AGEING OFFSHORE

INSTALLATIONS

ICRARD Meeting 2009

Steve Walker

PRESENTATION OUTLINE
The problem of UKs ageing offshore
installations
Where we have targeted our regulatory
research activity
What have been the results
Where now?
Discussion

UKCS INSTALLATIONS (BERR)

300

250

250
200

200

146 installations
108 installations
>20 years old
>25 years old

150

150
100

100
50

50
0

1968
1968
1970
1970
1972
1972
1974
1974
1976
1976
1978
1978
1980
1980
1982
1982
1984
1984
1986
1986
1988
1988
1990
1990
1992
1992
1994
1994
1996
1996
1998
1998
2000
2000
2002
2002
2004
2004
2006
2006
2008
2008

No of UKCS installations in production

No of UKCS installations in production

300

Year of first oil/gas

Year of first oil/gas

Small steel jacket

Small steel jacket
Large steel jacket
Large steel jacket
Jackup
Jackup
Concrete GBS
Concrete GBS
Semi-sub
Semi-sub
FPSO
FPSO
TLP
TLP

67
0

100

Year of first oil/gas

Year of first oil/gas

2008

71 1968
19
73 1970
19
75 1972
19
77 1974
19
79 1976
19
81 1978
19
83 1980
19
85 1982
19
87 1984
19
89 1986
19
91 1988
19
93 1990
19
95 1992
19
97 1994
19
99 1996
20 1998
01
20 2000
03
20 2002
05
20 2004
07
2006

19

69

19

19

No of manned UKCS installations in production

No of UKCS installations in production

MANNED UKCS INSTALLATIONS

300

300

250

250

200

200

Small steel jacket

150

Small
Largesteel
steeljacket
jacket

150

Large
steel jacket
Jackup

>25 years old

Jackup
Concrete GBS

100

Concrete
Semi-subGBS

50

Semi-sub
FPSO

50

FPSO
TLP

TLP

Definitions - how old is old?

UKCS, first gas platforms were in 1968, first oil platforms were in
1974 and most still in place!
Department of Energy / HSE Guidance Notes identify a 20-year
minimum period
Design Life (ISO 2394 & ISO 19902)
The assumed period for which a structure is to be used for its
intended purpose with anticipated maintenance but without
substantial repair from ageing processes being necessary
Life Extension
Continued operation of an installation beyond the design life
assumed at the time of design or revised following a
reassessment with reference to a new baseline to reflect
changes through prior service

Indications of ageing?

Corrosion?

Fatigue cracking?
12

Number of failures

10

0
1

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Time to detection of fatigue damage after installation (Years)

Maintenance?

Impact?

Beyond design loading?

Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane damage

2007 SUPPLY - RELIANT ON OLDER FIELDS

16%
Morecambe S

Oil

Buzzard

14%

Proportion of production from field

Dry gas
Associated gas

Britannia

12%

10%
Rough
8%

6%

Elgin

Foinaven

Forties
Brent

4%

Beryl

Leman Per.
Leman Shell
West Sole

Ninian
Claymore
Magnus
Viking
Beryl
Brent

2%

0%
0

10

15

20

25

Age of installation

30

35

40

45

Research
In UK, weve undertaken a range of
research and other activities to identify
how such inevitable ageing can be
managed:
(a) Problems associated with identifying
ageing deterioration
Structural integrity analysis techniques
(RR642)
Predicting fatigue crack growth (RR643)

Research
(b) Problems associated with ageing on specific safety critical aspects

Passive fire Protection - Information Sheet 12/2007

RR509 Plant ageing: management of equipment containing hazardous
fluids or pressure 2006
PS/06/24 Guidance on fire and explosion hazards associated with
ageing offshore oil and gas platforms HSL (internal)

(c) How to manage the ageing processes offshore

RR684 Structural integrity management framework for fixed jacket

structures 2009
Structural integrity management of mobiles due for publication late
2009
A framework for monitoring the management of ageing effects on
safety critical elements The Energy Institute due for publication
2009

Research done - so what?

Managing ageing is complex!
Yet simple - Ageing is not about how old
your equipment is; its about what you
know about its condition, and how thats
changing over time
Research has provided good practise
strategies

Key documentation
Offshore Information Sheet 4/2009 Guidance on
management of ageing and thorough reviews of ageing
installations . Provides a summary, and strategy of
taking this forward, in particular:
Guidance on how to decide when to reappraise the fire and
explosion risk assessment (FERA)
How to ensure the installation Structural Integrity Management
(SIM) plan incorporates deterioration and degradation
Ageing KPIs to facilitate management oversight

Offshore Information Sheet 5/2007 Ageing semisubmersible installations (in conjunction with PSA)

How to manage ageing platforms

Factors for consideration
Ageing/deterioration
Change in hazard profile
of platform
Modifications
Improvements in
knowledge and/or good
practise

Management techniques
Through review of safety
case
Appropriate changes to
key risk control systems
and SCEs
Inspection strategy
Revise fire and explosion
assessment?
Extended life
assessment?

Management of ageing platforms

Deterioration
Fatigue (welded connections, piles, supports)
Corrosion
Accidental damage (ship impact, dropped
objects cumulative effects)
Environmental overload metocean
Geological & geotechnical (subsidence,
scour, pile failure)

Management of ageing platforms

Changes in hazard profile
e.g. Reservoir conditions
Pressure drop -> enhanced oil/gas recovery
Gas/oil/water ratios change ->more slug flow/vibration?
H2S levels rise -> enhanced corrosivity

Modifications
New accommodation units, changes to
process equipment, conversion to hub
operation etc can all lead to:
Changes in structural loading
Changes in fire and explosion profile

Management of ageing platforms

Advances in knowledge and technology
Better understanding: e.g. improved explosion
modelling may predict different overpressures
New technologies: e.g. in structural integrity
assessment, fire protection systems etc
Obsolescence: e.g. replacement parts no longer
available, or software systems no longer supported
More stringent standards
Learning from past events

All factors for consideration when managing

ageing installations

TYPICAL BATH TUB CURVE

Wear-out
phase

Early life
failures

Steady failure rate

Time

PERFORMANCE INTO LIFE EXTENSION

Original level

(a)

Acceptable
level

(c)
(b)
(d)

Performance

(a) No loss of performance with time

(b) Fabrication problems corrected by
remedial repairs/strengthening
(c) Loss of performance but
acceptable into life extension phase

(d) Loss of performance acceptable at

design life but not into life extension

Life extension

Time
Design Life

MAIN ISSUES FOR LIFE EXTENSION

Data Update

Data

Evaluation

Inspection
Strategy

Inspection
Programme

Loss of key data from

Evaluation should Strategy to include A more detailed
managing the approach
to
original design,include assessment
inspection
may be
construction and
taking account of the assessing ageingrequired if a period of
and the need
installation andoriginal
early design levelprocesses
plus
life to
extension is to be
operationalconsequences of ageing link inspection
justified
requirements to these
inspectionsprocesses (e.g. fatigue,
corrosion)

Ageing: Where now for HSE?

Probably a key programme for OSD over
next few years proposals now being
developed
Continuing development of solutions, via
research if necessary
e.g. review of damage in ageing mobile and
fixed offshore structures, to identify probable
causes and to make recommendations for
improved structural integrity management.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Acknowledgements to Alex Stacey and
Stephen Connolly of HSE
Technical papers: OMAE 2008 workshop
(including paper 57418)
www.hse.gov.uk

Discussion
Do other ICRARD members have similar
concerns about ageing?
What research have you done or intend to
do?
Are any of the UK approaches useful?
Do you have different approaches?
What more can ICRARD do to share
knowledge about ageing issues?

International Dimension
Norway:
PSA requires consent to extend life
DnV standard (OSS-101) to include ageing semi-subs, jack-ups
ISO:
ISO 19900: assessments required for all structures at end of design life
ISO 19902 (fixed structures), Section 25: detailed requirements for
assessment (end of design life is a trigger)
ISO 19904 (semi-subs) & ISO 19905 (jack-ups): no formal section on
assessment
USA:
API RP2A Section 17 triggers do not include life extension
MMS: Current studies on ageing underway