DRILLING Jack Up Rigs: Evolution of Design Jean Cahuzac Jean Chevallier Lee Turner ‘Montrouge, France In August 1988, Sedco Forex’s jack up tg, Trident 1X, spudlded a well for Cabinda Gulf il Company (Chevron Corp.) off the coa ff Angola in a record water depth of 391 feet (119 meters). Built in 1982, Trident 1x vas the first jack up developed for depths Lup to 400 feot [122 meters] (right). Until the late 1970s, most jack up rigs were designed to operate in shallow water, up to 250 fect [76 meters}, and in mild environments, Today, several jack ups are capable of work Jing at 400-foot depths and in adverse ocean nd weather conditions previously reserved for semi-submersibles and cil ships Sell-levating jack ups are the most com ‘mon offshore drilling unit. A jack up has several advantages that may appeal to the ‘operator, the most important being, cost. A jack up is less expensive to build than any ‘ther type of offshore rig and this con: tributes to a lower day rate and therefore Tower operating costs forthe oil company. Logistical expenses are also lower. lack ups require a smaller crew than other rigs, and less powerful boats fo move them. A jack up usualy requites no anchoring. Jack ups also have lower maintenance costs, There is no subsea blowout preven: tion system and the wellhead assembly is much simpler. Cost may also be reduced Volume 1 Number 1 seco Foren’ Tide 1 jack up rig cil in 2 record water depth of 391 eet [19 meters) in showe Angola, because of less down time. Once on loca: tion, the rig’ lack of mobility makes drilling ‘operations more straightforward than on rigs that move with the ocean swell The limitations of jack ups are safety and water depth, although as the Trident IX record suggests the depth limitation is being, stretched. A jack up's legs must be firmly implanted on the ocean floor and stay there throughout the drilling operation. Two major problems can arise. Firs, the legs may not be long enough to accommodate the water depth and some penetration into the ocean sediments. Second, during drilling, one oF more of the legs may sud ‘denly punch through a weak layer of formas tion, toppling the rig into the ocean. ‘Another safety limitation with jack ups isthat they cannot be moved off location in case of a blowoul or other mishap. ‘Most jack up rigs have three legs.! Each leg is formed from a lattice of K-shaped trusses fabricated with reinforced steel tubes. The tubular leg extremities may be set in place directly on the ocean floor if it can withstand the rig’s pressure of about 140 pounds per square inch (psi) [10 kilo trams per square centimeter (kg/cm). For ‘cean floors of intermediate strength, the legs are equipped with so-called spud cans that reduce pressure to about 40 psi 3kgy/em?| by distributing the ri’s weight ‘over a larger area (below). The spud can is cular of polygonal and constructed with a heavy point to penetrate the hardest sea floor. The point also serves to ease retrieval from soit floors. Most jack ups are designed to allow about 30 feet [9 meters} of leg pen: tetration into the ocean floor. ln exceptional Circumstances, up to 150 feet [46 meters} of penetration has been experienced, Very soft ocean floors may require so called mat jack ups (right). A steel mat welded to the bottom of the ig’ legs, dis ibutes the weight ofthe rig evenly on the ‘ocean floor reducing pressure to 4 psi (0.3, kg/cm]. However, a mat requires a rather flat ocean floor, ree of irregularities that might damage the mat 1, Seco Forex only Jick op wth our eg he vr nth rd quis 9 four eg ai. 2. Seaco Fare ack ups excep he Tent i Cons 36 1One of Tent 1s three spud ean ding ‘om Toyo ship: sate ig was ering Co (Mode) and delivered in 1983. The te ver thal bes at the spud ect with the g's three vertical cho The tubes sre 60 feet 118.3 meters) loescate The trend toward using jack up rigs in deeper water and more hostile conditions stimulated several innovations in leg and the jack up system design, jack up's st: bility depends on its weight resisting the horizontal loads of the wind, waves and Current of the worst possible storm. A crit cal point is where bending moments caused by the horizontal forces exerted on the legs are transmitted to the main body of the rig or hull 'A matiyp jack up, the Seco Fore “Luan in tans. The sec, horseshoe shaped mit fnange is welded to the bron of te rs eas to pronide sale weigh dstbution on soft oces floors. The igi. ed on the cack of 2 carir vessel 0 fod ther, the vessel submerged dep enough to at the ‘up. Then the tansport vessels debated. Oilfield ReviewUppers iv 7 ewer use ‘radial facing system, in which overturn Jing moment fs mainly borne by gues above ards Delow the jack house, Vertical rst forces hick arm at the jacks rack aa pinion mechanism ‘are equal both sides ofthe eg, indicating that the Jacks bear only the ry’ buoyant weight. The ‘vertuming moment is canted bythe hovizniad thas forces a the guides. Note te ri’ rao and ney legs Volume 1 Number 1 Jacking Up System In the traditional jack up rig, the jacks are strong enough to elevate the hull, but ean- not bear any bending moment.? The ‘moment is resisted at guides above and bplow the rack and pinion mechanisms that raise and lower each leg. This design requites some distance between the upper and lower guides and slender, heavily con- structed legs (lef) In the Trident IX, the jacking units are more robust andthe bene ing moment is sustained mainly atthe rack and pinion mechanisms mounted on the three vertical elements of each leg, called chor.) Only a small part of the moment is tome by guides below) To sustain bending moment in this way required increasing the distance between chhords to 60 feet [18.3 meters. This leads to large but ight legs, which in tum leads to A less expensive rg, ‘Tident X's legs weigh only 1.74 tons per foot 0.53 tons per meter compared with 2.13 tons per foot 10.65 tons ident Ws jcking ssten in which benelng moment is mainly bome at the Jack hooses be fei. The vertical ust forces a the jacks either ide of es are ‘neq, indicating substantia overtaing ‘moment i being Pied there. Tiden Xs Ter les oe es resistance to wind and ‘water det