Application of reliability-based techniques to mobile drilling units

摘要

The present paper is concerned with the application of probabilistic methods in establishing safety margins in structural design and assessment. In particular, the paper demonstrates recent advances in the reliability assessment of mobile drilling units such as jack-ups that may enable designs and assessments to be performed based on consensual risk levels. The paper is concluded with some thoughts on the lessons learned by the offshore industry in this area that may be of help in optimizing safety levels for deep-water production systems.