Introduction to Offshore Structures

OFFSHORE STRUCTURAL
SYSTEMS

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 1
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

Can be classified into three broad categories

based on their foundation concepts
 Bottom Fixed Structures

 Jacket or Template type structures

 Compliant Structures

 Floating Structures (Bouyant but Moored)

 Tension Leg Platforms

 Articulated Towers
 FPSO’s

 Gravity Based Structures

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 2
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

1
Introduction to Offshore Structures

TYPES OF OFFSHORE STRUCTURES

 Fixed Platform (FP)
 Complaint Tower (CT)
 Tension Leg Platform (TLP)
 Mini Tension Leg Platform (MINI TLP)
 Spar Platform (SP)
 Articulated Tower
 Floating Production System (FPS)
 Subsea System (SS)
 Floating Production, Storage and Offloading System (FPSO)
 Concrete Gravity Platform

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 3
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

Source : MMS, USA

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 4
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

2
Introduction to Offshore Structures

Source : MMS, USA

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 5
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

Semi-
TPG 500 Unideck Spar EDP FPSO
submersible

Source : Technip

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 6
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

3
Introduction to Offshore Structures

 Fixed Platform

 (FP) consists of a jacket (a tall vertical

section made of tubular steel members
supported by piles driven into the
seabed) with a deck placed on top,
providing space for crew quarters, a
drilling rig, and production facilities.
The fixed platform is economically
feasible for installation in water depths
up to 500 m.

 Platform can be for drilling /

processing and it can be 3, 4, 6 or 8
legged.

 The natural period of structure varies

between 1 to 4 seconds.

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 7
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

 Compliant Tower
 (CT) consists of a narrow, flexible
tower and a piled foundation that
can support a conventional deck
for drilling and production
operations. Unlike the fixed
platform, the compliant tower
withstands large lateral forces by
sustaining significant lateral
deflections, and is usually used in
water depths between 300m and
600m.

 Generally a four legged structure

with or without guy wires

 The natural period of the platform

will be around 20 to 50 seconds

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 8
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

4
Introduction to Offshore Structures
 Tension Leg Platform
(TLP) consists of a floating structure held in place by vertical, tensioned
tendons connected to the sea floor by pile-secured templates.
Tensioned tendons provide for the use of a TLP in a broad water depth
range with limited vertical motion. The larger TLP's have been
successfully deployed in water depths approaching 1200m.

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 9
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

 Articulated Tower
(AT) is an extension of
tension leg platform. The
tension cables are replaced
by one single buoyant shell
with sufficient buoyancy
and required restoring
moment against lateral
loads. The main part of the
configuration is the
universal joint which
connects the shell with the
foundation system. The
foundation system usually
consists of gravity based
concrete block or some
times with driven piles. The
articulated tower concept is
well suited for intermediate
water depths ranging from
150m to 500m.

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 10
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

5
Introduction to Offshore Structures

 SPAR Platform
(SPAR) consists of a large diameter single vertical cylinder supporting
a deck. It has a typical fixed platform topside (surface deck with
drilling and production equipment), three types of risers (production,
drilling, and export), and a hull which is moored using a taut
caternary system of six to twenty lines anchored into the seafloor.
SPAR's are presently used in water depths up to 1000m, although
existing technology can extend its use to water depths as great as
2500m.

 Subsea System
(SS) ranges from single subsea wells producing to a nearby platform,
FPS, or TLP to multiple wells producing through a manifold and
pipeline system to a distant production facility. These systems are
presently used in water depths greater than 1500m.

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 11
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

 Floating Production System

(FPS) consists of a semi-submersible unit which is equipped with
drilling and production equipment. It is anchored in place with wire
rope and chain, or can be dynamically positioned using rotating
thrusters. Production from subsea wells is transported to the surface
deck through production risers designed to accommodate platform
motion. The FPS can be used in a range of water depths from 600 to
7,500 feet.

 Floating Production, Storage & Offloading System

(FPSO) consists of a large tanker type vessel moored to the seafloor.
An FPSO is designed to process and stow production from nearby
subsea wells and to periodically offload the stored oil to a smaller
shuttle tanker. The shuttle tanker then transports the oil to an
onshore facility for further processing. An FPSO may be suited for
marginally economic fields located in remote deepwater areas where a
pipeline infrastructure does not exist. Currently, there are no FPSO's
approved for use in the Gulf of Mexico. However, there are over 70 of
these systems being used elsewhere in the world.

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 12
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

6
Introduction to Offshore Structures

Source : Technip

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 13
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

CLASSIC TRUSS CELL TRUSS

Source : Technip

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 14
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

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Introduction to Offshore Structures

D R IL L IN G /S U B S T R U C T U R E

P IP E R A C K P O W E R G E N E R A T IO N
PROCESS LQ
O FF- H E L ID E C K
L O A D IN G

TURRET +
M O O R IN G THRUSTERS

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 15
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

Source : Technip

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 16
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

8
Introduction to Offshore Structures

Source : Technip

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 17
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

Dynamics Play a vital role

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 18
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

9
Introduction to Offshore Structures

Fixed vs. Compliant structures

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 19
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

Inference
 Shallow Water < 500m

 Structures with lower natural period range

 Possibility of bottom founded structures
 Away from severe dynamic loading
 Structures can be designed to be rigid

 Deeper Water < 1000m

 Structures in the upper natural period range

 Dynamics play a vital role
 Structures are not rigid but large displacement

 Ultra Deeper Water > 1000m

 Floating and Moored

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
NPTEL Course 20
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

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Introduction to Offshore Structures
Load Transfer Mechanism

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
8/23/2012 21
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

Load Transfer Mechanism

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
8/23/2012 22
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

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Introduction to Offshore Structures

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
8/23/2012 23
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

Introduction to Offshore Structures

Dr. S. Nallayarasu
8/23/2012 24
Department of Ocean Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras-36

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