Can we engineer ice rubble for protection of offshore platforms in the Beaufort sea?

The objective of this four-year study was to evaluate and develop methods of engineering ice rubble to reduce loads on offshore structures. Numerous questions needed to be addressed, not the least of which were: "Is it worthwhile?", "Is it practical?", and "What will it cost?" This paper provides an overview description of the work done for the project. The conclusions were that for situations where a caisson-type structure is located in a region of weak, cohesive soil, generating ice rubble through the use of Ice Rubble Generators (IRGs) was both practical (reducing ice loads on the structure and extending the range of loading that the structure could encounter) and economical (a significant reduction in structure cost, despite the additional costs of the IRGs, depending on the location). The IRGs also had added benefits with respect to reducing ice loading due to potential Multi-Year Ice incursions in the summer. The results indicate that IRGs are an additional design option as part of the development of offshore production structures in the American and Canadian Beaufort Seas.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye