High-capacity, deep-water, free-fall anchor

Free-falling is being explored as a means of lowering to the seafloor the 33 m (110 ft) diameter, 3 Gg (
7 \times 10^{6}
lb) anchors for the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration's (ERDA) Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Power Plants. Exploration of the free-fall lowering concept follows selection of the deadweight anchor type, over the pile and drag embedment anchor types, as the best, in general, for OTEC needs. A scaled model of the free-fall, deadweight anchor has been successfully tested at the Civil Engineering Laboratory. The model proved self-righting, totally free of side-slip motion, and nearly free of pitching motion during descent. High lateral load capacity is provided by radial shear keys protruding beneath the anchor base.