Design of Manmade Offshore Islands for Ice Forces

by Jerry L. Machemehl, ARCO Oil & Gas Co, Dallas, TX, USA,



Part of: Design for Ice Forces

Abstract:

Approximately sixty percent of the undiscovered oil and fifty percent of the undiscovered gas probably lies in the sedimentary basins offshore Alaska (USGS 1980). Because of this hydrocarbon potential, both domestic and international oil companies have been actively exploring for oil and gas in the offshore regions of the Arctic since the early 1970's. As part of this exploration effort, the oil companies have been constructing fill islands capable of resisting both global and local ice movements since 1973. Sacrificial beach, earth berm and sheet-pile and concrete caisson-retained fill islands have emerged as viable drilling platforms for exploration in the offshore Arctic basins.

Subject Headings: Offshore platforms | Islands | Offshore drilling | Fills | Offshore structures | Ice | Caissons

 

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