1.

Explain in detail about jacket and pile foundation with neat sketches

 1. Jacket Structure

Definition

A jacket is a tubular steel space-frame structure, usually 3- or 4-legged, installed on the seabed to
support topside facilities like decks, drilling rigs, and production systems in offshore oil and gas
platforms.

The jacket provides stability by transferring loads to the seabed through piles driven into the soil.

Features

Fabricated onshore and transported to site using barges.

Made of tubular members arranged in a truss-like configuration to resist wave, wind, and current
loads.

Jacket is fixed to seabed using piles through its legs or skirt piles.

Used in water depths up to ~400 m.

Sketch (Conceptual)

Show a tall steel space frame standing on seabed, legs battered outward for stability, with piles
driven through legs.

2. Pile Foundation

Definition

Piles are long, slender members (usually tubular steel pipes) driven deep into seabed to transfer
loads from the jacket structure to soil and rock strata.

They provide resistance through skin friction and end bearing.

Types

Through-the-Leg Piles – Inserted through the hollow legs of the jacket.

Skirt Piles – Installed around the perimeter of the jacket for additional lateral stability.

Functions

Transfer vertical loads (deck weight, topside loads).

Resist lateral loads (waves, currents, wind, earthquakes).

Provide overturning resistance against environmental forces.

Sketch (Conceptual)

Show piles driven through jacket legs and extending deep into seabed.

3. Working of Jacket-Pile Foundation System

Installation: Jacket is transported, launched, upended, and positioned on seabed.

Piling: Steel piles are driven through jacket legs using hydraulic hammers.
Grouting: Annular space between piles and legs is filled with grout to lock piles in place.

Load Transfer:

Deck loads → Jacket → Piles → Seabed strata.

Lateral forces resisted by pile group action and soil-pile interaction.

4. Advantages

High lateral load resistance.

Suitable for deep waters.

Long service life (25–40 years).

Can be designed for harsh marine environments (typhoons, earthquakes, ice).

5. Applications

Offshore oil and gas platforms.

Wind turbine foundations in deep water.

Offshore terminals and jetties.

Neat Sketches

Jacket structure with piles

Load transfer mechanism

2. Describe OFFSHORE development of an oil gas filed

 The development of an offshore oil and gas field is a complex and capital-intensive process that
requires multidisciplinary engineering, environmental considerations, and advanced technology. It
involves several phases starting from exploration to full-scale production and eventual
decommissioning.

1. Exploration and Site Investigation

Seismic Surveys: Offshore exploration begins with 2D/3D seismic surveys to identify potential
hydrocarbon-bearing formations beneath the seabed.

Exploration Drilling: Exploration wells (wildcat wells) are drilled using drillships, semi-submersibles,
or jack-up rigs to confirm the presence of hydrocarbons.

Reservoir Evaluation: Core samples, well logs, and fluid tests are analyzed to determine reservoir
size, porosity, permeability, and economic viability.

2. Field Appraisal and Feasibility Studies

Appraisal Wells: Additional wells are drilled to define the extent of the reservoir.

Reservoir Modeling: Geologists and petroleum engineers create 3D reservoir models to estimate
recoverable reserves.

Economic Feasibility: Cost–benefit analysis considering production potential, oil prices, and
development costs.

Environmental and Regulatory Approval: Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) are conducted to
meet government regulations and ensure ecological protection.

3. Development Planning

Once the field is confirmed as economically viable, engineers design the development plan.

Concept Selection: Choosing the most suitable offshore structure, depending on water depth, soil
conditions, and field life:

Fixed Platforms (Jacket platforms) for shallow waters (<400 m).

Compliant Towers for deeper waters (400–900 m).

Tension Leg Platforms (TLPs) and Spar Platforms for ultra-deep waters (>1,000 m).

FPSOs (Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading units) for remote or marginal fields.

Subsea Systems: Wells, manifolds, and pipelines placed directly on seabed for tie-back to processing
facilities.

Pipeline Routes: Planning export lines for oil and gas transportation to shore.

4. Drilling and Well Completion

Development Drilling: Dozens of production wells are drilled from platforms or subsea templates.

Well Completion: Installation of casing, tubing, and safety valves to prepare wells for long-term
production.

Enhanced Recovery Techniques: Water or gas injection wells may be drilled to maintain reservoir
pressure.

5. Installation of Offshore Facilities

Topside Modules: Process equipment, living quarters, drilling rigs, and utilities installed via heavy-lift
vessels.

Floating Systems: Anchored or moored floating production units deployed in deep water.

Export Systems: Offshore pipelines and risers or shuttle tankers for transporting oil and gas to
onshore facilities.

6. Production and Operation

Processing: Separation of oil, gas, and water onboard platforms. Gas dehydration and compression
systems installed.

Monitoring: Continuous monitoring using Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and SCADA systems.

Flow Assurance: Measures against hydrate formation, wax deposition, and corrosion in subsea
pipelines.

Maintenance: Regular inspection, corrosion protection (cathodic protection, coatings), and integrity
checks.

7. Decommissioning (End of Field Life)

Well Plugging and Abandonment: Reservoir wells are sealed with cement plugs.

Structure Removal: Topsides dismantled, jacket cut and removed, or reefed (converted to artificial
reefs).

Site Clearance: Seabed cleaned of debris to restore marine environment.

Case Study Example

North Sea Oil Fields (UK/Norway): Combination of fixed platforms and subsea tie-backs used in harsh
environments.

Bombay High, India: Jacket-type platforms with subsea pipelines feeding onshore refineries.

Brazil’s Pre-Salt Fields: Use of FPSOs and subsea wells in ultra-deep waters >2,000 m.

Conclusion

Offshore development of an oil and gas field is a multi-stage process that spans decades. From
seismic surveys and appraisal wells to drilling, installation of fixed or floating platforms, production
operations, and eventual decommissioning, each phase requires careful engineering, environmental
stewardship, and economic planning. Offshore fields are vital to global energy supply, and their
development showcases the pinnacle of marine and structural engineering.