The reduction of oil and gas reserves both on land and at sea at shallow depths has forced the development of new structural typologies and technological advances; It allows you to bridge greater depths and take advantage of those totally inaccessible reserves.

These platforms, known as Offshore Platforms, remain immobile within the sea using different techniques and withstanding any inclement weather.

DIRECT OR FIXED STRUCTURES

They are the easiest to understand. These rest directly on the seabed, remaining fixed. There are different ways to approach them, depth being one of the most decisive criteria. The lowest natural frequency of the structure's reflection motion is above the highest frequency of significant wave excitation.

GRAVITY STRUCTURE (GBS) GRAVITY BASED STRUCTURES

Support structures that remain fixed in place thanks to their own weight.
Constructed of concrete reinforced with steel that contains a series of cells or internal free spaces that allow control of flotation (buoyancy) to the place of placement.
They are not usually used at depths greater than 300 meters, which are susceptible to erosion at the base.

JACK-UP PLATFORMS

Formed by connected tubular steel profiles that form a three-dimensional armor.
Generally, the structure serves as a covering and guide for the four excessive piles. The piles are placed on the outside, attached to the structure in its lower part and driven by underwater hammers.
Used in depths of up to 500m; It would be impossible to use a crane to place them, the way to place them consists of releasing them and controlling their sinking until they are perfectly aligned with a “template” laid out on the bottom.

FLEXIBLE STRUCTURE or COMPLIANT TOWER (300-900mts)

It consists of a flexible lattice tower supported on the foundation at great depth.
Designed in such a way that they are capable of withstanding significant forces and lateral bending, the use of flexible elements reduces the resonance and amplitude of wave wave forces.

— ARTICULATED PLATFORM:

tower joined at its base with a cardan joint that is free to oscillate about this joint due to environmental conditions. Its general use is as a mooring system for oil tankers.

— DUCIL TOWER:

They are quite transparent to waves, designed to deform under environmental forces.

— BRACED TOWER:

thin resting on the seabed and supported by a symmetrical set of braces. Applicable in hostile deep waters.

STRUCTURES or FLOATING SUPPORTS

These types of structures take advantage of Archimedes' principle to stay above the water surface. Two types are distinguished according to their buoyancy.

–SUPPORTS WITH NEUTRAL BUOYANCE:

It is said to be neutral when it is kept in balance solely by its weight and the pressure exerted by the water on it keeps it suspended. With this type of support, the sole objective of the anchors is to keep the position of the structure static over time.

–SPAR FLOATING SUPPORTS:

used in deep water. They have a large counterweight at the bottom and do not depend on the mooring to remain in a vertical position, it has the ability to move horizontally by adjusting the tensions of the mooring line, which allows it to be positioned on the wells at a certain distance from the location.

SEMI-SUBMERGIBLE STRUCTURES

These float due to the buoyancy of the columns and pontoons located under water and sufficient weight to keep the structure vertical.
This type of platforms has the advantage that they can be moved from one location to another and can be ballasted up or down by altering the amount of flooding in the flotation tanks.

JACK-UP PLATFORMS

A barge usually made up of three legs supporting a floating deck. When necessary, its legs are fixed to the seabed and the cover slides over them, placing it at the level of the sea surface.
Drilling units are normally used at depths of 120m although some can go up to 170m deep.
They can be moved from one place to another and later anchored using a differential rack and pinion system on each pillar.