Introduction To Offshore Structures-PART-2
Introduction To Offshore Structures-PART-2
Introduction To Offshore Structures-PART-2
These platforms can take the form of either floating semisubmersible platforms or drill ships. The basic idea behind their design is that, once the well has been drilled, much of the production equipment can be mounted on the seafloor and the petroleum pumped to the surface facilities through flexible risers.
Meanwhile, the platform or ship stays in position with anchors or a dynamic positioning system. This approach allows oil companies to reach depths of up to 6,000 feet (1,829 meters).
The floating production system (FPS) is anchored in place and can be dynamically positioned using rotating trusters. Connected to wellheads on the ocean floor, this system can be used in water depths up to 6,000 feet.
TLPs and SPAR platforms consist of floating structures held in place by vertical tendons connected to the sea floor. TLPs and SPAR platforms account for 39 percent of announced of deepwater projects.
Subsea system: This approach takes the idea of mounting the wellhead on the sea floor and applies it to even greater depths -- 7,000 feet (2,133 meters) or more. Once the well has been drilled by a surface platform, the automated systems transfer the oil and natural gas to production facilities by either risers or undersea pipelines.
Subsea systems (SS), connected to nearby platforms, can operate at great depths. However, the drilling and completion cost penalties of subsea systems make these arrangements less preferable than floating structures.
Deep-sea waters reach nearly freezing temperatures, contain pressures great enough to crack iron casings and are subject to rough, deep-sea currents.
Engineers have to design equipment that can stand up to the pressure, while also preventing boiling oil from hot, underground depths from cooling to a solid form and rupturing pipes when it emerges into the chilly ocean environment. While antifreeze has played an important part in preventing this thus far, more advanced methods are under development
Failure caused by leakage of boiling and expanding vapour explosion 25 mm thick Plate ASTM 516 Gr 70 steel Rolled and welded using SAW process without PWHT Six inches crack noticed at HAZ
Structural design has to comply with specific offshore structural codes. The worldwide leading structural code is the API-RP2A. The recently issued Lloyds rules are also important.
The major certification bodies are: Det norske Veritas (DnV) Lloyds Register of Shipping (LRS) American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Bureau Veritas (BV) Germanischer Lloyd (GL)
Insurance companies covering transport and installation require the structures to be reviewed by warranty surveyors before acceptance. The warranty surveyors apply standards, if available, on a confidential basis.
Types of loads
Steel jacket type platform on a pile foundation is by far the most common kind of offshore structure
"substructure" or "jacket" is fabricated from steel welded pipes and is pinned to the sea floor with steel piles, which are driven through piles guides Piles are thick steel pipes of 1 to 2 metres dia. and can penetrate as much as 100 m into the sea bed. The jacket can weigh up to 20,000 tonnes. To ensure that the installation will last for the required service life, maintenance must be carried out including the cathodic protection used to prevent corrosion. Maximum design forces for steel jacket platform are as follow:
Vertical load: around 50 MN Horizontal load: around 5 MN Overturning moment: around 10 GN.m
It is not advisable to impose any further lateral loading on the offshore installation as this may affect the overall strength of the platform which could create a potential safety hazard
Types of loads