The St.Petersburg State Technical University (Stpstu) and the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (MSUCE), both of Russia, are conducting research to support rational choices of offshore structures for the Barents Sea. One option is floating structures, which are particularly relevant for the giant Shtokmanovskoye field in 300 meters of water. This project will test Tension Leg platforms adapted to an ice environment, both with respect to their behaviour in open water and with respect to their behaviour in broken ice fields. The broken ice fields will be simulated by artificial ice floes on the water. Larger yawing moments are expected in broken ice fields. The main structural adaptation is the addition of conical collars on the platform legs to promote ice failure in flexure rather than in compression. The design of these collars, as well as their influence on the hydrodynamic behaviour of the platform, will be investiagted. (priority 1). The Odessa Institute of Marine Engineers (OIME) in Odessa, Ukraine, is interested in the use of jack-up platforms for installation of light-weight jacket platform structures. The International Mathematical Center of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kiev, Ukraine, furthermore has an interest in mathematical modelling of this process. Ukraine has a number of known offshore oil fields in the Black Sea and in the Azov Sea between Ukraine and Russia, which will be developed in the near future. The jack-up based installation procedure is particularly relevant for the shallow Azov Sea, where the large floating crane vessels used in for example the North Sea will have difficulties operating. In the Black Sea, the jack-up based method is still likely to lead to substantial cost savings. The main objectives of the project will be to demonstrate the feasibility of the installation operation for a 1000 tonnes jacket and to define the limiting sea state for its execution. The method has been proven feasible for 500 tonnes jackets, but the 1000 tonnes jacket will require a far more advanced lifting procedure. (priority 2).
Both user projects will utilize models also used under the original contract, and will consequently engender transnational cooperation. The proposed budget is split fifty-fifty between the two user projects.