Marine suction anchor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12077250-B2
Application number	US-201816644222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2018
Priority date	Sep 7, 2017
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

A suction anchor and method of installing the suction anchor. The suction anchor including a suction chamber bounded by: a circumferential outer wall; an upper wall; and an internal housing wall. The internal housing defining a passage for receiving wellhead components that may be secured to the suction anchor. The suction chamber has a minor upper portion and a major lower portion. The minor upper portion having internal reinforcing members extending along the inside of the upper wall from the outer walls to the internal housing. The major portion is adapted to be embedded in a seabed and the minor portion is adapted to project from the seabed when the anchor is installed. The reinforcing members serve to reinforce the upper wall of the chamber against collapse and to rigidly support the internal housing to resist forces arising from bending moments applied to wellhead components received and secured therein.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A suction anchor comprising:
a suction chamber bounded by: (i) a circumferential outer wall, (ii) an upper wall having a central opening, and (iii) a wall of an internal housing;
the internal housing defining a passage in communication with the central opening for receiving wellhead components that may be secured to the suction anchor;
the suction chamber having a minor upper portion and a major lower portion, and the minor upper portion is smaller than the major lower portion;
the minor upper portion comprising internal reinforcing members extending along the inside of the upper wall from the outer walls to the internal housing, wherein the internal reinforcing members are located only in the minor upper portion and do not extend into the major lower portion;
the major lower portion being adapted to be embedded in a seabed and the minor upper portion being adapted to project from the seabed when the anchor is installed, wherein the bottoms of the internal reinforcing members lie on an upper surface of the seabed when the suction anchor is fully installed;
wherein the internal reinforcing members serve both to reinforce the upper wall of the suction chamber against collapse and to rigidly support the internal housing such that it may resist forces applied to it arising from bending moments applied to a wellhead component received and secured therein; and
wherein the minor upper portion is bounded at an upper end by a planar lid and support ring, and an inner pipe support ring is provided at a lower end of the minor upper portion.

2. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the internal housing is a conductor housing receptacle adapted to receive a conductor housing.

3. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the conductor housing receptacle further comprises a conductor housing located therein and rigidly secured thereto, the conductor housing being adapted to receive a wellhead component.

4. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the conductor housing is clamped into the conductor housing receptacle.

5. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the internal reinforcing members extend radially from the wall of the internal housing to the outer wall, and wherein the internal reinforcing members are I-beams.

6. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a central pipe depending from the internal housing and serving to bound the inner part of the major portion of the suction chamber.

7. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the central pipe is adapted to receive a well casing depending from a wellhead secured in the internal housing.

8. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a suction port to enable air and/or water to be pumped from the suction chamber.

9. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a plurality of attachment points are provided at the upper wall.

10. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the upper wall is substantially planar, and the bottoms of the internal reinforcing members are parallel with the upper wall.

11. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a wellhead housing and a wellhead casing, wherein the wellhead housing is rigidly secured within a conductor housing and the conductor housing is rigidly secured within the internal housing, whereby lateral forces applied to the upper part of the wellhead casing are transmitted to the suction anchor.

12. The combination of claim 11 , further comprising a wellhead valve mounted above the wellhead housing.

13. The combination of claim 11 , wherein the suction anchor is installed in a seabed with the major portion beneath the seabed and the minor portion projecting therefrom.

14. The suction anchor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the internal housing is a conductor housing receptacle adapted to receive a conductor housing.

15. A method of installing a subsea structure comprising providing a subsea anchor as claimed in claim 1 , locating the subsea anchor on the sea bed and pumping air and/or water from the suction chamber such that the subsea anchor descends into the seabed.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the suction anchor is installed in a seabed such that the major portion is beneath the seabed and the minor portion is projecting therefrom.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising the step of landing at least one wellhead component in the internal housing.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the at least one wellhead component comprises a wellhead housing with a wellhead casing depending therefrom.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising installing a wellhead valve mounted above the wellhead housing.

Assignees

• Equinor Energy As

Inventors

• Reinås Lorents
• Ellingsen Kjell Einar
• Eide Asle
• Eidesen Bjørgulf Haukelidsæter
• Nesse Harald Sigurd
• Vangsnes Roger
• Saether Morten

Classifications

• E21B33/035

  specially adapted for underwater installations (E21B33/043, E21B33/064, E21B33/076 take precedence) · CPC title

• E02D27/52

  Submerged foundations {, i.e. submerged in open water (E02D27/12 - E02D27/24 take precedence)} · CPC title

• E02D23/00

  Caissons; Construction or placing of caissons (tunnels submerged into or built in open water E02D29/063 {; moles, piers, quays, breakwaters incorporating caissons E02B3/06; foundation formed by caissons E02D27/18 - E02D27/22; caisson-like artificial islands E02B17/00}) · CPC title

• E21B41/0007

  for underwater installations (E21B41/005, E21B41/04, E21B41/06, E21B41/08, E21B41/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• B63B21/27 Primary

  by suction · CPC title