Earthquake Engineering and 3D Numerical Evaluations for Offshore Platforms, Middle East
TGR8 GEO provided earthquake engineering and geotechnical design services for two offshore platforms used for underground gas storage. The site conditions included soft clay layers overlying mudstone.
GR8 GEO performed the following tasks for the project:
• Site characterization, development of idealized stratigraphy and soil properties for use in static and dynamic analyses
• Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment (PSHA) for the development of bedrock ground motions. The study included development of seismotectonic model, performance of PSHA and development of bedrock spectra in accordance with API RP 2EQ.
• Development of spectrum compatible time histories using spectral matching.
• 2D site response analyses including kinematic SSI effects on pile foundations to develop design response spectra at the pile head and kinematically-induced bending moments and shear forces on the pile foundation.
• 3D numerical analyses of mudmat foundation performance under the design loads
• 3D finite element analyses using a Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) approach to evaluate the impact of spudcan penetration and extraction on the platform pile.