DRILLING Jack Up Rigs: Evolution of Design Jean Cahuzac Jean Chevallier Lee Turner ‘Montrouge, France In August 1988, Sedco Forex’s jack up tg, Trident 1X, spudlded a well for Cabinda Gulf il Company (Chevron Corp.) off the coa ff Angola in a record water depth of 391 feet (119 meters). Built in 1982, Trident 1x vas the first jack up developed for depths Lup to 400 feot [122 meters] (right). Until the late 1970s, most jack up rigs were designed to operate in shallow water, up to 250 fect [76 meters}, and in mild environments, Today, several jack ups are capable of work Jing at 400-foot depths and in adverse ocean nd weather conditions previously reserved for semi-submersibles and cil ships Sell-levating jack ups are the most com ‘mon offshore drilling unit. A jack up has several advantages that may appeal to the ‘operator, the most important being, cost. A jack up is less expensive to build than any ‘ther type of offshore rig and this con: tributes to a lower day rate and therefore Tower operating costs forthe oil company. Logistical expenses are also lower. lack ups require a smaller crew than other rigs, and less powerful boats fo move them. A jack up usualy requites no anchoring. Jack ups also have lower maintenance costs, There is no subsea blowout preven: tion system and the wellhead assembly is much simpler. Cost may also be reduced Volume 1 Number 1 seco Foren’ Tide 1 jack up rig cil in 2 record water depth of 391 eet [19 meters) in showe Angola, because of less down time. Once on loca: tion, the rig’ lack of mobility makes drilling ‘operations more straightforward than on rigs that move with the ocean swell The limitations of jack ups are safety and water depth, although as the Trident IX record suggests the depth limitation is being, stretched. A jack up's legs must be firmly implanted on the ocean floor and stay there throughout the drilling operation. Two major problems can arise. Firs, the legs may not be long enough to accommodate the water depth and some penetration into the ocean sediments. Second, during drilling, one oF more of the legs may sud ‘denly punch through a weak layer of formas tion, toppling the rig into the ocean. ‘Another safety limitation with jack ups isthat they cannot be moved off location in case of a blowoul or other mishap. ‘Most jack up rigs have three legs.! Each leg is formed from a lattice of K-shaped trusses fabricated with reinforced steel tubes. The tubular leg extremities may be set in place directly on the ocean floor if it can withstand the rig’s pressure of about 140 pounds per square inch (psi) [10 kilo trams per square centimeter (kg/cm). For ‘cean floors of intermediate strength, the legs are equipped with so-called spud cans that reduce pressure to about 40 psi 3kgy/em?| by distributing the ri’s weight ‘over a larger area (below). The spud can is cular of polygonal and constructed with a heavy point to penetrate the hardest sea floor. The point also serves to ease retrieval from soit floors. Most jack ups are designed to allow about 30 feet [9 meters} of leg pen: tetration into the ocean floor. ln exceptional Circumstances, up to 150 feet [46 meters} of penetration has been experienced, Very soft ocean floors may require so called mat jack ups (right). A steel mat welded to the bottom of the ig’ legs, dis ibutes the weight ofthe rig evenly on the ‘ocean floor reducing pressure to 4 psi (0.3, kg/cm]. However, a mat requires a rather flat ocean floor, ree of irregularities that might damage the mat 1, Seco Forex only Jick op wth our eg he vr nth rd quis 9 four eg ai. 2. Seaco Fare ack ups excep he Tent i Cons 36 1One of Tent 1s three spud ean ding ‘om Toyo ship: sate ig was ering Co (Mode) and delivered in 1983. The te ver thal bes at the spud ect with the g's three vertical cho The tubes sre 60 feet 118.3 meters) loescate The trend toward using jack up rigs in deeper water and more hostile conditions stimulated several innovations in leg and the jack up system design, jack up's st: bility depends on its weight resisting the horizontal loads of the wind, waves and Current of the worst possible storm. A crit cal point is where bending moments caused by the horizontal forces exerted on the legs are transmitted to the main body of the rig or hull 'A matiyp jack up, the Seco Fore “Luan in tans. The sec, horseshoe shaped mit fnange is welded to the bron of te rs eas to pronide sale weigh dstbution on soft oces floors. The igi. ed on the cack of 2 carir vessel 0 fod ther, the vessel submerged dep enough to at the ‘up. Then the tansport vessels debated. Oilfield ReviewUppers iv 7 ewer use ‘radial facing system, in which overturn Jing moment fs mainly borne by gues above ards Delow the jack house, Vertical rst forces hick arm at the jacks rack aa pinion mechanism ‘are equal both sides ofthe eg, indicating that the Jacks bear only the ry’ buoyant weight. The ‘vertuming moment is canted bythe hovizniad thas forces a the guides. Note te ri’ rao and ney legs Volume 1 Number 1 Jacking Up System In the traditional jack up rig, the jacks are strong enough to elevate the hull, but ean- not bear any bending moment.? The ‘moment is resisted at guides above and bplow the rack and pinion mechanisms that raise and lower each leg. This design requites some distance between the upper and lower guides and slender, heavily con- structed legs (lef) In the Trident IX, the jacking units are more robust andthe bene ing moment is sustained mainly atthe rack and pinion mechanisms mounted on the three vertical elements of each leg, called chor.) Only a small part of the moment is tome by guides below) To sustain bending moment in this way required increasing the distance between chhords to 60 feet [18.3 meters. This leads to large but ight legs, which in tum leads to A less expensive rg, ‘Tident X's legs weigh only 1.74 tons per foot 0.53 tons per meter compared with 2.13 tons per foot 10.65 tons ident Ws jcking ssten in which benelng moment is mainly bome at the Jack hooses be fei. The vertical ust forces a the jacks either ide of es are ‘neq, indicating substantia overtaing ‘moment i being Pied there. Tiden Xs Ter les oe es resistance to wind and ‘water detper meter] for conventional legs. Their size pprovides increased rigidity while offering less resistance to wind, waves and current. Theis lager spud cans create less pressure ‘an the acean floor den 1X jacking system also provides yreased lilting capacity, making for speedy and safe operation (above and right). Tis is particularly important during preloading when sea water is pumped into special tanks to artificially increase the weight of the rig, Preloading ensures that at a new location the legs have sufficiently penetra fd and compacted the ocean bottom, giving the fig a firm foundation for the worst environmental conditions. For safety, preloading is performed with the hull a few Feot above water level, so in case a leg sud: dlenly punches through weak ocean sedi ments, the rig simply floats. A third advantage of the new jacking sy tem isis simplicity, permitting accurate and reliable computer modeling of the legs and Jacking system. 38 Rig Stability The ultimate design eterion for any jack up sigisthat once jacked up it mst remain sa bile under the most adverse environmental conditions, Design engineers must ensure that ther’ gravity load can withstand the horizontal forces of wind, waves and ocean current. Formulas developed trom either ‘wind tunnel experiments and laboratory Simulated ocean conclitions of established by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) ae used to pret these forces (a ight) For the Trident IX, wind provides the majority ofthe overturning moment. The wind aets primarily on the portion of the legs above the hull, and the load increases |One of nine ack houses beng hosted into place ering consbuction of Ident above {eid ene ack rack aa pinion mechs (abot. Each fe haste jack houses, one per Chord: each ack house houses 6 jacks, making total of 4 jack for tho ig. Te jacks ave National Series 400 type each fs 220 tors elevating ‘apt oe 500 tons hot eapacity. Ta i Jig capacity 11,880 tons ander nonmalcand toms aad 13,500 tons ina emengenc. Jaciog sce sly 13 fot (045 meters or mine as the square of wind speed. Meteorologists ategorize wind speed according to the time interval used to record it. The 3-second just, defined as the highest likely wind speed during a 3-second interval, s use for designing individual steel members. The 1 minute wind speed is used for calculating rig stability, An unrestricted ABS-class jack Lp (unrestricted in the geographic sense) Is designed to survive a 100-knot wind and to drill in a 70-knot wind. A restricted ABS: class jack up is designed fora wind speed! of 50 knots Waves and ocean currents are minor con tributoes to Trident X's overturning moment. Wave forces depencl on the height andl peri cd ofthe waves anl water dept, Empicical formulas predict the bo components, iner tia and dag, of the wave's force against the logs assuming the worst case scenario, the 50-year wave. Water depth influences these forces because it affects wave shape. Ocean current load is hard to predict because its velocity and direction vary with depth. The velocity of tidal currents is con- stant versus water depth whereas that of wind generated currents decreases linearly to ze10 at some depth. Current drag can be important, For the Trident IX siding a ou sea—40-foot [12-meter] waves with 12-sec- ‘ond period—a 2-knot current increases the ‘ocean's horizontal loa! by 70 percent The Trident IX was built for a specific set ‘of dosign criteria (see “Trident IX Speciica- lions,” page 40: Water depih 400 feet [122 meters} Wave height 40 fet [13 meters} Wave period 12 seconds Surface curtent knot Bottom curent 0 knot Wind speed 100 knot Ait gap 30 feet |9.1 meters) (Ocean floor penetration 25 feet (7.6 meters) Safe operation, however, depends on local conditions, and if they exceed the equiv. lent design criteria, rig stability is eevalua ced. This assessment procedure uses labora tory data and lengthy model calculations. Take ocean floor penetration as an example, Leg penetration is predicted before the is relocated by taking samples ofthe ocean floor and studying its undrained shear strength. In deep water, safe penetration is limited by leg length. in shallow water, a small penetration will cause the legs to extend high above the jack house and Oilfield ReviewIncrease horizontal wind loads. A minimum leg reserve of 5 feet [1-5 meters) above the top of the jack house is required since the penetration estimation is inexact. Water depth and air gap, important for calculating wave and current loads, must also be carefully estimated. Water depth is the distance between the ocean floor and the stll-water evel, which corresponds to the highest annual tide plus a storm surge, 2 raising ofthe ocean level by low barometric pressure. This information is obtained through the local meteorological office. The air gap, measured from the mean water level to the bottom ofthe hull, must be suf: Cient to avoid the crest of any wave staking Volume 1 Number 1 Wave and Caren! the hull. For safety, an extra 4 feet [1.2 meters} or 10 percent of the air gap is added. The relative strengths of the overturning moments from wind and water (inelucling wave and current), OTM-wind and OTM: ‘water, vary from one jack up to the next. For ‘example, consider the following operating Conditions, somewhat different irom the Ti: dent 1X design criteria: Water depth 300 feet [91 meters} Wave height 48 feet [15 meters] ‘Wave period 15 seconds Surface current 0 knot Bottom current Oknot Wind speed 100 knot Air gap 30 feet |9.1 meters) ‘Ocean floor penetration 25 feet (7.6 meters} The envioement's horizontal cine on 2 ack up doco wind, ‘save orl ocean cu reat The lowing resisted the su In this setting, the overturning moments {units are metvic ton-meters [ton-m)) for three Sedco Forex. jack ups ae: Wideot IV Teident VE Tident x Mobil shel BP Nigeria Nigoria North Sea OtMewind 43773 38.237 56589 Otmissater 34.551 4,980 20,118 WindiWaler 12725528 OMMot 78,28 5321776707 ‘The square legs of the Trident IV have a trapezoidal chord section that produces a large underwater drag giving ita high OTM ‘ater. The Trident VI, built like the Trident IX with fixed jacking unit and lighter legs, hhas a lower OTiMwater. The Trident X has a high OTMawind because its leg:hull con- nection is Located outside the hull, increas: ing the projected area ofthe hull The Tident 1X operating under its design criteria conditions experiences the following, moments: OTM-wind = 62,190 ton-m, OTMwater = 20,100 tan-m, OTM04 62,190 + 20,100 = 82,290 ton-m. Wind 10 water ratio is 3.09, more than any of the Jack ups above. In 120-knot winds, 20 knots more than in the design criteria, OTM-wind increases to 62,190 |1 20/100)? = 89,600 ton-m, giving an OTMVetotal of 109,700 ton- ‘A jack up rig remains upright if the over- turning moment is less than the stabilizing ‘moment, Si ofthe rg’ wravity load, SM= (WBE inwhich Wis rig weight, B is its buoyancy and Jis the distance between the rigs center ‘of gravity and axis of rotation, considered 10 39DRILLING Daaw.worke [Gavaner Denver 1650 = 2,000 Fo Pumps (Gardoor Denver PZ11— 1,600 Hp Darrick Branram=—Ta7 HeaOT SOON [Gross nominal capacty—1,982,000 > Static hook load, API 4E with 12 ines—1,044,000 ib Maximum wind vith ated setback inthe dock 135 mph Maximum pitch 0 rl or ransi—-20 degrees, 10 seconds Powor 4 Cat D 299 TA diesel engines: {4GE 1 500:KVa generators ‘Slicon-contolled rector a Graharn=a 11200 KW 600 V ‘BOPs [Camoron 135%, 10:000-psi rams Hye 20 in, 2.000 psi Hy 195i in, 5,000 psi canes is Fastin) a on AT AAT Tiving quarters cagaciy—103 poopie MARINE Dimensions Tarawa Ea fit, ova aie 8 2n [7502] Depth of Full 26H Fin [863m] i Cong offs siet (158m) | Spud ean cross-sectional area (per can) 7 Beessqn [240 m" [Cantilever 7 45 fix 24 ft [13,.72mx 7.31 m) Lightship weight 9,542 tons Tien dat Thi ein 80m) Helpor damier ZH GAT Design evra ‘Operating water depth with 5 ponovaton and | aan (122m) Dit ai oa) Rated aaa see TOOT SRM Wave eight aon (219m) Wave pared Tesco Surface current ‘Oknots: mi Baton curert Tats Wind spood oni ook [a National ees #00 ase, each having 220 088 z tiovating, 500 tons hoeing capac. Storage 77] Vanabie toad (excluding 1,250 kips hook and set ‘5400 kips [2.695 tons] back oa 1 ip = 1,000) FoRTa OE Potable water 3 4,000 bbl 1636.0 ma} Dawater R00 sss igodmad aT] iY /Proload and ballast El 47,200 bor 174917 wey [Dry bulk and mud 4,600 cult [130.2 m'] erent Fava TMT 40 Oilield Reviewbe a fine joining the base of two of the rie’s feet—which two depends on the direction ff the overturning force, which in turn depends on the direction of the storm leigho, The gravity load of the Tidlent IX includes 6,049 tons of fixed load, 1,225 tons of vari- able load—drill pipe, cement, and other movable material—and 3,475 tons of legs and spud cans. The buoyancy of the 400, feet (122 meters) of immerse legs i 3.6 ton per meter. The distance from the center of ‘gravity to the rotational axis is 44 feet (13.5 meters} Thus, the stabilizing moment is: SM = (6,089 4 1,225 + 3,475 3.6 x 121.93 legs) «13.5, = 127,338 ton-m, ‘well in excess of the overturning moment ‘under the design criteria of 82,290 ton-m. But a simple excess is not enough. The stability moment must exceed the overtum: ing moment by a safety factor of SM/OTM. The UK Department of Energy requires a safely factor of at least 1.1 for independent leg jack up rigs and 1.5 for mat-supported jack ups. The Trident IX safety factor lor the design criteria is 1.55. Wind more than any= thing else reduces this. Sensitivity analysis, however, shows that even in a worst storm it ‘won't dip below the 1-1 limit (see “ident 1X Sensitivity Analysis,” below) ‘Another application of the overturning ‘moment is determining how much preload is necessary to simulate the maximum reac tion the tig would experience during worst case conditions, Consider the Trident IX fully loaded subjected to its design criteria: as before, the OTM-iotal is 82,290 ton-m. Suppose a storm approaches from aft (behind), and the distance between the aft legs and the forward leg is 133 feet (40.52 ‘Wind Deviation from Desk Giteta Moment Weight Genter of Geauiy aa: Weathor Breeton \Verical sabitieing Waveeurrent Moment Total See Moment a Factor foe ana jack up its weight minus the legs buoyancy. Design erteria 52,190 20,100 82,290 155 Wind increases 20 knots 89,600 20,100 108,700 148 Wave hi. incteases 15 62.180 38,260 100.440 127 Current increases 2 knots | 62,190 93,815 96,005 193) Water depth deer. 100 1 49,700 15,200 64,900 196: Penevation increases 258 | 65,900 21,500 186 800 147 Volume 1 Number 1 ameters). Theo, the additional force on the forward spuxl Can is 82,290/40,52 = 2,031 tons. This may be simulated by preloading. ‘The 1olal preload required to load the three logs simultaneously is 2,031 x 3 = 6,093 tons, less than the Trident IX maximum preload capacity of 7,663 tons. Some mar sn i eequired to test ocean floos that night ‘permit a potential punch thiowgh (ight, Elovating the rig with full preload is a major breakthrough for recently built jack vp rigs like the Tdtent 1X that are designed for hash conditions and deep water. Inthe future, the trend toward cleap water will continue, athough i's unlikely jack ups will ‘evor operate in depths greater than 500 fet 1150 meters}. Future jack ups will almost coitainly use Trident 1X's design technolo. ‘ay-—large, lightly constructed legs 10 reduce the ocean’s overturning moment ancl a sim: plo, powerful jacking system that bears most ‘0 the moment atthe rack and pinion mech nism rather than at the guides. This tech- nology has enough flexibility 10 ensure compliance with increasingly tough safety regulations. Jack ups may even become 2 safe alternative (@ conventional production facilities. MR 42 Ponetration Mud Line Prooad Blovated Storm | Load | Buoyant Weight LiPeneration vesus a rigs buoyant woight ‘ving reloading when there is no punch doh top). {he maxima preload compacts the ocean ‘oor mare tn fre cast forthe worstcase Won thre pune ‘rou nie. buoyant weight suc ely eres Move preload success achieves the ested ‘Sew main beyond Comcton ofthe Sean for ores or the worstcase stam, Apseload tat lst achievea punch ‘ough that occurs far ding aster spells poten eaas: tophe thoton. Oilfield Review