Superpile system: A feasible alternate foundation for tension leg platforms in deep water

Abstract

This article discusses a possible alternate foundation system for a tension leg platform (TLP) in deep water. It was developed through Tecnomare S.p.A. for Agip S.p.A. during a feasibility study of a site located in the southern Adriatic Sea having a water depth of 827 m. The system is a combination of a pile‐gravity foundation, with relatively short (?20 m) steel piles of very large diameter (6 to 12 m) called “superpiles,”; which are closed at the top and open at the bottom. The superpiles are installed in soft soil under the effect of self‐weight and active suction. Permanent tension of the TLP tendons is equilibrated by self‐weight only; tension due to wave action is equilibrated by the weight of the soil inside the superpiles. In fact, a pulsating tension applied to the superpiles generates a suction in the pore water that tends to keep the soil plug inside the cylinder and prevents the cylinder as a whole from being extracted from the (impervious) foundation soil.

The results of analyses of the installation and in service behavior of superpiles are described on conventional principles of soil mechanics and related to a typical profile at the Adriatic site. Installation problems are briefly discussed; then the stability in service is examined to evaluate the capacity of superpiles in compression and tension and the associated factors of safety. Finally, considering the pore pressure gradient generated by the applied tension inside the soil plug, the flow rate and related deformations during storms and during the entire expected life of the TLP are evaluated.

The proposed superpile system appears to be feasible, simple to install, and economical. Further study and experimental research are justified to optimize the system.