Seabed structures and foundations related to deep-sea resource development: A review based on design and research

Abstract

The deep‐sea ground contains a huge amount of energy and mineral resources, forexample, oil, gas, and minerals. Various infrastructures such asfloatingstructures, seabed structures, and foundations have been developed to exploitthese resources. The seabed structures and foundations can be mainly classifiedinto three types: subsea production structures, offshore pipelines, and anchors.This study reviewed the development, installation, and operation of theseinfrastructures, including their structures, design, installation, marine environ-ment loads, and applications. On this basis, the research gaps and further researchdirections were explored through this literature review. First, differentfloatingstructures were briefly analyzed and reviewed to introduce the design require-ments of the seabed structures and foundations. Second, the subsea productionstructures, including subsea manifolds and their foundations, were reviewed anddiscussed. Third, the basic characteristics and design methods of deep‐seapipelines, including subsea pipelines and risers, were analyzed and reviewed.Finally, the installation and bearing capacity of deep‐sea subsea anchors andseabed trench influence on the anchor were reviewed. Through the review, it wasfound that marine environment conditions are the key inputs for any offshorestructure design. The fabrication, installation, and operation of infrastructuresshould carefully consider the marine loads and geological conditions. Differentstructures have their own mechanical problems. The fatigue and stability ofpipelines mainly depend on the soil‐structure interaction. Anchor selection shouldconsider soil types and possible trench formation. These focuses and researchgaps can provide a helpful guide on further research, installation, and operationof deep‐sea structures and foundations

Seabed structures and foundations related to deep-sea resource development: A review based on design and research