Comparison of Geotechnical Properties from Large-Diameter Long Cores and Borings in Deep Water Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Young A.G. , Honganen C.D. , Silva A.J. , Bryant W.R. 
Published: October 2008

Large-diameter long piston cores (Jumbo Piston Corer, JPC) and Large-diameter Gravity Cores (LGC) were taken immediately adjacent to previously drilled geotechnical borings at three floating platform sites: Auger, Jolliet, and Marlin. This task was included as part of a more comprehensive NSF program on seabed processes in the deep water Gulf of Mexico.

Sediment properties measured included bulk density, magnetic susceptibility, compression wave velocity, vane shear strength, and unconsolidated-undrained triaxial strength. A comprehensive geotechnical-testing program confirms the samples are high quality and shear strengths within the 63-ft core depth were comparable to the results of tests on the geotechnical borings. The exception occurred when gassy deposits were encountered. The use of the LGC and Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) in conjunction with the JPC proved to be valuable in assessing the quality and continuity of the piston cores. At the Auger and Marlin sites, there was good agreement between the sediment properties obtained from the borings and cores over the cored depth of 63 ft. At the Jolliet site, the values of strength obtained from the core in the upper 10 to 20-ft. were considerably higher than those obtained from the nearby boring.

With modifications, the long coring system can be extended to take 100-ft samples. The use of large-diameter piston and gravity cores can provide an economical alternative to traditional borings for the design of shallow foundations for subsea completions, pipelines, suction caissons, and identification of geohazards.

Introduction

A research program on seabed processes in deep water Gulf of Mexico is showing the value of undertaking integrated studies to determine geotechnical and geological properties for geohazard analysis, siting of facilities, and foundation design. A major milestone of the project was the August/September, 1998 research cruise to obtain large-diameter long piston core samples of the sediment and perform in situ shear strength and pore pressure measurements.

The main objective of the project is to understand and predict a wide range of seabed processes related to geological studies and engineering design. The main study corridor encompasses essentially all the types of seabed processes found in deep water Gulf of Mexico. Findings from this research will have applications for seafloor installations such as platforms, pipelines, cables, and moorings. Three other areas in slightly shallower waters, where soil borings were performed for production platform design, were added to the project so that the results of cores and boring samples could be compared. Geotechnical data obtained from samples of the cores were compared with data from high quality soil borings to verify that the interpreted soil properties are reasonable and suitable to determine the geotechnical conditions at the fiftythree core sites scattered along the study corridor.

Background

This research is part of a 5-year joint program by the University of Rhode Island (URI) and Texas A&M University (TAMU), which is funded principally by the National Science Foundation with supplemental sponsorship by a consortium of five oil companies.