Figure 3 RoboClam digging cycle kinematics from 2.1.3 Suction Caisson Anchors This anchoring system has increased its popularity in the oil and gas industry for deep-water operations due to the costs and challenges in installation equipment for driven piles that have previously been used. Suction caisson is simple, reliable and provides better control during installation as B. Sukumaran states in . The anchoring system is first penetrated into the seabed through its own weight. This initial embedment is substantial enough to create a satisfactory seal to start the suction process. A submersible pump, located at the top of the sealed caisson, pumps water out from the inside of the caisson, creating a strong suction force due to a created pressure differential. This has clear similarities with the project’s anchor, proving that a strong grip can be achieved by creating a large enough pressure difference. The installation sequence is illustrated in Figure 4. Figure 4 Installation sequence of suction caisson from Investigating existing mooring systems showed that the concept of localised fluidisation to create quicksand-type behaviour has been used before to cause an anchor to sink easily using its weight. However, the tripod requires to be embedded for a few months at a time, to afterwards be removed unlike some uplift-resisting sand anchors. This complicates procedures, where the anchor legs must implant themselves deep enough to be secured for several months at minimum and additionally pull a partial vacuum successfully to create a strong grip. It therefore differs by combining many of the various features that past concepts have. 2.2 Fluidised Beds A bed of sand can be expanded to have many properties similar to a liquid by continuously adding a fluid. The process is known as fluidisation; where R. H. Perry and D. W. Green highlight that particle sizes between 1 μm and 60 mm in diameter can be fluidised depending on the
Figure 3 RoboClam digging cycle kinematics from 2.1.3 Suction Caisson Anchors This anchoring system has increased its popularity in the oil and gas industry for deep-water operations due to the costs and challenges in installation equipment for driven piles that have previously been used. Suction caisson is simple, reliable and provides better control during installation as B. Sukumaran states in . The anchoring system is first penetrated into the seabed through its own weight. This initial embedment is substantial enough to create a satisfactory seal to start the suction process. A submersible pump, located at the top of the sealed caisson, pumps water out from the inside of the caisson, creating a strong suction force due to a created pressure differential. This has clear similarities with the project’s anchor, proving that a strong grip can be achieved by creating a large enough pressure difference. The installation sequence is illustrated in Figure 4. Figure 4 Installation sequence of suction caisson from Investigating existing mooring systems showed that the concept of localised fluidisation to create quicksand-type behaviour has been used before to cause an anchor to sink easily using its weight. However, the tripod requires to be embedded for a few months at a time, to afterwards be removed unlike some uplift-resisting sand anchors. This complicates procedures, where the anchor legs must implant themselves deep enough to be secured for several months at minimum and additionally pull a partial vacuum successfully to create a strong grip. It therefore differs by combining many of the various features that past concepts have. 2.2 Fluidised Beds A bed of sand can be expanded to have many properties similar to a liquid by continuously adding a fluid. The process is known as fluidisation; where R. H. Perry and D. W. Green highlight that particle sizes between 1 μm and 60 mm in diameter can be fluidised depending on the