Rosen, J., Potts, A.E., Sincock, P., Carra, C., Kilner, A.A., Kriznic, P. and Gumley, J. (2016) Paper number OTC-27076 publishing in proceedings of Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), Houston, Texas, USA, 2-5 May 2016.
Abstract:
The most cost-effective solution to ongoing production in a low oil price environment is often to extend the life of ageing producing assets past the original design intent. The offshore oil and gas industry therefore faces the challenge of extending the useful production life of ageing assets whilst ensuring their integrity. The challenges to increased life include ensuring integrity given potential modifications to the floating or fixed assets, modifications to the loading design conditions over their service life, as well as the cumulative effect of fatigue loading on key structural components. Operators and designers increasingly have access to relatively low-cost, high-accuracy instrumentation systems that can be used to monitor the loading and dynamic response of FPSOs and offshore platforms. This paper details a suite of cost-effective ongoing health monitoring measures that can be used to extend the life of producing assets. A design verification process is envisaged to validate original design assumptions and update them against more detailed local site knowledge. Instrumentation can supply health-monitoring data that can be analysed in close to real-time, and which can signal to operators the advent of elevated risk scenarios requiring a higher level of intervention and inspection. This facilitates a methodology for applying risk-based inspections to key components, under which production can be extended while relatively riskier locations are targeted for priority inspections and, if necessary, repair or modification. The technologies investigated here provide cost-effective methods for implementing the concepts of Mooring Integrity Management (MIM) recently expounded by DeepStar®, as well Risk-Based Inspections (RBI). Use of these procedures can allow safe, extended operation of productive assets beyond their original design life at minimum ongoing cost. The techniques will be of significant benefit to offshore operators with ageing assets, as well as to FPSO and fixed platform designers and contractors.
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