13. FPSO Operational Problems Don Smith, OGP

FPSO Operational Problems

Don Smith OGP

Analysis of Accident Statistics for Floating

Monohull and Fixed Installations

• UK HSE Study

• Analysis of offshore accident statistics from 1996 – 2002 (6

years period):

– No fatalities

– 21 accidents involving hospitalisation

– 85 3-day off work

Dangerous Occurrences for Floating

Production Systems 1996-2002*

Total Number of Dangerous Occurrences 317 * Provisional

FPSO Dangerous Occurrence Categories

• Riser/Turret/Swivel

• Vessel SW/COW/Vent

• Offloading System

• Moorings/DP

• Collision/Stability

Distribution of FPSO Dangerous Occurrences

Riser/Turret/Swivel

33%

(26)

Offloading System

22%

(17)

Motion Related Incident

15%

(12)

Moorings/DP

9%

(7)

Vessel SW/COW/Vent

10%

(8)

Collision/Stability

11%

(9)

Wave Related Incidents (1995 – 2000)

0 1 2 3 4 5 N u m b er of Inc ide nt s 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Year

17 Greenwater, 2 Wave Slam

0.28 incidents per vessel year

Comparison of Accident Rates

(per installation type)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Accident Rate (per installation) 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02 Year FPSO All

Comparison of Accident Rates

(per 100,000 Workers)

A summary Report on FPSO Lessons Learned,

gathered from 4 Norwegian FPSOs – May 2002

Prepared for the Norwegian Oil Industry Association

(OLF)

Study Aims and Methodology

• Aim: to collect lessons learned from experiences of

operators of Norwegian FPSOs

• Information collected from 4 installations:

– Jotun A (ExxonMobil)

– Varg (Norsk Hydro)

– Asgard and Norne (Statoil)

Survey Tool

• Seven Main Areas:

– Hull and Marine

– Turret

– Layout

– Project Management

– Operations and Support

– Codes/Classification

– Manning and Safety

Hull and Marine

(172 issues/problems reported)

•

Green Water (Critical)

– 3 out of 4 FPSOs affected by greenwater loads

•

Hull – Strength (Critical)

– 3 out of 4 FPSOs suffered crack between tanks

•

Accommodation (Critical)

– Insufficient beds leading to repair/maintenance/upgrade delays

•

Ballast & Cargo Pipework (Major)

– Construction Standards for cargo and ballast pipework proven indequate, leading to weld failures, leaks and corrosion

•

Corrosion & Coatings (Major)

– Need for good inspection programme

•

Cranes (Major)

Hull and Marine

•

Helicopters (Major)

– Siting and size of helidecks (need to involve helicopter operators in future designs)

•

Hull Capacity (Major)

– Limited shuttle tanker capacity driving need for increased FPSO storage capacity

•

Inert Gas System (Major)

– Use of hydrocarbon blanketing to replace inert gas

•

Moorings (Major)

– Improved understanding of permanently stopped mooring designs (as opposed to use of individual anchor winches)

•

Motions Assumptions (Major)

– Better prediction of roll limits and its impact on topside fatigue design

•

Power Generation

– Choice of appropriate main power generation (to maximise efficiency)

Turret

(30 issues/problems reported)

•

Turret Location (Critical)

– Benefits of free swivelling turrent

•

Turret Design (Critical)

– Problems with 2 of 3 turret bearings

– Need to make all components easily serviceable and replaceable

•

Risers (Major)

– Range of problems experienced

– Good riser design and operation essential

•

Swivels (Major)

– Concerns over long term reliability

•

Drag Chains (Major)

– Range of problems leading to high maintenance and operational problems – Swivels may be the better option in many cases

Layout

(19 issues/problems reported)

• Layout (Critical)

– Layout of equipment a critical issue:

• Main generators too close to accommodation • Poor mechanical handling solutions

• Exhaust and flare radiation problems • Module overcrowding

• Poorly located vents

• Access and escape route problems • Poor workshop and stores location

– Need to involve all stakeholder in planning layout

Project Management

(29 issues/problems reported)

•

Capex Overruns and Schedule Delays (Critical)

– On only 1 of 4 were Capex overruns avoided (even then the build quality was poorer than expected and opportunities for low cost improvements missed)

– Benefits of working with contractor to maintain quality and provide assistance to improve efficiency

•

Construction Management (Major)

– Failure of design contractors and shipyard to interpret functional requirements

– Failure to manage builders and suppliers

– More upfront work needed on selection of equipment and specification of quality

•

Project Input from other Groups

Operations and Support

(74 issues/problems reported

)

•

Compression (Critical)

– 2 of 4 FPSOs had serious compression problems (gas seal failures, repeated bundle change-outs and cracked pistons)

– Need to consider benefits of larger scrubbers to provide a safety factor against unknowns

•

Compression (Major)

– Vibration from reciprocating compressors can be a problem – Care needed in procurement of compressor

– Need to review noise and vibration levels

•

Uptime Performance (Critical)

– Lack of fully objective data to access uptime performance

•

Shuttle tanker/offloading (Major)

– Need to learn from good operational practices

Manning and Safety

(7 issues/problems reported)

• Safety – General (Critical)

– No evidence FPSOs are less safe than other installations

– Evidence suggests need for active attention to safety

• Crew (Major)

Industry Challenges

•

Hull & Marine (Major)

– Accommodation – need to increase accommodation levels for short periods

•

Caisson Systems (Major)

– Evaluation needed of practicality of using inboard mounted caissons to deliver seawater direct

•

Mechanical Handling

– Develop best practices for range of handling systems

•

Hull Shape

– Learn for past experiences wrt bow shape

•

Painting

– Need to develop painting technology and methods compatible with project demands

•

Thrusters

– Develop methods for removal and repair of thrusters

Industry Challenges

•

Turret swivels/tie-backs

– Low cost method needed to upgrade swivel capacity and to pull in new risers with minimum downtime

•

Design Input from Operations

– Support operators providing input to design

•

Operations and Support

– In Situ Repairs and Modifications Critical

– Need to revise all aspects of marine standards to account for minimum maintenance and in-field repairs

•

Process

– Need for work and an industry specification for moving separation equipment

•

Role of Vendors/OEM (Major)

– Need to secure post supply technical support and minimum performance levels from suppliers

• Codes and Classification, Approvals and Safety Verification (Major) – Need to tighten FPSO class specifications

Mission

•

To represent the interests of the upstream industry to international regulatory and

legislative bodies.

•

To achieve continuous improvement in safety, health and environmental performance

and in the engineering and operation of upstream ventures.

•

To promote awareness of Corporate Social Responsibility issues within the industry

and among stakeholders.

Objectives

•

To improve understanding of the upstream oil and gas industry, its achievements

and challenges and its views on pertinent issues.

•

To encourage international regulators and other parties to take account of the

industry’s views in developing proposals that are eff ective and workable.

•

To become a more visible, accessible and eff ective source of information about the

global industry - both externally and within member organisations.

•

To develop and disseminate best practices in safety, health and environmental

performance and the engineering and operation of upstream ventures.

•

To improve the collection, analysis and dissemination of safety, health and

environmental performance data.

•

To provide a forum for sharing experience and debating emerging issues.

•

To enhance the industry’s ability to infl uence by increasing the size and diversity of

the membership.

•

To liaise with other industry associations to ensure consistent and eff ective