Global jack-up rig behaviour next to a footprint

Abstract

This paper reports the effect of the global behaviour of three-legged jack-up rigs due to the reinstallation of spudcan footings next to seabed footprints. Two reinstallation scenarios are discussed: (i) two legs first installed on flat ground, and then the third leg installed near a footprint (representing what is known as leg-by-leg preloading); and (ii) the three legs installed simultaneously (representing simultaneous preloading). The spudcan-soil interaction was simulated using a coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) approach. A simplified global jack-up model was developed by considering an equivalent beam model for the hull and legs. The results of the jack-up installations are compared a..