Damage to offshore oil and gas facilities following hurricanes Katrina and Rita: An overview

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the centre of the American petrochemical industry, shutting down eight refineries, hundreds of oil-drilling and production platforms, and many other industrial facilities. Furthermore, it triggered unprecedented numbers of hazardous-materials releases from industrial facilities and storage terminals onshore, as well as from oil and gas production facilities offshore in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). In this paper, we analyse the damage caused by the two hurricanes on the offshore oil and gas industry. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused the largest number of destroyed and damaged platforms and pipelines, and the highest number of mobile offshore drilling units set adrift in the history of GoM operations. Following the hurricanes, changes have been proposed to operating and emergency procedures, maintenance requirements, and design practices including mooring practices for mobile offshore drilling units.     

海洋延寿平台随机冰激响应与损伤评估

直立结构上冰力作用是国际海洋石油工程界研究的一个热点,尽管很多学者建立了各种冰力破碎模型,但是这些理论模型实现对冰与直立结构交互作用过程的量化模拟还存有较多困难.针对胜利油田大量海上平台超期服役现状,选择渤海现场实测的随机冰力时程曲线,考虑腐蚀减薄、桩基冲刷、海生物附着等服役损伤,建立海洋延寿平台结构有限元模型,研究随机冰力作用下海洋延寿平台构件的时程响应,采用疲劳等效应力幅来描述随机冰激疲劳应力过程产生的疲劳效应,最后基于Miner线性累积疲劳损伤模型采用S-N曲线法评估平台构件的疲劳损伤,该方法为进行可适合工程应用的渤海延寿平台疲劳评估提供了思路.     

Actual safety performance of the Malaysian offshore oil platforms: Correlations between the leading and lagging indicators

IntroductionThis study establishes the correlations between performance of a set of key safety factors and the actual lagging performance of oil platforms in Malaysia, hence the relevance of the key safety factors in evaluating and predicting the safety performance of oil and gas platforms. The key factors are crucial components of a safety performance evaluation framework and each key safety factor corresponds to a list of underlying safety indicators.MethodIn this study, participating industrial practitioners rated the compliance status of each indicator using a numbering system adapted from the traffic light system, based on the actual performance of 10 oil platforms in Malaysia. Safety scores of the platforms were calculated based on the ratings and compared with the actual lagging performance of the platforms. Safety scores of two platforms were compared with the facility status reports' findings of the respective platforms.ResultsThe platforms studied generally had good performance. Total recordable incident rates of the platforms were found to show significant negative correlations with management and work engagement on safety, compliance score for number of incident and near misses, personal safety, and management of change. Lost time injury rates, however, correlated negatively with hazard identification and risk assessment. The safety scores generally agreed with findings of the facility status reports with substandard process containment found as a contributor of hydrocarbon leaks.ConclusionsThis study proves the criterion validity of the safety performance evaluation framework and demonstrates its usability for benchmarking and continuous improvement of safety practices on the Malaysian offshore oil and gas platforms.Practical applicationsThis study reveals the applicability of the framework and the potential of extending safety reporting beyond the few conventional lagging safety performance indicators used. The study also highlights the synergy between correlating safety factors to streamline safety management on offshore platforms.     

新型气体灭火技术在海上平台的应用可行性分析

根据海上油气生产平台的特点及灭火需求,分析了海上平台现有灭火系统及灭火剂的综合性能及缺陷,对新型灭火系统的安全性、环保特性、灭火剂的毒性及灭火效能等方面进行对比和分析,对采用新灭火技术替代平台现有灭火装置的应用可行性进行探讨,分析显示:新型灭火剂Novec1230比目前海上平台应用的其他气体灭火剂在安全环保灭火性能上更具优势。     

基于系统动力学的海洋平台安全脆弱性分析

海洋平台承受着风、浪、流等复杂环境载荷，安全系统在保障平台安全稳定方面的作用极为突出。为深入探讨影响海洋平台安全脆弱性的机理，针对海洋平台作业环境的极端性和复杂性，建立了海洋平台的安全脆弱性系统动力学分析模型，采用模糊层次分析法确定影响安全系统中各层因素的权重系数，并设定参数，考虑子系统不同的安全投入方案，进行了海洋平台脆弱性系统分析。研究结果表明:海洋平台设备系统对于暴露度和敏感度的影响程度最高，管理系统对海洋平台安全系统的适应度起主导作用；当安全投入总值一定，对各系统的投入比例不同时，为有效降低海洋平台脆弱性，应合理分配有限投入资金。     

Associations between sleep,risk and safety climate: A study of offshore personnel on the Norwegian continental shelf

The demands and constraints of the offshore working environment can have adverse effects on health, particularly the quality of sleep. Perceived risk and safety are significant psychological stress factors which may interfere with and deteriorate the sleep quality of offshore personnel. The present study explores the relationship between risk perception, safety climate and sleep quality. Data were collected under the auspices of the Petroleum Safety Authorities in Norway using a cross-sectional design. A total of 9601 offshore workers from 52 offshore installations on the Norwegian continental shelf participated in the study. Our findings indicate that both risk perception and safety climate are significantly related to sleep quality. The results of the present study suggest that risk perception and safety climate not only are important aspects of safety performance in the offshore industry, but also have an impact on sleep quality.     

现役近海老龄平台延寿决策模型

为合理预测老龄平台的动态经济寿命,降低复杂不确定服役环境对平台的运营风险,建立老龄平台延寿决策综合模糊评判模型的结构流程。从影响平台服役状态的工程因素、结构因素、荷载因素和风险因素4个维度进行分析和调整,构建阶层结构;采用模糊理论建立正倒值矩阵,综合专家意见计算各因素权重;引入凹陷因子、裂纹因子、腐蚀因子以及冰荷载因子对影响因素进行合理量化,建立海洋石油老龄平台延寿决策评分准则;采用逻辑运算计算综合评分,建立老龄平台延寿决策参考表,进而依据该表确定平台延寿基准期;利用决策模型对2座海洋平台进行延寿决策,并将其结果与传统评判结果进行对比分析。结果表明,采用本模型能够更加精确地描述平台的动态经济寿命,为复杂不确定环境的老龄平台延寿决策提供一种新的计算思路。     

On the analysis of hydrocarbon leaks in the Norwegian offshore industry

There have been several major offshore accidents in different offshore regions since 2005. In Norway there have been several very serious near-misses during the last ten years, several of which involving serious hydrocarbon leaks with catastrophic fire and explosion potential. All these severe occurrences demonstrate the importance of learning from major accident precursors in order to appraise the risk potential involved in critical offshore operations. This paper is based on analysis of about 175 hydrocarbon leaks in the period 2001–2010. Regulatory requirements in Norway are aimed at preventing as far as possible such occurrences during night time, but the analysis shows that this has been far from successful. The industry has for many years claimed that the maintenance personnel are the main group of employees involved in causing these leaks. This study has shown that leaks during the execution of maintenance and modification are less than half of the leaks, and that failures during the preparation for carrying out maintenance tasks are more frequent. Such preparations have often been conducted during night shift. The analysis gives a strong incentive to change this practice.     

海上生产设施远程监控和管理系统的建设探讨

针对海洋石油行业面临的海上作业设施如何安全有效监控及管理的问题,从实际的安全生产管理需求出发,结合通信网络链路及传输特点,采用先进的远程监控技术和海洋石油应急管理理念,设计开发了海上生产设施远程监控和管理系统平台,并论述了总体框架、软硬件结构及发展趋势。系统已经作为保障安全生产的重要手段应用于海上作业平台及船舶运输,提高了安全生产管理水平,并取得了很好的效果。     

海上平台静设备失效概率计算方法适用性研究

针对RBI评估失效概率计算方法对海上平台静设备的适用性,基于国内海上平台设备失效数据统计现状,提出以数据库软件为基础建立RBI评估系统的建议,以获取更加可靠的通用失效概率;对比国内外腐蚀减薄损伤系数计算方法的差异,根据海洋环境恶劣,静设备腐蚀严重的特点,结合模糊数学理论,提出更为保守的计算方法,并选取渤海某平台静设备验证新方法的适用性。结果表明,新方法得到的失效概率等级分布更为均匀,高失效概率等级的数量增多,符合海上平台静设备失效概率高的特点,但仍需通过生产实践来检验其可靠性。     

海洋石油轮班作业风险定量分析方法研究

长期以来,海洋石油领域风险研究主要集中在对设施的潜在失效概率和后果研究方面,而对于人员可靠性及风险管理方面的研究较弱。然而,据统计资料显示,海上设施在其生命周期内的设计、建造和生产作业等各个阶段中发生的事故大多与人为错误和组织错误（HOE）有关联。在海洋工程领域,开展人员可靠性分析（HRA）的研究工作具有重要意义。根据海上作业的特殊性及轮班制度的特点,推导出轮班风险的定量分析公式,据此计算出每个工作日轮班风险的相对大小,然后结合我国海上作业的实际情况,对影响轮班风险的可变因素进行了敏感性分析,为风险控制与管理提供参考。     

Fire and explosion at mutual major hazard installations: review of a case history

In industry, it is common that there are independent but related major hazard installations which compliment each other. The link between the major hazard organizations is an interface between the installations. This interface is a critical area for the mutual major hazard installations. Examples of such organizations are chemical cargo ships and their terminal storage yard, the supply vessels and platforms, floating storage tanks at offshore areas and oil tankers, two offshore platforms tied together etc. This paper summarizes the major accident at M. T. Choon Hong III Ship and Tiram Kimia Sdn. Bhd. (TKSB), and also discusses the causes which led to this major accident. It was found that the lack of integrity is the main cause behind the escalation of the fire and explosion at the Choon Hong III Ship and the TKSB. It was noted that the disaster which involved mutual major hazard installation was preceded by two incubation periods.     

Risk perception by offshore workers on UK oil and gas platforms

This paper reports the first investigation of risk perception by workers on offshore oil and gas installations on the UK Continental Shelf, following changes in offshore safety legislation in the wake of the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988. The Offshore Safety Case regulations (Health and Safety Executive, 1992, A Guide to the Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations) put the onus on the operator to identify the major hazards and to reduce the risks to As Low As is Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). The regulations specifically state that Quantitative Risk Assessments (QRA) must be used when preparing the Safety Case. However, people do not use QRA when making everyday judgements about risk; they make subjective judgements known as risk perceptions, which are influenced by a number of different factors. This study was designed to complement the extensive QRA calculations that have already been carried out in the development of Safety Cases. The aim was to measure subjective risk perception in offshore personnel and examine how this relates to the more objective risk data available, namely accident records and QRA calculations. This paper describes the Offshore Risk Perception Questionnaire developed to collect the data and reports on UK offshore workers' perceptions of the risks associated with major and minor hazards, work tasks and other activities aboard production platforms.     

Determination of human error probabilities for offshore platform musters

The focus of this work is on prediction of human error probabilities during the process of emergency musters on offshore oil and gas production platforms. Due to a lack of human error databases, and in particular human error data for offshore platform musters, an expert judgment technique, the Success Likelihood Index Methodology (SLIM), was adopted as a vehicle to predict human error probabilities. Three muster scenarios of varying severity (man overboard, gas release, and fire and explosion) were studied in detail. A panel of 24 judges active in the offshore oil and gas industry provided data for both the weighting and rating of six performance shaping factors. These data were subsequently processed by means of SLIM to calculate the probability of success for 18 muster actions ranging from point of muster initiator to the final actions in the temporary safe refuge (TSR). The six performance shaping factors considered in this work were stress, complexity, training, experience, event factors and atmospheric factors.     

Accident investigation in the Norwegian petroleum industry - Common features and future challenges

In their regulations, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) states that the companies responsible for oil and gas exploration and production activities in Norway shall record and investigate accidents and serious incidents. This paper introduces a general model for the accident investigation process in the Norwegian petroleum industry, and presents some results derived from a comparative study of causal factors identified in offshore accident investigation reports from 2002 to 2006. The paper also offers a discussion of the improvement potential in the use of investigation methods. Finally, a discussion of future challenges in accident investigations is provided.     

工业管道压力试验应注意的安全问题

按有关规定,我国压力管道分为长输管道、工业管道和公用管道,工业管道是指工业企业所属的用于运输工艺介质的工艺管道、公用工程管道和其他辅助管道,即工业企业内运行的压力管道均为工业管道.主要介绍了我国工业企业内工业管道相关运行维护管理与检验现状,重点强调工业管道运行中安全性能,及对工业安全性能确定所进行的压力试验的相关要求,为企业内部如何防止工业管道事故发生,实现安全生产提供有益的探索.     

障碍物排列方式对海洋平台蒸气云爆炸的影响

为了了解障碍物排列方式对海洋平台蒸气云爆炸的影响,基于CFD方法建立蒸气云爆炸计算模型,选用国外MERGE项目的系列爆炸实验进行模型验证,提出用于衡量障碍物排列不均匀度的量化参数,针对海洋平台典型结构形式,分析障碍物排列方式对爆炸强度的影响。研究结果表明:蒸气云爆炸后果对于结构排列方式比较敏感,结构障碍物间隔均匀排列的形式造成的爆炸冲击作用最大;在爆炸发展初期阶段,障碍物阻塞程度对超压产生和发展影响更加显著。最后,基于研究结果,给出在海洋平台油气泄漏危险区将管线沿甲板非均匀排列布置等防控建议,为海洋平台蒸气云爆炸安全防控提供理论指导。     

Quantitative risk analysis of fire and explosion on the top-side LNG-liquefaction process of LNG-FPSO

Since the massive use and production of fuel oil and natural gas, the excavating locations of buried energy-carrying material are moving further away from onshore, eventually requiring floating production systems like floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO). Among those platforms, LNG-FPSO will play a leading role to satisfy the global demands for the natural gas in near future; the LNG-FPSO system is designed to deal with all the LNG processing activities, near the gas field. However, even a single disaster on an offshore plant would put the whole business into danger. In this research, the risk of fire and explosion in the LNG-FPSO is assessed by quantitative risk analysis, including frequency and consequence analyses, focusing on the LNG liquefaction process (DMR cycle). The consequence analysis is modeled by using a popular analysis tool PHAST. To assess the risk of this system, 5 release model scenarios are set for the LNG and refrigerant leakages from valves, selected as the most probable scenarios causing fire and explosion. From the results, it is found that the introduction of additional protection methods to reduce the effect of fire and explosion under ALARP criteria is not required, and two cases of the selection of independent protection layers are recommended to meet the SIL level of failure rate for safer design and operation in the offshore environment.     

基于动态风险平衡的海洋平台事故连锁风险研究

针对海洋平台事故风险特点,提出动态风险平衡概念,以此建立事故动力模型,并将该模型运用到墨西哥湾"深水地平线"井喷事故。动态风险平衡表征事故动力与事故阻力之间的动态平衡状态,具有动态性和暂时稳定性。事故动力模型以海洋平台可能发生的重大事故为研究对象,从工艺、技术和管理等角度分析事故可能致因和事故发展可能影响因素。该模型首先分析对象的初始事故动力,建立事故连锁风险图,然后计算初始动力发生情况下,传递动力和传递阻力的概率分布,最后提出相应风险控制措施。实例分析表明,基于动态风险平衡建立的事故动力模型能有效分析海洋平台事故连锁风险。     

Shift schedules on North Sea oil/gas installations: A systematic review of their impact on performance,safety and health

Continuous production processes on North Sea installations necessitate extended work schedules; 2-week offshore tours (alternating with shore breaks), 12 h shifts and rapid day/night shift changes are inherent features of offshore work. These intensive rosters, worked in a demanding physical and psychosocial environment, are potential sources of fatigue and impaired performance among offshore personnel. This article focuses on offshore working time arrangements, and presents a systematic review of studies which examine offshore day/night shift patterns in relation to operational safety and individual health risks. Of the 53 studies retrieved, 24 met the review criteria.Field study findings are generally consistent in showing that sleep, alertness and performance are relatively stable across day-shift tours; initial night shifts are adversely affected by circadian disruption, but full physiological and psychological adaptation occurs within 5–6 days; re-adaptation to day shifts is slower, and varies widely across individuals; the offshore environment is conducive to night-shift adaptation, but interventions to facilitate re-adaptation have proved only modestly effective. Analyses of survey data and accident/sickness records identify offshore night work as a risk factor for impaired sleep, health problems, and injuries, but little is known about the long-term health effects of different offshore shift rotations.In conclusion, research methodology and findings, and working time issues of current concern to the offshore oil/gas industry, are discussed. Aspects of offshore work schedules that have been not been widely studied (e.g. overtime, irregular work patterns) are also highlighted, and research areas that would merit further attention are noted.