My first real assignment here in Aktau was to write a technical note as I mentioned before. I found out that it’s not just writing a letter.

First, a technical note is a verification of an element. In my case it was about the well cellar elements. The well cellar elements are used as a retaining construction for the drilling rig.
I started to read another technical of a well cellar of another island. This well cellar has another shape but in this way I had an idea about how to start with my technical note. I thought about the forces that might press on the well cellar. But what I forgot; what will be the shape of the elements? How is it built up and how will it transfer the forces?
With the answers on these questions, it was time for the real calculations. The shear stresses, the bending moment and the deformation. During my mechanics classes I learned to calculate this, but the application was always the same. This technical note was not standard and a very good exercise. After the manual calculations, I met the computer program ESA Prima Win. It took some time before I found my way in the program, but what an invention! You ‘tell’ the program about the geometry, cross section, properties of the material, supports, and load cases of your element and press the button ‘calculate’. At that moment I wished that I could use the program during my exams. But however; if you don’t understand the theory, the program is also useless.
With the aid of a excel spreadsheet I checked if the concrete and reinforcement of the designed element are able to cope with the forces and moment.
With a Unity Check below 1, the result was positive. So last but not lease I wrote the technical note. That’s not just summarizing your results, you have to make sure that also other persons understand your movements and check it over and over to make sure you erase the mistakes.

The second technical note I wrote, was about the foundation slab next to the well cellar. The drilling rig will rest on these. So also the design and place of the rig was something I had to keep in mind. Making the calculations and writing the note went much smoother. At the first place a slab is an easier element and second; I knew ‘the roadmap’.

My first real technical notes. For some people just a package of paper, for me three years of mechanics.