PUBLICATIONS AND VIDEOS

SUMMARY

This report presents the findings from all activities associated with Work Packages G1(a) and G2. The work was carried out under the specific guidance of the Safety Working Group, established as part of this Project, with representation from fifteen Participating Organisations. The activities related to the collation and appraisal of data and information on existing North Sea platforms (including arrangements for structures due for installation in 1992). The primary aspects considered include layouts, structural details, equipment, plant, pipework, utilities, Hydrocarbon inventory and process conditions.

Assessment of twenty one platforms has been carried out. A description of previous and present-day practice for offshore structures is presented, with particular emphasis on topside structures, modular construction, equipment and utilities, secondary structures, module cladding and non-structural components.

From these assessments a set of four representative modules have been established by combining features from groups of similar modules. For each of the four modules, design details have been developed which will enable various fire/blast scenarios to be investigated. Details include:

1. Major Equipment Lists;
2. Plot Plans and Structural Details;
3. Hydrocarbon Inventories;
4. Operating and Process.

These modules have been selected to be representative of designs prevalent at the start of the North Sea developments (1970's), second generation arrangements (1980's) and current practice, i.e. prior to the publication of Lord Cullen's Report on the Piper Alpha disaster. They are:

• Module 1 - Oil Production (1st generation);
• Module 2 - Gas Production (2nd generation);
• Module 3 - Process (3rd generation);
• Module 4 - Wellbay.

It should be noted the above list of modules does not include a compression module. This is because the selection was based on highly congested modules (high blockage factor), rather than modules which contained high risk equipment such as gas compressors. However, it is possible to include a fifth module, relating to a gas compression package, should this be deemed to be appropriate in any future studies.

The full report is publicly available from the HSE Website at www.hse.gov.uk/research/otipdf/oti92585.pdf.