Building a Low-Manned Production Installation: Considerations for Rotating Equipment, Electrical & Automation Systems, and Digitalization

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elgonda LaGrange
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The North ◽  
Automation Systems ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Rotating Equipment ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Areas Of Interest ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Nearly all oil and gas operators and engineering companies in the offshore sector today are engaged in programs to advance concepts for low-manned and/or normally unattended production installations (NUIs). When it comes to the design of these facilities, topsides rotating equipment and electrical, instrumentation, control, and telecommunications (EICT) packages represent key areas of interest for decision-makers, owing to the significant impact they can have on required manning levels. Over the past decade, the author's company has worked closely with major Operators in the U.S. and the North Sea to look at how existing technologies can be applied in these areas to safely facilitate de-manning of both brownfields and greenfields. This paper provides insight into these efforts. It also presents projected manpower and cost savings from de-manning, using data derived from both studies and real-world projects.

Field Implementation of RBI for Jacket Structures

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael H. Faber ◽  
Daniel Straub ◽  
John D. So̸rensen ◽  
Jesper Tychsen
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Data Base ◽  
Stress Ratio ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Inspection Planning ◽  
The North ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Structural Details ◽  
Jacket Structures ◽  
The North Sea

The present paper first gives a brief outline of the simplified and generic approach to reliability and risk based inspection planning and thereafter sets focus on a recent application of the methodology for planning of in-service NDT inspections of the fixed offshore steel jacket structures in the DUC concession area in the Danish part of the North-Sea. The platforms are operated by Maersk Oil and Gas on behalf of DUC partners A.P. Mo̸ller, Shell and Texaco. The study includes a sensitivity analysis performed for the identification of relevant generic parameters such as the bending to membrane stress ratio, the design fatigue life and the material thickness. Based on the results of the sensitivity analysis a significant number of inspection plans were computed for fixed generic parameters (pre-defined generic plans) and a data-base named iPlan was developed from which inspection plans may be obtained by interpolation between the pre-defined generic plans. The iPlan data-base facilitates the straightforward production of large numbers of inspection plans for structural details subject to fatigue deterioration. In the paper the application of the generic inspection plan database iPlan is finally illustrated on an example.

Study of sand wave migration over five years as observed in two windfarm development areas, and the implications for building on moving substrates in the North Sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken P. Games ◽  
David I. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sand Wave ◽  
Sand Waves ◽  
Migration Rates ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Wave Migration ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTSand waves are well known indicators of a mobile seabed. What do we expect of these features in terms of migration rates and seabed scour? We discuss these effects on seabed structures, both for the Oil and Gas and the Windfarm Industries, and consider how these impact on turbines and buried cables. Two case studies are presented. The first concerns a windfarm with a five-year gap between the planning survey and a subsequent cable route and environmental assessment survey. This revealed large-scale movements of sand waves, with the displacement of an isolated feature of 155 m in five years. Secondly, another windfarm development involved a re-survey, again over a five-year period, but after the turbines had been installed. This showed movements of sand waves of ∼50 m in five years. Observations of the scour effects on the turbines are discussed. Both sites revealed the presence of barchans. Whilst these have been extensively studied on land, there are few examples of how they behave in the marine environment. The two case studies presented show that mass transport is potentially much greater than expected and that this has implications for choosing turbine locations, the effect of scour, and the impact these sediment movements are likely to have on power cables.

Marine Growth on North Sea Fixed Steel Platforms: Insights From the Decommissioning Industry

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chadi Mallat ◽  
Alistair Corbett ◽  
Glyn Harris ◽  
Marc Lefranc
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Southern North Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Insight Into

It is reputed in the Oil & Gas industry that marine growth is overestimated in the North Sea. Can we quantify this overestimation to better tackle the challenges marine growth incurs? This paper provides insight into the intrinsic and diverse nature of marine growth. It documents the biofouling development and the factors that affect it globally. Focus is made on fixed steel platforms in the North Sea approaching the end of their economic lives. A methodology to quantify the weight of marine growth is proposed and illustrated. 28 years after its installation, the weight of marine growth accumulated on Valhall 2/4G jacket located in Southern North Sea is evaluated based on the proposed method. It is confirmed that the current regulations overestimate the weight of marine growth in the North Sea.

United Kingdom/Norway

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-164
Author(s):  
Richard Barnes
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Framework Agreement ◽  
The North ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract On 30 September 2020, the United Kingdom and Norway signed the Framework Agreement on Fisheries that will provide the basis for future cooperation in the sustainable management of their fisheries. The Agreement is the first such agreement adopted by the UK following its decision to the leave the European Union. This note provides some background to the Agreement and examines its key features. Whilst the content of the Agreement appears to be rather basic, this is broadly consistent with other framework agreements, and it does provide some insight into the direction and focus of fisheries management in the North Sea, and how cooperation may develop between coastal States and the European Union.

scholarly journals A prospective observational study of why people are medically evacuated from offshore installations in the North Sea

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e037558
Author(s):  
Anne Waje-Andreassen ◽  
Øyvind Østerås ◽  
Guttorm Brattebø
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Record System ◽  
The North ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Offshore Installations ◽  
Severity Scores ◽  
The North Sea

ObjectivesFew studies have described evacuations due to medical emergencies from the offshore installations in the North Sea, though efficient medical service is essential for the industrial activities in this area. The major oil- and gas-producing companies’ search and rescue (SAR) service is responsible for medical evacuations. Using a prospective approach, we describe the characteristics of patients evacuated by SAR.Design and settingA prospective observational study of the offshore primary care provided by SAR in the North Sea.MethodsPatients were identified by linking flight information from air transport services in 2015/2016 and the company’s medical record system. Standardised forms filled out by SAR nurses during the evacuation were also analysed. In-hospital information was obtained retrospectively from Haukeland University Hospital’s information system.ResultsA total of 381 persons (88% men) were evacuated during the study period. Twenty-seven per cent of missions were due to chest pain and 18% due to trauma. The mean age was 46.0 years. Severity scores were higher for cases due to medical conditions compared with trauma, but the scores were relatively low compared with onshore emergency missions. The busiest months were May, July and December. Weekends were the busiest days.ConclusionThree times as many evacuations from offshore installations are performed due to acute illness than trauma, and cardiac problems are the most common. Although most patients are not severely physiologically deranged, the study documents a need for competent SAR services 24 hours a day year-round. Training and certification should be tailored for the SAR service, as the offshore health service structure and geography differs from the structure onshore.

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