Cost-Effective Design Criteria for Australian Monopod Platforms

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney Pinna ◽  
Beverley F. Ronalds ◽  
Mark A. Andrich

Assessments of structural reliability under storm overload have been performed on various monopod configurations located on Australia’s North West Shelf (NWS). The results have shown that these monopods have lower reliabilities than typical platforms in other petroleum provinces, due to a number of factors. In itself, this may not be a concern, as it may be argued that minimum facilities platforms have relatively low consequences of failure. Reasons for this could center around these monopods being satellites with small production throughput, having short service lives, being not-normally-manned, and having environmental protection features which minimize the possibility of a hydrocarbon spill resulting from a structural failure. A suitable target probability of failure for monopod platforms may be computed using a cost-benefit approach, where the total platform cost, including the cost of failure, is minimized. This analysis is developed for four distinct monopod configurations involving single pile, pile cluster and outrigger foundations in water depths ranging between 9-52m LAT. The relationship between platform CAPEX and probability of failure is derived from first principles for cases of appurtenances located within and external to the main caisson.

Author(s):  
Beverley F. Ronalds ◽  
Rodney Pinna ◽  
Geoffrey K. Cole

With their simplicity and light structural weight, minimum platforms are a popular solution — even though they may not have the same robustness levels as conventional jackets to withstand extreme or accidental events. These competing attributes are investigated by comparing the cost and structural reliability characteristics of five structures designed using API RP2A. The braced monopod and tripod structures have considerably lower ultimate strengths and residual strengths, and damage scenarios play a much greater role in the overall probability of failure, than for the four-legged jacket. In determining the relative economic merits of the different configurations, the magnitude of the potential consequences of failure becomes an important parameter. Bands of conditional costs of failure for which each structure is the most cost-effective option are derived, with the sturdy monopods and tripod shown to be the optimal solutions for moderate consequence levels.


Author(s):  
James F. Mancuso

IBM PC compatible computers are widely used in microscopy for applications ranging from control to image acquisition and analysis. The choice of IBM-PC based systems over competing computer platforms can be based on technical merit alone or on a number of factors relating to economics, availability of peripherals, management dictum, or simple personal preference.IBM-PC got a strong “head start” by first dominating clerical, document processing and financial applications. The use of these computers spilled into the laboratory where the DOS based IBM-PC replaced mini-computers. Compared to minicomputer, the PC provided a more for cost-effective platform for applications in numerical analysis, engineering and design, instrument control, image acquisition and image processing. In addition, the sitewide use of a common PC platform could reduce the cost of training and support services relative to cases where many different computer platforms were used. This could be especially true for the microscopists who must use computers in both the laboratory and the office.


2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G Koch

Current estimates of obesity costs ignore the impact of future weight loss and gain, and may either over or underestimate economic consequences of weight loss. In light of this, I construct static and dynamic measures of medical costs associated with body mass index (BMI), to be balanced against the cost of one-time interventions. This study finds that ignoring the implications of weight loss and gain over time overstates the medical-cost savings of such interventions by an order of magnitude. When the relationship between spending and age is allowed to vary, weight-loss attempts appear to be cost-effective starting and ending with middle age. Some interventions recently proven to decrease weight may also be cost-effective.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 596
Author(s):  
Murugan Ramasamy ◽  
Mohammed Abdul Hannan ◽  
Yaseen Adnan Ahmed ◽  
Arun Kr Dev

Offshore vessels (OVs) often require precise station-keeping and some vessels, for example, vessels involved in geotechnical drilling, generally use Spread Mooring (SM) or Dynamic Positioning (DP) systems. Most of these vessels are equipped with both systems to cover all ranges of water depths. However, determining which system to use for a particular operational scenario depends on many factors and requires significant balancing in terms of cost-benefit. Therefore, this research aims to develop a platform that will determine the cost factors for both the SM and DP station-keeping systems. Operational information and cost data are collected for several field operations, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are trained using those data samples. After that, the trained ANN is used to predict the components of cost for any given environmental situation, fieldwork duration and water depth. Later, the total cost is investigated against water depth for both DP and SM systems to determine the most cost-effective option. The results are validated using two operational scenarios for a specific geotechnical vessel. This decision-making algorithm can be further developed by adding up more operational data for various vessels and can be applied in the development of sustainable decision-making business models for OVs operators.


1993 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 41-44

The relationship between drug costs and treatment choices was the subject of the first annual Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin symposium held in March 1993.* In a time of severe financial constraints for the NHS it is important that the money available is well spent. In the case of treatment that means the benefits must be worth the cost. There is, however, no agreed way of deciding when a particular health benefit to an individual is worth the cost to the NHS. Drug prices are easier to measure and more consistent than the prices of other treatments, and may be more amenable to cost-benefit analysis. Treatment choices are made primarily by doctors but with critical input from patients, pharmacists, nurses and health service managers. In this article we give an overview of the symposium at which speakers described ways in which drug costs and treatment choices were tackled in general practice (Ann McPherson, John Howie), in hospital (Dorothy Anderson), in clinical research and audit (Iain Chalmers, Alison Frater), by consumers (Anna Bradley), by health economists (Mike Drummond) and by government (Joe Collier). We also take into account points raised in discussion by the participants.


Author(s):  
Kit N Simpson ◽  
Michael J Fossler ◽  
Linda Wase ◽  
Mark A Demitrack

Aim: Oliceridine, a new class of μ-opioid receptor agonist, is selective for G-protein signaling (analgesia) with limited recruitment of β-arrestin (associated with adverse outcomes) and may provide a cost-effective alternative versus conventional opioid morphine for postoperative pain. Patients & methods: Using a decision tree with a 24-h time horizon, we calculated costs for medication and management of three most common adverse events (AEs; oxygen saturation <90%, vomiting and somnolence) following postoperative oliceridine or morphine use. Results: Using oliceridine, the cost for managing AEs was US$528,424 versus $852,429 for morphine, with a net cost savings of $324,005. Conclusion: Oliceridine has a favorable overall impact on the total cost of postoperative care compared with the use of the conventional opioid morphine.


2022 ◽  
pp. 150-172
Author(s):  
Carlos Raul Navarro Gonzalez ◽  
Juan Ceballos-Corral ◽  
Olivia Yessenia Vargas-Bernal ◽  
Gustavo Lopez Badilla ◽  
Judith M. Paz-Delgadillo

This investigation was made to evaluate the health and well-being of workers who made activities in the manufacturing processes of an aerospace industry installed in the city of Mexicali and based on the evidence presented in certain stages of a production line. The cost-benefit of applying ergonomic methods was analyzed, developing a descriptive model, which involved important aspects. Said aspects analyzed were (1) work methods, (2) training of employees in the operational area, (3) evaluation of times and movements of industrial operations, and (4) working conditions as the relationship of workers with supervisors and managers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1825) ◽  
pp. 20152772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric S. Abelson

Increases in relative encephalization (RE), brain size after controlling for body size, comes at a great metabolic cost and is correlated with a host of cognitive traits, from the ability to count objects to higher rates of innovation. Despite many studies examining the implications and trade-offs accompanying increased RE, the relationship between mammalian extinction risk and RE is unknown. I examine whether mammals with larger levels of RE are more or less likely to be at risk of endangerment than less-encephalized species. I find that extant species with large levels of encephalization are at greater risk of endangerment, with this effect being strongest in species with small body sizes. These results suggest that RE could be a valuable asset in estimating extinction vulnerability. Additionally, these findings suggest that the cost–benefit trade-off of RE is different in large-bodied species when compared with small-bodied species.


2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1623-1628
Author(s):  
Åsa Sivard ◽  
Tomas Ericsson ◽  
Nippe Hylander ◽  
Magnus Karlsson ◽  
Mikael Malmaeus

In an environmentally harmonized society the most cost effective measures to reduce the total effluent discharges should be taken into account. Generalised discharge values are presented for organic material and nutrients in this paper. Depending on conditions in the receiving water any of these parameters can be the determining factor for the eutrophication and oxygen demand. These parameters can be generalized into equivalent loads of TOC, nitrogen or phosphorus by recalculation according to the Redfield ratio. The cost for reduction of organic material and nutrients from a pulp and paper mill is calculated as a cost per unit pollutant (cost equivalent). This cost equivalent is compared with alternative costs, expressed in the same way, for reduction of organic material and nutrients in adjacent industries, municipal treatment plants, impact from transportation, farming, air deposits etc. In order to find where the most cost efficient measures for the society should be taken the cost equivalent for the mill is compared with the alternative measures and their equivalent costs.


Author(s):  
Marijke Keus Van De Poll ◽  
Gunnar Bergström ◽  
Irene Jensen ◽  
Lotta Nybergh ◽  
Lydia Kwak ◽  
...  

The cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of a work-directed intervention implemented by the occupational health service (OHS) for employees with common mental disorders (CMD) or stress related problems at work were investigated. The economic evaluation was conducted in a two-armed clustered RCT. Employees received either a problem-solving based intervention (PSI; n = 41) or care as usual (CAU; n = 59). Both were work-directed interventions. Data regarding sickness absence and production loss at work was gathered during a one-year follow-up. Bootstrap techniques were used to conduct a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) and a Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) from both an employer and societal perspective. Intervention costs were lower for PSI than CAU. Costs for long-term sickness absence were higher for CAU, whereas costs for short-term sickness absence and production loss at work were higher for PSI. Mainly due to these costs, PSI was not cost-effective from the employer’s perspective. However, PSI was cost-beneficial from a societal perspective. CEA showed that a one-day reduction of long-term sickness absence costed on average €101 for PSI, a cost that primarily was borne by the employer. PSI reduced the socio-economic burden compared to CAU and could be recommended to policy makers. However, reduced long-term sickness absence, i.e., increased work attendance, was accompanied by employees perceiving higher levels of production loss at work and thus increased the cost for employers. This partly explains why an effective intervention was not cost-effective from the employer’s perspective. Hence, additional adjustments and/or support at the workplace might be needed for reducing the loss of production at work.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document