Discussion: A review on the behaviour of helical piles as a potential offshore foundation system

Abstract

Helical piles have emerged as an attractive foundation system for offshore applications with renewed interest from the offshore community. Significant research gap currently exists in transferring this technology offshore and this paper discusses how existing and emerging knowledge can be successfully used to bridge some of the gaps. We focus on the Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian (CEL) large deformation finite element (LDFE) modelling technique that is commercially available and can be used to model the three-dimensional installation process with consideration of strain rate and softening effects in soft offshore clays. A helical pile of L?=?7.5?m long is modelled with one or two large-diameter helices (D?=?2?m) attached to a central shaft of d?=?0.5?m in diameter.The net effect of strain rate and softening is to increase the installation torque. The measured torque is within the range of 200–400?kN.m for the offshore clay and the pile geometry studied. Additional helices increase the uplift force but to a lesser degree than that of the measured torque. Remoulding induced strength reduction is found to be within the range of 25–33% of the intact clay strength. Issues of extracting and reusing offshore helical pile foundations are discussed.     

动力定位系统与单波束测深仪在科考船定点作业中的应用

科考船定点作业时会受到海洋风、涌、浪、流等外界环境因素影响，导致工作效率降低，原位测量精度下降，甚至影响作业安全。动力定位系统 （DP） 具有自动定位功能，能够抵抗外界环境因素的影响，可实现科考船高精度定点控位。 单波束测深仪不仅可以测量水深，也可反映水下设备深度信息，可以起到辅助监控水下设备功能。本文在介绍定点作业施工现状与局限性的基础上，分析 DP 系统与单波束测深仪工作原理，以“向阳红 01”船为载体，在定点作业时开启 DP 系统与单波束测深仪，发现该方法可以提高科考船定点作业工作效率、原位测量精度并保障作业安全，可为其他科考船定点作业提供参考。     

Methane-dominated thermochemical sulphate reduction in the Triassic Feixianguan Formation East Sichuan Basin, China: towards prediction of fatal H2S concentrations

New sour pools have recently found in the Lower Triassic Feixianguan Fm carbonate reservoirs in the East Sichuan Basin in China with H₂S up to 17.4% by volume. A recent blowout from a well drilled into this formation killed hundreds of people as a result of the percentage concentrations of H₂S. In order to assess the origin of fatal H₂S as well as the cause of petroleum alteration, H₂S concentrations and the isotopes, δ³⁴S and δ¹³C have been collected and measured in gas samples from reservoirs. Anhydrite, pyrite and elemental sulphur δ³⁴S values have been measured for comparison. The high concentrations of H₂S gas are found to occur at depths >3000 m (temperature now at 100 °C) in evaporated platform facies oolitic dolomite or limestone that contains anhydrite nodule occurrence within the reservoirs. Where H₂S concentrations are greater than 10% its δ³⁴S values lie between +12.0 and +13.2‰ CDT. This is within the range of anhydrite δ³⁴S values found within the Feixianguan Fm (+11.0 to +21.7‰; average 15.5±3.5‰ CDT). Thus H₂S must have been generated by thermochemical sulphate reduction (TSR) locally within the reservoirs. Burial history analysis and fluid inclusion data reveal that the temperature at which TSR occurred was greater than about 130–140 °C, suggesting that the present depth-temperature minimum is an artifact of post-TSR uplift. Both methane and ethane were actively involved in TSR since the petroleum became almost totally dry (no alkanes except methane) and methane δ¹³C values become significantly heavier as TSR proceeded. Methane δ¹³C difference thus reflects the extent of TSR. While it is tempting to use a present-day depth control (>3000 m) to predict the distribution of H₂S in the Feixianguan Fm, this is an invalid approach since TSR occurred when the formation was buried some 1000–2000 m deeper than it is at present. The likelihood of differential uplift across the basin means that it is important to develop a basinal understanding of the thermal history of the Feixianguan Fm so that it is possible to determine which parts of the basin have been hotter than 130–140 °C.     

Underice Operation of SJT-5 ROV

- The authors have used a low-cost ROV of observation type for underice surveying of the Nen-Jiang Cross-river oil pipe line in the Da Qing oil field. The operation method, process and the safety measures for severe cold areas are presented. The fruitful tries and experience may be useful to ROV operators in severe cold areas.     

A Numerical Model of Coastal Processes of Sand Beaches Based on Long-Term Wave Series

A numerical model of shoreline change of sand beaches based on long-term field wave data is proposed, the explicit and implicit finite difference forms of the model are described, and an application of the model is presented. Results of the application indicate that the model is sensitive to the order of the input wave data, and that the effects of long-term wave series and the effects of the mean annual wave conditions on the model are different. Instead of a single wave condition, the wave series will make the calibration and the verification of the model more practical and the results of the model more reasonable.     

应用北太平洋表层水温及环流场进行海冰预报

渤海及黄海北部处在中纬度地带,每年冬季都有不同程度的结冰现象。以辽东湾结冰时间最长,全部结冰日数平均为100多天,约占全年的三分之一。从全海区看,建国后冰情较重的有1957、1968、1969、1977年的1、2月份,尤其是1969年,渤海海面发生了该海区历史上罕见的冰封,整个海面几乎全部被海冰所覆盖,严重阻碍了海上的航运交通及海上石油开采工作,从而给国民经济带来很大损失。     

胶州湾贻贝苗源的发展

贻贝(Mytilus edulis L.)是一种冷水性双壳类软体动物，它在我国沿岸分布的南限是胶州湾，但仅见于港内码头及船底上，且数量不多。 1958年青岛市水产局、原青岛市海水养殖场和中国科学院海洋研究所等单位曾一起自大连和烟台移贻贝苗至青岛试养，次年养殖架上也曾有少量幼苗附着，但未能大量繁殖起来。1971年后胶南县海水养殖试验场及青岛市第二海水养殖场等先后进行数十亩乃至数百亩移苗养殖，附苗量虽有所增长，但直至1974年仍缺乏生产意义。这种情况引起我们的思考:胶州湾贻贝苗源能否大量发展？它的限制因素是什么？ 1972年至1973年，我们与烟台地区海水养殖试验场等单位曾对烟台沿岸贻贝苗源进行调查研究，确认当时烟台苗种产量不高的主要原因是附着基不足，其次是亲贝不足，据此试验成功了“废旧草绠采苗法”。之后，随着采苗器材的增加及养殖面积的不断扩大，烟台芝罘湾已发展成为一个较好的苗场，通常可供万亩以上生产用苗。这个经验对我们开发胶州湾的苗源很有启发。 1975年胶南县在胶州湾大力推广“废旧草绠采苗法”，收割海带后保留废旧海带架两万台采贻贝苗， 1976年进一步扩大贻贝养殖面积，继续留绠采苗。我们在青岛市水产局及胶南县水产局等单位的协助下，于1975年9月及1976年8-9月，对胶州湾内及湾口(青岛前海)留绠采苗的情况进行了调查，这些调查资料即为本文的主要依据。     

Analytically derived wind-wave directional spectrum part 1. Derivation of the spectrum

In contrast with the usual method to obtain the wind-wave directional spectrum by multiplying the frequency spectrum with an empirical directional function, the authors attempt to derive analytically the directional spectrum by adopting proper spectral form and using effective parameters, namely, the zero order momentm ₀ of the wind-wave frequency spectrumS(), its peak frequency ₀ and the so-called peakness factorP=₀ S(₀)/m ₀, where is angular frequency. The directional spectrum is given in a form of frequency spectrum for each direction. The spectral directionality depends on, in addition to frequency, the wind-wave growth status, for the peakness factorP as introduced by the authors previously is a measure of the wave development stage. The salient features of the directional spectrum, comparison with existing formulas and the verification of the spectrum by observational data are to be given in the Part 2 of the paper.Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

DGPS RTK技术在无验潮水下地形测量中的应用初探

本文简要介绍了DGPS RTK技术的基本原理和作业流程，阐明了该技术在无验潮水下地形测量中的适用性，并以除六泾水文大断面的测量为例介绍了利用该技术进行工程实测的过程，通过对实测数据成果的分析，得出一些有益的结论。     

杆状病毒感染越冬亲虾(Penaeus chenesis)的研究——越冬亲虾感染及其垂直传播的可能性

在中国对虾越冬亲虾中检出杆状病毒。经对病虾鳃、前中肠、卵巢组织进行电镜观察，在这些组织中发现大量有囊膜的杆状病毒。病毒粒子大小约为３６７ｎｍ×１２８ｎｍ，核衣壳为３２４ｎｍ×９２ｎｍ。病毒在细胞内不形成包涵体，在核内或在细胞质的发生基质中装配。从病毒的形态特征、感染组织以及典型的发病症状和病理变化，初步认为亲虾感染的病毒与近年广泛报道的造成养殖对虾大规模流行病的主要原因——中国对虾杆状病毒为同一种。卵巢组织也是病毒的主要靶器官之一，亲虾卵巢组织的被感染暗示着该病毒有可能通过生殖细胞而垂直传播