
Module Leader
Lecturers
Dr C Abadie, Dr S Stanier & Dr D Liang
Timing and Structure
Lent term. 14 Lectures + 2 examples classes. Assessment: 100% exam
Prerequisites
3D2 assumed
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Introduce the geology and geotechnical properties of the seabed in renewable energy and hydrocarbon producing regions;
- Develop awareness of the geohazards prevalent in the offshore environment;
- Introduce offshore site investigation techniques and methods of sediment characterisa- tion;
- Introduce the design of geotechnical offshore infrastructure including pipelines, shallow foundations, piles and anchors, for both renewable energy and hydrocarbon producing facilities;
- Develop an awareness of the potential impact of scour on subsea infrastructure.
Content
The offshore environment (2 hours: sas229)
- A historical perspective on energy production in the oshore environment
- Continental drift and plate tectonics
- Extent and topography of the Continental margins
- Sediment characteristics, distribution and origins
- Offshore geohazards
Offshore site investigation (2 hours: sas229)
- Purpose and techniques
- Geophysical and geotechnical surveys
- In-situ tests: cone penetrometer, full-flow penetrometers and vane shear
- Sampling methods
- Simple shear testing: strain and pore pressure accumulation
- Model testing
Pipelines (2 hours: sas229)
- Pipeline systems and terminology
- Routing and hazard avoidance
- Pipeline installation
- Hydrodynamic stability and thermal expansion management
- On-bottom pipelines: embedment, axial and lateral resistance
- Buried pipelines: uplift resistance
Shallow foundations (2 hours: cna24)
- Types and applications
- Ultimate limit state: bearing capacity and failure envelope approaches
- Installation of embedded shallow foundations
- Serviceability limit state: immediate and consolidation settlements
- Removal of shallow foundations
Piles (2 hours: cna24)
- Types and applications
- North Sea examples: oshore renewables and hydrocarbon producing platforms
- Axial response:
- Capacity and stiffness
- Behaviour in clay / sand / rock
- Linear elastic pile stiness solutions
- Numerical analysis using the load transfer method
- Lateral response:
- Limiting lateral resistance and design charts
- Typical P-y curves
- PISA
- Design for cyclic loading
Anchors (2 hours: cna24)
- Type of buoyant facilities and mooring configurations
- Types of anchor:
- Surface / gravity anchors
- Embedded anchors: piles, caissons and drag anchors
- Design principles for:
- Anchor chain response
- Drag anchors
- Suction caissons
- Next generation anchors
Scour (2 hours: dl359)
- Scour processes: sediment transport and scour hole development
- Scour hole measurement techniques
- Predicting scour around: pipelines and pile foundations
- Scour remediation techniques
Booklists
Please see the Booklist for Group D Courses for references for this module.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
UK-SPEC
This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:
Toggle display of UK-SPEC areas.
General Learning Outcomes
Graduates with the exemplifying qualifications, irrespective of registration category or qualification level, must satisfy the following criteria:
Last modified: 13/09/2019 10:34