Recommended Practice for Structural Integrity Management of Floating Offshore Structures – A DeepStar 12401 Product

摘要

With recent technologies and exploration expanding the commercial viability of many deepwater fields,rnoffshore operators now must contend with ways to keep their aging floating structures on station up to,rnand in many cases, beyond their original service life. As a result, there is a growing need within industryrnfor a recommended practice focused solely on the Structural Integrity Management (SIM) of floatingrnstructures that provides guidance to operators and engineers in the development and implementation ofrnSIM programs as well as to assess the fitness-for-purpose of a floating system over the original servicernlife and beyond. Recognizing this need, DeepStar® initiated Project 12401 to develop a draft SIMrnRecommended Practice (RP) for floating offshore structures that covers hull, mooring, topsides structuresrnand marine systems (e.g., ballast systems, propulsion, etc.). DeepStar® is a joint industry technologyrndevelopment project focused on advancing the technologies to meet its members’ deepwater businessrnneeds to deliver increased production and reserves. Members are comprised of various international oilrnand gas operators.rnThis paper describes the content and benefits of this new draft RP. The development process andrnrequired components of a floating structure SIM program are defined within the RP, which are currentlyrnnot available in other industry RPs. Additionally, the overall implementation elements (i.e., Data,rnEvaluation, Strategy and Program) and associated processes required to manage a floating structure’srnintegrity and confirm fitness-for-purpose over the service life (i.e., from commissioning to decommissioning)rnare covered. This includes assessment initiators (e.g., triggers for assessments) and a stepwisernassessment process used to demonstrate the fitness of a floating structure. Guidance on assessing thernfitness and viability of a floating structure for continued service beyond its original service life (sometimesrnreferred to as "life extension") is also contained within the RP and described within this paper.