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3 SUBMERSIBLE DRILLING RIG
A submersible drilling rig (fig. 3.1) is a marine vessel
design that can be floated to location and lowered onto the sea
floor for offshore drilling activities [1]. A submersible rig is a
mobile drilling rig used in the petroleum industry for offshore
drilling in shallow waters. A submersible rig is very similar to a
jack-up in that the rig is designed to make contact with the ocean
or lake floor. It contains a platform with two hulls positioned one
on top of the other. The upper hull serves as the living quarters for
the crew and houses the drilling platform. The function of the
lower hull is very similar to that of the outer hull of a submarine.
When the rig gets relocated, the lower hull is filled with air to
make the whole rig bouyant. Once relocated to a new drill site, the
air is removed from the lower hull and the rig automatically
submerges to the bottom of the sea or lake floor.
Figure 3.1 - Submersible drilling rig
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