Ageing FPSOs Find a New Future?
15. Oct. 2010 | [Group,Maritime,Oil & Gas] |
Aberdeen/UK, 15 October 2010 - Human factors, asset life extension and integrity management took centre stage at the 25th FPSO Forum held in Aberdeen on 13 October.
Organised and hosted by GL Noble Denton, the ‘Human, System and Ageing Effects on FPSO Integrity’ Forum was attended by more than 180 marine and offshore engineers, and experts from industry and academia. Delegates came from countries with major oil and gas and shipping centres including Germany, Brazil, the United States, France, the Netherlands and Japan.
Delegates heard that following this year’s ‘Deepwater Horizon’ Gulf of Mexico oil spill, operators should expect more regulations and closer involvement from regulatory authorities. Another key concern to speakers and delegates was how to best operate and maintain ageing FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) assets.
This change comes at a time when oil companies and other FPSO operators are seeking to extend the life of their floating assets, said Aberdeen-based Martin Brown, consultant naval architect with GL Noble Denton. Demand for floating production systems is growing strongly with oil companies seeking the flexibility offered by FPSOs and their ability to operate in deepwater and remote locations, he said.
Ageing offshore infrastructure presents the industry with a constant and growing challenge. The technical complexity of an FPSO requires a different approach to that of managing tankers and fixed offshore platforms, said Brown. This is highlighted by a shortage of people with the combined experience of both marine (shipping) and offshore (oil and gas) operations that are needed to work and support the growing FPSO fleet. As many floating production systems are now approaching the middle or end of their design lives, operators are now seeking assurance about the ongoing integrity of their assets from the process train to the risers, subsea architecture, hull, marine systems and moorings.
Speaking at the Forum, Lutz Wittenberg, Executive Vice President, Europe of GL Noble Denton, said that, “there have been over 200 floating production system deployments, some of which were tanker conversions. These vessels are now facing ‘ageing’ issues with concerns over safety relating to asset integrity that goes beyond traditional practice in the offshore sector.” He added that the industry needed to understand better human behaviour and working conditions that in some instances might lead to confusion, tiredness and possible accidents due to poor design and bad ergonomics.
Many of the existing FPSOs have restricted bed space onboard which dictates the number of personnel allowed on board at any time. This may curtail the maintenance that can be done while the vessel is on-station. As a producing asset, dry docking is not an option except in exceptional circumstances, said Wittenberg.
Increasing awareness of the hazards arising from the ageing process and preparedness for the likelihood of damage that might occur in the life extension phase are key issues, said Wittenberg. Wear and tear arising from corrosion, structural fatigue, obsolescence of equipment, reduction of equipment reliability or damage from accidental events all need to be considered when planning life extensions. “Modifications to accommodate changed well and process conditions, for example, by using the platform as a hub to handle fluids from nearby platforms or subsea wells, and obsolescence of older plants, will directly impact on extending the useful life of the asset,” he said.
Speakers also encouraged engineering staff to fully engage their management in supporting early intervention and maintenance programmes which can significantly cut costs in the long term, although this requires higher up-front spending.
Independent marine consultant Ian Williams, representing Wood Group and operator of the Triton FPSO in the North Sea, said that inspections of the floater revealed ageing issues after five years of operation that normally would not be detected in a tanker until after ten years of operation. Wood Group and oil company Hess, owner of the Triton, developed a Vessel Integrity Programme (VIP) to better understand ageing issues, so as to assess and plan for ongoing maintenance work.
In his paper ‘Ageing Effects, a Regulator’s Perspective’ Howard Harte, Operations Manager with the UK government’s Health & Safety Executive (HSE), defined ageing assets as not “about how old the asset is, but how much the operator knows about the asset and how its condition changes over time taking into account corrosion, modifications, obsolescence or other process or operational changes.
Concerned about ageing infrastructure in the North Sea, the HSE launched its Ageing & Life Extension Inspection Programme, also known as Key Programme 4 (KP4) earlier this year. KP4 involves onshore and offshore inspection of duty holders' management systems, supported by activities to raise awareness within the industry of the significance of ageing, said Harte.
Other key issues that arose from the Forum included the need for better sharing and exchanging of information about managing integrity, the need to raise awareness of ageing issues and the need for industry and regulators to work in partnership.
The afternoon session focussed on raising interest and financial backing for a series of Joint Industry Projects (JIPs). Marik Kaminski from MARIN, the Dutch-maritime research institute, discussed ‘CrackGuard’ a method to monitor small cracks in a vessel’s steelwork, while the class societies sought interest for studying the ‘Life Cycle Management of FPSO Hulls’ Also ‘Sharing of Spares for Mooring Units’ with a focus on West Africa was presented as a proposal for a JIP.
The FPSO Forums are held biannually as part of a week long-programme of discussions about JIPs, as well as launching new ones. The Forums are open to JIP members. The next FPSO Forum will be held in Monaco, March 21st – 26th, 2011 and will focus on FPSO Life Extensions and Relocations. It will be hosted by SBM.
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