A risk analysis was carried out to evaluate the crew risk on board one large integrated drilling, production and quarter's platform compared to other platform arrangements. General techniques were established on the basis of which practical high level safety analyses may be completed within relatively short time and low cost. The paper describes the analysis carried out with main emphasize on the general philosophy and techniques applied.
Living quarters shall be situated so that they are securely separated from dangerous areas and lf necessary they shall be located an a separate platform.
Royal Decree 06 July, 1976 relating to Safe Practice for the Production etc. of Submarine Petroleum Resources an the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
Is it possible to arrange an integrated drilling and production platform with associated quarters with the same degree of crew safety as may be obtained by a separate quarters platform? This question was asked Det norske Veritas by Norwegian Contractors, which is planning a number of integrated platforms of Condeep design in the North Sea.
To answer this question DnV found it necessary to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the different hazards jeopardizing the crew.
Consequence analyses may be carried out at different levels depending on their purpose. In principle the analyses may be at three levels as summarized as follows:
General arrangement of platforms to develop an offshore field.
General arrangement of the individual platforms.
Arrangement of the facilities in the individual main areas of a platform
The present study concentrated on
overall platform safety
location on the living quarters
main escape ways, on the platform to the living quarters and away from the platform
Basically this is a level 1 analysis. But it cannot be carried out without supplementary studies on level 2.
The analysis was restricted to crew safety in the operational phase of the platform. Safety of the environment in terms of oil spillage was not considered. Nor were economic losses, construction feasibility and cost/towing operation and stability and rational platform operation considered.
A consequence analysis should be:
Complete,
All relevant hazards, their consequences and the associated protective measures for all relevant areas should be considered. To avoid over looking significant items tables and matrixes have been applied whenever possible. When the table is completed no items has been forgotten
Systematic.
There should be a clear logical line from the boundary conditions i.e. main operations, associated hazards, possible protections etc. to the conclusions. An analysis consisting of on the one hand some aspects of the hazards and on the other hand a disconnected assembly of conclusions cannot be accepted.
