The primary goal of the deep-water program launched by the Norwegian Research Council in the mid-1990s was to foster the development of innovative solutions aimed at reducing the costs associated with the development of oil and gas fields
One of the critical areas of focus for the program was the anchoring of floating rigs. In deep water, conventional anchoring methods posed significant technical and financial challenges. The necessity for cost-effective and reliable anchoring solutions became paramount as oil and gas exploration ventured into these more profound and more challenging environments.
The idea of developing simpler and more cost-effective anchoring solutions led to the innovation of the Deep Penetrating Anchor (DPA) by Dr. Jon Tore Lieng, then employed at SINTEF. The DPA was designed to be dropped into the seabed, where gravity would facilitate its installation. This method leveraged the natural force of gravity to anchor floating rigs securely, thus eliminating the need for complex and expensive vessels for marine operations typically required for traditional anchoring systems such as suction anchors and piles.
Deep Sea Anchors (DSA)
Deep Sea Anchors (DSA) was established back in 2009 by GeoProbing Technology (a spin-off company from SINTEF, where Dr. Lieng is Managing Director) together with NLI Innovation after the DPA went through several initial necessary phases of development i.e., theoretical phase to determine geometric shape for optimal fluid dynamic stability and penetration potential, drop configuration, small 1:25 scale and large 1:3 scale tests in lab and offshore tests, respectively. terminating in full scale pilot tests.
Equinor (then Statoil) funded much of the development of the anchor concept i.e., lab and offshore tests, together with the Norwegian Research Council and after successful pilot installations tests of two 80-tonn DPAs at the Gjøa oil and gas field in 350m water depth, joined DSA as a shareholder. The DPA concept received DNV approval and is a qualified technology in Equinor. At present, Deep Sea Anchors is wholly owned by GeoProbing Technology.
The development of the Deep Penetrating Anchor represented a significant breakthrough in the field of deep water floating structures such as offshore floating wind turbines. It provids a more straightforward, cost-effective solution that can be implemented with greater ease and reliability. By reducing the overall costs and increasing the efficiency of anchoring in deep waters, the DPA contributes to the more feasible development of offshore floating wind farms in such challenging environments.
