Mcdermott Technology, Inc.

Mentor Subsea Technology Services, Inc.

Spartec, Inc.

Daniel Major Houser

James Allan Haney

Robin M Converse

Cheng-Yo Chen

Robert H Carter

Thomas N Carr

Donald G Hervey

Robert M Harrell

Gautam K Chaudhury

Charles F Kasischke

A cylinder-stem assembly to floating platform, gap controlling interface guide. A longitudinal wear strip and mating guide are positioned at an angle relative to a tangent to the nominally round exterior cylinder of the cylinder. Cylinder guides may be provided at more than a single elevation. The corners of the contacting surfaces of the wear strips may be rounded to reduce the risk of galling and to avoid any obvious point or line loading. During assembly, the cylinder-stem assembly is rotated after insertion into its slot in the floating platform. The rotation centers the cylinder and also may be used to control the magnitude of the gap or an interference fit.

Cylinder-stem assembly to floating platform, gap controlling interface guide

A method for fabricating sections of a floating offshore spar type structure and mating the sections offshore. A buoyant hard tank is fabricated vertically. The hard tank is then transported in a vertical orientation to a site where it is mated to a truss section of the spar structure offshore while the hard tank and truss section are both in the vertical orientation. The mated tank and truss sections are then towed in the vertical orientation to the operational site. The hard tank is fabricated with a larger diameter and correspondingly shallower draft than a more traditionally proportioned hard tank.

Method for fabricating and assembling a floating offshore structure

A method and apparatus that eliminates the need for a derrick barge to lift the deck into place on a floating offshore structure. A connector is used to connect the transport barge to the floating offshore structure. The connector is a type that allows only relative pitch motions between the transport barge and floating offshore structure in response to sea states acting on the barge and floating offshore structure. The connector is also a type that allows disconnection while large forces are acting on the connector. One or more skidding girders attached to the legs of the deck support the legs of the deck above the skidding surface of the transport barge. A skidding surface on the girders, and complementary skidding surface on the surface of the transport barge and floating offshore structure, allow the deck to be skidded from the barge to the floating offshore structure. Once the deck is in the proper position on the floating offshore structure, the deck legs are lowered into contact with the floating offshore structure by removing spacers provided in the girders. The girders are then detached from the legs of the deck and removed. The deck may also be transferred from the transport barge to the floating offshore structure in a manner where relative pitch between the transport barge and floating offshore structure is not allowed. This is accomplished by also using a knee brace that is attached between a submerged portion of the floating offshore structure and the transport barge.

Offshore deck installation

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Daniel Major Houser