“Hydrajack” RE-Thinking of (MODU) Jack-up Raising Systems By James E. Ingle P.E.

“Hydrajack”
RE-Thinking of (MODU) Jack-up Raising Systems

By James E. Ingle P.E.

Virtually all jack-up Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU) built in the last forty years
have used rack and pinion drives to raise and lower their drilling platforms. As these
jack-up drilling units have become more massive these raising systems have
reached their practical limit and re-thinking of the raising and lowering systems for
jack-ups is mandatory before larger rigs are designed for deeper water depths.
Even though great strides have been made in the design and refinement of rack
and pinion drives, it is impossible to overcome the extremely high stress between
the spur gear and the rack and the unequal loading of the multiple spur gears with
the present designs. By using new computer technology coupled with old proven
methods, hydraulic cylinders, a new jack-up jacking system has been envisioned
which overcomes the inherent problems of the present jacking systems.

Hydrajack Video Simulation

The following is a simulation of the operation, benifits and features of our newly patented
system US Patent 6,652,194 and several Forgien Patents.

Please be reminded that our system is capable of much larger loads than currently available
in convential rack and pinion systems.

The cost of our system is considerable less than rack and pinion systems and as the load
increases our cost to lift the vessel decreases by an increasing margin of savings.