Fixed Offshore Structure
Jacket Type
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Moses Structure Institute
Moses Structure Institute
Moses Structure Institute
Introduction
Jacket structures are the simplest and most common type of offshore
substructure, as most offshore oil and gas reserves are found in
shallow waters which are perfect for jackets.
The term ‘jacket’ refers to the tubular steel frame anchored to the
seabed by piles. The piles are installed through the jacket legs and
hammered down until they reach the design threshold through the
soil.
Jacket structures come in different shapes and sizes depending on the
water depth, environment, function, and the size & weight of the
topside module.
API RP 2A – Planning, Designing, and Constructing Fixed Offshore
Platforms is a recommended read to learn the basics of fixed offshore
platforms.
Picture Source:
Okoro, U., Kolios, A., 2018. Multicriteria risk assessment framework for components’ risk
ranking: Case study of a complex oil and gas support structure. J. Multi-Criteria Decis. Anal. 25,
113–129. [Link]
Main Components of a Typical Jacket Structure
Geometry of Jacket Structures
Jacket structures are variant in shape and size. Each jacket is uniquely
designed to support the module (topside/turbine) above the substructure
and to withstand the combined loads (environmental, seismic, etc).
Considerations for designing a jacket structure:
1. Water Depth
2. Environment
3. Weight and size of topside module
4. Soil characteristics
5. Economical efficiency
6. Constructability, etc…
8 Leg – Float-over Installation
Jacket
Batter
And
4 Leg – Skirt Piles Tripod Typical 4 Leg 6 Leg 8 Leg others…
Loads Imposed on a Jacket Structure
Ice Loads
Wind
Vibrating Equipment + Live
Loads
Gravity
Wave
Ship Impact
(Accidental Loads)
MSL = Mean Sea Level
Buoyancy
Current
Hydrostatic
Forces
Seismic/Mudslides
Basic Design Criteria
Jacket Leg
Environmental Data – must be
known for the loading input in the Grouting
analysis.
Cyclic loads can determine the Pile
fatigue life of the jacket, and design
engineering can adjust accordingly.
Air Gap
MSL = Mean Sea Level Splash Zone
Air Gap – API RP 2A Splash Zone areas shall be
recommends an air gap of 5ft installed with corrosion
above the maximum extreme protection.
wave height (100-year period).
Seismic Analysis to be conducted Soil Data shall be known to conduct
inline with the earthquake data pile-soil interaction for analysis
Jacket Bracing
Jackets are almost entirely consisted of steel tubular members;
chords and braces.
Both are extremely essential in providing the jacket its strength
and stiffness.
Jacket Braces are classified into
three types: X, K, and Y.
Table and Picture Source: API RP 2A-WSD 2014
Jacket Pile Foundation
In structural analysis, pile-to-soil
interaction is assumed to be as
springs.
The jacket foundation consists of a jacket leg and pile.
These tubular steel members resist the axial forces (self-weight and topside weight) and
lateral forces (environmental load and live loads) imposed against the jacket structure.
Piles are a critical component of the jacket to assist
- Stability
- Soil interaction
- Axial and lateral forces
Picture Source:
Jacket Pile-Soil Interaction
Lesny, K., Richwien, W., 2010. Design, construction and installation of support structures for
offshore wind energy systems, Wind Energy Systems: Optimising Design and Construction for
Safe and Reliable Operation. Woodhead Publishing Limited.
[Link]
Jacket Grouting
Functions and Advantages of Jacket Grouting :
1. Structural stability: grouting fills the space (annulus)
between the jacket legs and the piles. Ensures that the jacket
is securely anchored to the seabed, providing stability against
waves, currents, and wind.
2. Load Transfer: helps transfer the loads from the jacket
structure to the piles and then to the seabed.
3. Corrosion protection: protect steel components from
seawater corrosion by sealing the annulus and preventing
water ingress.
4. Mitigation of fatigue: reduce the movement and flexing of
the structure → extending the service life.
Picture Source:
Chen, T., Zhang, C., Wang, X., Zhao, Q., Yuan, G., Chen, K., 2020. Hysteretic behavior of grouted 5. Ensuring alignment: Ensuring that the jacket structure
connections in offshore wind turbine support structures. J. Constr. Steel Res. 164, 105783.
[Link] remains aligned and properly positioned during and after the
installation → provides additional precision.
Marine Growth
Jacket structures attract marine life, causing marine growth to occur. Marine growth
affects the jacket in the following ways:
1. Increase in outside diameter
2. Additional load from marine growth
3. Higher drag force and roughness (Affecting the drag coefficient Cd and inertia
coefficient Cm)
4. Higher added mass
5. Structural damage (corrosion)
6. Hydrodynamic instability
Marine growth varies based on geographical location, marine life characteristics, and
water depth.
All jacket structures shall be analyzed to account for maximum marine growth.
There are two types of marine growth:
1. Soft → eg. Seaweed, soft coral, sponges, anemones, etc
2. Hard → oysters, barnacles, mussels
Picture Source:
[Link]
survey-and-coral-monitoring-program-in-south-east-asia/
[Link]
Scouring Effect
Scouring is the removal of sediment layers of the seabed due to
hydrodynamical behaviour such as the formation of the vortex
and wake vortices around the jacket foundation (leg/pile).
This phenomena have a large impact on the lateral pile capacity
and a low impact on the axial pile capacity.
Scour is assumed to be 1.5 x Pile Diameter ([Link]-Reedy, 2015)
Engineers shall consider scouring in the analysis to check if the
structure can still maintain its stability and strength, as the soil
resistance can significantly decrease while the hydrodynamic force
increases.
Picture Source:
Khansari, A., Hoyme, H., Oumeraci, H., 2022. Scour protection effects on the dynamic response
of jacket structures under extreme load events. IOP Conf. Ser. Mater. Sci. Eng. 1260, 012028.
[Link]
Chakrabarti, S.K., 2005. <Handbook of Offshore Engineering, Vol [Link]>.
Picture Source:
References
[Link]-Reedy, M., 2015. Marine Structural Design Calculations.
API RP 2A-WSD 22nd Ed., 2014. Planning, Designing, and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms - Working Stress Design. API Recomm.
Pract. 324.
Chakrabarti, Subrata K., 2005. Handbook of Offshore Engineering, Handbook of Offshore Engineering.
Chakrabarti, Subrata K, 2005. <Handbook of Offshore Engineering, Vol [Link]>.
Chen, T., Zhang, C., Wang, X., Zhao, Q., Yuan, G., Chen, K., 2020. Hysteretic behavior of grouted connections in offshore wind turbine
support structures. J. Constr. Steel Res. 164, 105783. [Link]
Khansari, A., Hoyme, H., Oumeraci, H., 2022. Scour protection effects on the dynamic response of jacket structures under extreme load
events. IOP Conf. Ser. Mater. Sci. Eng. 1260, 012028. [Link]
Lesny, K., Richwien, W., 2010. Design, construction and installation of support structures for offshore wind energy systems, Wind Energy
Systems: Optimising Design and Construction for Safe and Reliable Operation. Woodhead Publishing Limited.
[Link]
Okoro, U., Kolios, A., 2018. Multicriteria risk assessment framework for components’ risk ranking: Case study of a complex oil and gas
support structure. J. Multi-Criteria Decis. Anal. 25, 113–129. [Link]
