Jack up Spudcan Penetration Prediction for Murmanskaya Platform at X-Block, Nam Con Son Basin, Offshore Vietnam

Abstract

Jack up rigs are mobile drilling units that used in offshore for hydrocarbon exploration and production activities in water depths up to about 150 m. The flexible and mobile characteristics of the platforms enable them to have other applications in the offshore oil and gas industry in the role of supporting facilities for marine operations in general. The operation procedure carries a high accident probability, in which soil failure accounts for the highest proportion of risks (about 25%) [1]. Therefore, the precise prediction of soil bearing capacity before installing the platform will help to propose an appropriate operating procedure to minimize the risks that may occur. It is a critical problem for an offshore Jack up drilling platform to estimate exactly the penetration depth of spudcans under the complex geologic conditions at sea. In practical operation, the penetration depth prediction is restricted with the limit value calculated from the empirical formula and the normal calculation methods cannot avoid the phenomena of the excessive penetrating depth. In view of this problem, the article presents some calculation methods, current analysis and typical results has actually implemented for practice operations in offshore Viet Nam for Murmanskaya Jack up at X-Block, Nam Con Son Basin.