fixed structure the force is produced by the water moving past the model. For off shore sructures which are extremely rigid the frictional forces may be nearly negligible compared with the impact or shock forces imparted by breaking waves. In all case; the better design is that which offers the least resistance to the opposing forces. From a consideration of wave forces, each drilling structure varies in efficiency depending upon the type and amount of superstructure in contact with the waves. For example, round piling and bracing offer less resistance to wave forces than do I-shaped ones. All network superstructure such as cross bracing should be kept to a minimum and at as low an elevation as possible, so that it will not expecience the pressure exerted at the tops of breaking waves. Models of proposed structures can be tested in wave tanks and in the field to ascertain the efficiency of specific designs. Past experience in beach and shoreline engineering has shown that, although changes in the topography of the bottom very near shore do not seem to be occurring, the natural forces involved may be in a delicate balance such that a static state exists. Interruptions of any of these natural forces by erecting offshore structures are likely to cause undesirable effects. Changes in beach profile result partly from sediment being brought into suspension by the orbital motion of waves and partly from the transport of sediment by longshore currents. With the erection of an offshore structure and consequent change in the combined effects of these two forces, unfavorable deposition upon, or erosion of, the bottom at the site may occur. Therefore, combination wave and current studies are essential for the solution of problems involved in the design of most marine structures. TECHNIQUE FOR OBTAINING WAVE INFORMATION In determining the probable effect of wave action on an offshore drilling structure, it is first necessary to know the usual frequencies of certain wave types for the given location. A technique has been developed which provides a means for obtaining information about wave characteristics in the