Instruction

Jack-up Legs, Leg Wells and Jacking Systems

Jack Up Legs, Leg Wells and Jacking Systems:

1.0 Introduction

Due to the increasing average age of jack-up (JU) drilling units, the rate of
failures on jacking systems and crack occurrence on legs and leg wells
appears to be increasing, specifically on older units built around 1980-85.

It is our experience that this problem is not specific to the JU rig type or
related to location. To aid surveyors in establishing the condition of jacking
systems and legs while on a JU unit, this paper will address the various
jacking and leg designs and what should be included in a condition survey.

Any type of condition survey on a JU unit requires that time is spent on a

critical system such as the legs and jacking system. Due to the layout of
systems, approximately 50% of the time will be spent on documentation,
while the other 50% should be spent on the visual inspection of legs in the
leg well, leg guides, chord chock systems and jacking systems.

2.0 Leg Types

Various leg types have been designed in the past twenty years. The most
common are:

 K-Bracing
 X-Bracing
 Inverted K-Bracing

In general X-type bracing is the strongest type and the heaviest weight. The
inverted K-type is only 48% the strength of the X-Type. However, the
inverted K-type is popular on new designs due to the fact it is lighter and the
smaller cross section of braces will result in a reduction in drag over the X-
type. Drag is the force resulting from the environment reacting with the
legs.

The correct leg type is difficult to determine since a strong heavy leg is good
in operational condition though requires significant fixation systems for
towage condition when the legs are retracted. Light legs are favourable due
to low drag forces; however they have less resistance to unexpected forces

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such as pinning down of legs or towage position. Therefore, it is important to

note the type of leg design in the final report.
Types of bracing:

Inverted K-bracing X-bracing K-bracing

Many rig operators and rig owners tend to have preferences for specific leg
designs due to previous experiences. Therefore, the surveyor should
mention in the report the type of leg design that is in use including:

 Report the leg design type.

 Report the visual condition of the leg in the leg well.

3.0 Engineering

Drilling Mode:
When many of the older designs were built, most structural analysis
programs did not calculate the stresses induced by side sway and the
designers did not make corrections to account for it . Without going into the
engineering aspect of leg designs, we must understand the major forces that
can be induced to legs.

In the operational mode, JU legs are subjected to the design wind and wave
forces. These forces tend to deflect the hull laterally because of the bending
of the legs (P-Delta). Today most structural analysis programs can calculate
the stresses including the P- Delta effects. P-Delta refers to the increased
stresses in JU legs caused by shifting of the hull weight relative to the bottom
supports when subjected to environmental forces that cause bending of the
legs.

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The P-Delta stress increases were often ignored in some older designs. This
is one of the reasons that crack indications in older rig designs are not an
uncommon occurrence. Another reason is that proper jacking and towage
procedures are not followed.
Towage Mode:
In the towage mode with the leg retracted, the motion of the rig will induce
additional forces in the horizontal plain. If the leg is allowed to move in the
leg guides, additional forces are created due to the bouncing of the leg in the
leg guides. This is critical since it was discovered that gaps between legs
and guides could not be ignored and were found directly related to
increased fatigue damage.

The movement of a leg after bouncing with the guides has been found
unpredictable in computer models. This is the difficulty in establishing the
allowable gap.

Through reviews of several independently-produced papers on computer-

modeled stress analyses of JU jacking / leg systems, we can conclude that on
a JU transported (either wet or dry tow) during harsh weather conditions with
the legs not properly fixated that:

Any gap between the legs and the guides is unacceptable and that clamping
the legs while in transit is the only realistic feasible way to avoid a fatigue
problem in the legs.

That is why it is so important to verify the condition of leg fixation systems

and to record if fixation systems are being used.

4.0 Gap between Leg Chords and Leg Guides

Leg guides support the legs in the horizontal direction through the leg well
and jacking housing. These leg guides are often located in the upper section
of the jacking housing and the lower section of the leg well.

Many designs are fitted with wear plates of an either bolted or welded
construction. These should be renewed if wear dimensions have increased
above acceptable limits.

A second risk of worn leg guides often overlooked is that the wear plate can
be worn to such an extent that it will become detached from the leg well,
allowed to drop down and becomes stuck between a lower jacking pinion and

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a leg chord. In one known occasion, this resulted in significant damage to

the jacking system and associated downtime.

The surveyor can measure the gap between the leg and leg guides. This
value must be recorded in the report. Often the only accessible leg guide is
the upper section located in the top of the jacking housing. Values between
1/8” (5 mm) and 1/2” (12 mm) are acceptable.

This is independent of original manufacturer’s guidelines as only recently

(1995-2000) the relation has been proved between gap and leg fatigue
failure. Original manufacturer’s guidelines of the older types can indicate a
higher acceptable figure in the original documentation. These values should
not be followed and we should recommend the above mentioned gap values
to the rig owner.

 Is the wear on the leg guides within the acceptable limits? Confirm
measured gap value must be in the range of approximately 1/8” (5
mm) and 1/2” (12 mm).

 Check the condition of the wear plates and their fastening.

 Review the inspection history of gap readings taken on the leg guides.

 Measure the gap between the leg chord and leg guide and record in
the report.

5.0 Leg Fixation Devices

Recently-built JU units are fitted with heavy-duty leg fixation systems;

however on older units, those fixation systems often have only limited
fixation capabilities or maintenance negligence has rendered these systems
incapable of sufficiently fixating the legs. Several LeTourneau systems are
not even outfitted with leg fixation systems. In those, the leg design and
jacking systems were regarded sufficiently strong to support any shear in
addition to the vertical load.

Older units have been known to fixate legs with epoxy compound
“chockfast” temporarily for transport periods. Several engineering and
construction companies such as MSC, Keppel Fels and ZenTech deliver add-
on mechanical fixation systems for JU units.

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The reason that the leg support system is so important is that it determines
the amount of shear in the leg between the leg guides. For a leg chock
system, the amount of shear is extremely small thus increasing the leg
fatigue life expectancy. Increased shear due to failing or not applied leg
chock systems significantly reduce the leg fatigue expectancy life.

The surveyor should review if the leg fixation systems are in acceptable
condition, are operational and that procedures are in place for the usage of
these systems. These should be applied while the rig is in operational mode
or being transported either in wet or dry tow.

In leg systems without leg fixation devices (several LeTourneau systems),

the legs-to-guide gap dimensions are most critical and time should be
allowed to check this. If a JU
with such a system is bound for an ocean towage, then it will become critical
which measures will be taken to fixate the legs.

Fortunately insurance underwriters have become aware of this issue in the

recent past and often demand significant measures to be taken to fixate the
leg. Recently a wet tow from Singapore to the Persian Gulf required a rig
owner to add significant heavy welded steel structures to fixate the legs.
The unexpected additional installation and removal time of several weeks
resulted in heavy complaints of the rig owner, though no short cuts had been
allowed in any way. This was a rig in excellent condition without a history of
leg problems (X-type bracing) and without a leg fixation system.

Often a rig owner will indicate that for short field tows of 24 hours it will not
be required to fixate the legs. However, the reality is that the risk is very
real as the rig potentially will be waiting on weather in floating condition for
up to a week.

 Record if and what type of leg fixation system is installed.

 Are the leg fixation systems operational and in acceptable condition?

(For example, hydraulic operated wedges between legs and wear
plates or rack chock systems)

 Review the company policy for when the fixation systems are to be
applied. Is this only during tow or on location as well? (Dependant on
rig type, this must be during tow and is often recommended in drilling
mode.)

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 Are shims or inserts required and in acceptable condition in the leg

wells for storm condition capability or transport condition?

6.0 Jacking Systems

Jacking systems are often large and difficult to access for inspections. A
large redundancy is built in for jacking system failures. This is done by
installing more systems than required for load. However to anticipate any
major failures on jacking systems, a preventive maintenance system should
be in place that incorporates drawing oil samples on all gear boxes after
every jacking operation for analysis.

A visual inspection on all the gear trains should be performed at intervals not
exceeding two years. This can be done by means of a borescope through
inspection covers. In this way, the time consuming opening and closing of
gearboxes is not required. The surveyor can review if such inspection
procedures are in place and the results of these inspections.

One must realize that on JU units where leg chocks are not available,
functional or in use, approximately half the bending moment in the leg
(either in towage or operations) is carried by a vertical couple in the jacking
systems and half is carried as an horizontal couple between the upper and
lower guides.
Jacking systems of unsupported legs are significantly more loaded then
supported legs and this will appear in the wear pattern of the gears.
Unsupported legs can often be found in LeTourneau systems. Supported
(rack chocks) legs can often be found in Friede and Goldman systems.

A third unsupported leg system is the Levingston type which is a free-floating

system with the jacking housing supported by elastomeric pads. The
condition of the elastomeric pads is important and should be inspected. The
free-floating system is known to have the capability to withstand significant
forces due to a punch through or pinning down in bad weather. However
due to this design, the legs were built slender and the older units often show
signs of fatigue damage in the form of cracks in the diagonal braces to
chords.

 Review if procedures are in place to draw oil samples from the jacking
gearboxes for analysis after every jacking operation. (Review analysis
results.)

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 Review if procedures are in place for the regular visual internal

inspection of the jacking gearboxes. (Visual internal inspections can
be performed with a borescope through inspection covers by a third
party.)

 Verify the condition of the elastomeric pads on floating jacking systems

(upper and lower).

7.0 Rack Phase Difference (RPD)

Rack Phase Difference (RPD) develops when jacking up or down and the legs
are not exactly at a 90° angle with the hull plane. This can occur due to
various reasons:

 The electrical asynchronous motor slips. The speed varies with the
applied torque.
 Punch through or hull inclination by uneven jacking.
 Large lateral loads from environmental forces.
 Deep footprint with uneven area load at the spud can.
 Faulty jacking motor (sticking brakes).

RPD is important because, if not corrected, damage will occur to the leg
structure. To measure the RPD, one leg chord is used a reference thus is 0
RPD. The RPD from the remaining chords are expressed as the difference
with respect to the minimum extension. The measurement is done visually
or by scaled measurement from the top of the jackhouse or guide frame.
Normally 2” (50 mm) is the maximum allowable RPD.

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On a rig with a leg fixation system, the leg structure is not capable of
withstanding the horizontal shear forces. If the RPD is not monitored and
controlled, the leg shear force will increase proportional to the RPD. The
result can be structural damage to the horizontal and diagonal leg members.

Action to decrease a high measured RPD:

 Reaming of the legs, jack down till the rig floats and then jack up
again.
 Some units have a single chord jacking system. This allows jacking
each chord individually thus reducing any measured RPD.

On very stout leg designs such as heavy X-type bracing without leg fixation
systems, one can find that RPD measurements are not taken. In that case
the leg designs are so strong that they will not allow any significant shear.
The surveyor should review if RPD measurement procedures are in place and
adhered to during jacking operations.

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 Are procedures and tools in place to measure the RPD during jacking
operations? Are maximum RPD established? (Normally maximum 2” –
50 mm)

8.0 Leg and Spud Can Inspections

Drilling units under Class will require a full visual inspection on the legs, leg
wells (normally internal side of pre-load tanks located around the leg wells)
and jacking system supports over a five yearly period. This inspection
normally involves NDE (Non-Destructive Examination) on high stress areas to
be located by the class surveyor.

Inspection reports should be filed on the rig and can be reviewed by the
surveyor for excessive crack development and repeating cracking failures.

It is accepted by Class that the part of the legs underwater can be surveyed
by means of an Under-Water Inspection in Lieu of Dry-docking (UWILD
survey) at intervals. These UWILD inspection reports should be filed on the
rig and can be reviewed by the surveyor for excessive damage and repeating
cracking failures.

From experience, we know that the most common crack failures on legs
occur on the braces and not on the chords. Although locations can vary,
cracks can occur in the high stress areas of the braces’ knees in the
horizontal and diagonal plains. Rig move (wet or dry) and harsh weather are
the highest creators of stress on legs sections.

There is no Industry Recognized Practice regarding NDE inspections on legs.

Normal practice is to perform only the classification required NDE inspections
(ABS, Lloyds, etc.) on leg braces. Recent developments however indicate a
more stringent approach to regular leg inspections. UK HSE and Norwegian
guidelines already require regular leg inspection for older units working in
the North Sea.

Although it is not practical to NDE an entire leg section prior to operations, it

can be reasonable to require a full visual inspection or even NDE on the
following sections prior the start of the drilling contract:

 Horizontal / diagonal bracing section that will be inside the top part of
jacking housing (normally most stress in leg will occur in this area).

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 Horizontal / diagonal bracing section that was inside the top part
jacking housing during the previous last well.

 Horizontal / diagonal bracing section that was inside the top part
jacking housing during dry or wet tow (specifically after ocean
crossings).

There are more issues that can reasonably justify the requirement for an
NDE of certain areas on JU legs. For example, a “punch through” of spud
cans through seabed can increase the leg stress significantly for that period
possibly resulting in cracks. History documentation should be reviewed for
punch through history.

From recent punch throughs (after last Class survey), the leg position should
be determined at that punch through location and accordingly for those leg
positions NDE can be required on the stress level.

The surveyor can review history documentation to establish punch through

occasions in order to determine if NDE is required on leg levels that have
been stressed on that punch through occasions.

 Verify documentation for punch through history and determine leg

positions during those punch throughs.

 Recommend a full visual inspection or eventual NDE on stress levels in

legs based on latest class survey and rig previous location, towage,
etc.

 Review the UWILD for indications of repeating cracking failures on the

underwater part of the legs and spud cans.

 Review the active survey / inspection program (Class) for the legs, leg
wells and structure around jacking system. (NDE results)

9.0 Documentation Review

A review of history records and procedures can indicate if a rig owner is

anticipating any failures in time to prevent major safety and / or downtime
occurrence. In the previous sections, we indicated several issues that can
only be inspected through a review of documentation.

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Due to the fact that any damage to legs or jacking systems often
immediately will result in significant downtime for an owner / operator, it
justifies allowing time for a thorough review of documentation. If
documentation is not available regarding the issues described in the
previous sections, this should be mentioned in the final report.

10.0 Spud Can Hydrogen-Assisted Cracking

In the 1990s, there was an investigation by the British HSE on crack

development in the high loaded area of the spud cans’ connection with the
legs. This investigation concluded that commonly used Cathodic Protection
(CP) systems for the spud cans could induce hydrogen imbrittlement in high
strength steel, increasing crack occurrence. This had occurred on several
JUs. A modified CP system should have been arranged for removing the risk
of hydrogen creation in and around the spud cans.

The surveyor should review if a CP system is installed for the spud cans. If
installed, then the units should be third party inspected annually to ensure
proper functioning.

 If a CP system is installed for the spud cans, verify if the installation is

inspected at regular (annually) intervals to ensure proper functioning
of the units. (Poor functioning can induce hydrogen-assisted cracking
on high stress areas of leg to spud can connection).

11.0 Pictures

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11.1 Inverted K-Type Bracing.

11.2 X-Type Bracing.

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11.3 Wear plate visible, this type is bolted to jacking housing.

11.4 Wear plate with significant wear visible. This wear plate was bolted to
the jacking housing as well.

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11.5 Worn wear plate removed from jacking housing. A section of new wear
plate adjacent is visible and is made ready to be lowered into position.

11.6 Upper leg guide with wear plates in jacking housing.

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11.7 Lower leg guide with wear plates in leg well.

11.8 Minimal gap between leg guide and leg chord.

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11.9 Gap between wear plate (leg guide) and rack chock acceptable but at
the maximum limit.

11.10 Typical rack chock system. In this case they were not engaged,
although the operation manual dictated to be engaged under all conditions.

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11.11 Typical free-floating jacking system.

11.12 Jacking system of the free floating type. Visible are the lower
elastomeric pads. The hull in the jacked up position rests on the upper
elastomeric pads.

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