Seafloor anchoring for platforms in the Messina Strait

The importance of properly designing and selecting an anchor is key to reliable techniques for floating offshore platforms including power generation from marine currents. Numerous studies have demonstrated how the uplift capacity of embedment anchors is highly dependent on the soil properties and the anchor geometry. This work focuses in detail on the behavior of vertically loaded circular anchors to keep a floating structure stationary in the offshore environment. The main goal of this research was to find and evaluate an alternative to the foundations employed in the M. Eng. 2009/10 offshore project. The initial option consisted of drag embedment anchors and suction anchors as the foundations for the floating structure located in the Messina Strait that carries a horizontal-axis marine current turbine. Examining past theories and tests, and using dimensional analysis, we determined that circular plate anchors of 4.22 m and 2.72 m in diameter represent a good alternative design for the foundations of the front and back floating platforms. These anchors have an embedment depth-to-diameter ratio of 3 and a plate thickness-to-diameter ratio of 3%. Therefore, in comparison to the initial foundation options developed in the M. Eng. project, the solution with circular anchors has the advantage to reduce the overall dimensions of the anchors, reduce the material necessary for their manufacture, minimize the duration and cost of installation, and provide an efficient anchoring system independent of the local current direction.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Manno, Antonioluca

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Herbert H. Einstein.

• Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/60768

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/60768