Reliability and (Re)Assessment of Fixed Steel Structures

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Efthymiou ◽  
Jan Willem van de Graaf
Keyword(s):  
Structural Reliability ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Steel Structures ◽  
Performance Standards ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Design Standards ◽  
Component Strength ◽  
Post Buckling ◽  
Exposure Levels ◽  
Joint Occurrence

This paper reviews the structural integrity and reliability of fixed steel offshore structures with a focus on improved models and incorporation of these models in design standards. Technical achievements in four key areas are reviewed which, when combined, resulted in a step improvement in the calculation of structural reliability. The first area is the extreme environmental loading on an offshore platform; the second area is the joint occurrence of waves, winds and currents, i.e. accounting for the fact that these do not, in general, peak at the same time and do not act in the same direction. The third area is the estimation of the ultimate strength of a fixed steel platform, accounting for component strength, including the buckling and post-buckling behaviour and the uncertainty in system strength. The fourth and final area is the integration of the above models to estimate the probability of failure. The historical performance of platforms and the improvements in successive editions of API RP 2A are reviewed; reliability targets appropriate for different exposure levels and corresponding performance standards are developed, aimed at harmonizing design practices worldwide. A differentiation is recommended between permanently manned L-1 installations and manned-evacuated L-1 installations in the Gulf of Mexico; this is because the consequences of failure are considerably different.

scholarly journals Integrity Management of Marine Structures; With Emphasis on Design for Structural Robustness

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torgeir Moan
Keyword(s):  
Structural Damage ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Design Standards ◽  
Limit States ◽  
Fabrication Errors ◽  
Integrity Management ◽  
Operational Errors ◽  
And Control

Based on relevant accident experiences with oil and gas platforms, a brief overview of structural integrity management of offshore structures is given; including an account of adequate design criteria, inspection, repair and maintenance as well as quality assurance and control of the engineering processes. The focus is on developing research based design standards for Accidental Collapse Limit States to ensure robustness or damage tolerance in view damage caused by accidental loads due to operational errors and to some extent abnormal structural damage due to fabrication errors. Moreover, it is suggested to provide robustness in cases where the structural performance is sensitive to uncertain parameters. The use of risk assessment to aid decisions in lieu of uncertainties affecting the performance of novel and existing offshore structures, is briefly addressed.

scholarly journals Development of Risk-Reliability Based Underwater Inspection for Fixed Offshore Platforms in Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
pp. 05002
Author(s):  
Ricky L. Tawekal ◽  
Faisal D. Purnawarman ◽  
Yati Muliati
Keyword(s):  
Structural Reliability ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Damage Mechanism ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Probability Of Failure ◽  
American Petroleum Institute ◽  
Offshore Platform ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Offshore Platforms ◽  
Fixed Offshore Platform

In RBUI method, platform with higher risk level will need inspection done more intensively than those with lower risk level. However, the probability of failure (PoF) evaluation in RBUI method is usually carried out in semi quantitative way by comparing failure parameters associated with the same damage mechanism between a group of platforms located in the same area. Therefore, RBUI will not be effective for platforms spread in distant areas where failure parameter associated with the same damage mechanism may not be the same. The existing standard, American Petroleum Institute, Recommended Practice for Structural Integrity Management of Fixed Offshore Structures (API RP-2SIM), is limited on the general instructions in determining the risk value of a platform, yet it does not provide a detail instruction on how determining the Probability of Failure (PoF) of platform. In this paper, the PoF is determined quantitatively by calculating structural reliability index based on structural collapse failure mode, thus the method in determining the inspection schedule is called Risk-Reliability Based Underwater Inspection (RReBUI). Models of 3-legs jacket fixed offshore platform in Java Sea and 4-legs jacket fixed offshore platform in Natuna Sea are used to study the implementation of RReBUI.

The Fracture Resistance Approach in Order to Prevent Brittle Failure of Offshore Structures Under Arctic Environments

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Marie Horn ◽  
Erling Østby ◽  
Per Olav Moslet ◽  
Mons Hauge
Keyword(s):  
Brittle Failure ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Steel Structures ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Overall Design ◽  
Offshore Industry

This paper is concerned with the challenges related to steel design under Arctic conditions where both loading and temperature have been discussed in relation to material requirements. Today there is a lack of rules and standards for selecting steel materials for bulk engineering for a lower design temperature than −10°C (NORSOK N-004 [1] allows down to −14°C). Both ISO 19902 Steel Structures [2] and NORSOK N-004 Design of steel structures make reference to EN10225 “Weldable structural steels for fixed offshore structures technical delivery conditions [5]” where steel materials are Charpy tested at a lowest test temperature of −40°C and proven for a design of −10°C. Hence, one major challenge for designers are to specify adequate toughness requirements at an early stage of the design process for low temperature applications. Both NORSOK N-004[1] and ISO 19902[2] provide requirements to load combinations that need to be fulfilled, however the relationship between various load types and temperature is not mentioned in any of these standards. Thus, in the design stage the material needs to demonstrate adequate toughness where loading and temperature are treated independently. For the offshore industry, the main question is the balance between materials requirements and cost-effective solutions, and how to address this within an overall design perspective in order to avoid brittle failure. This paper discusses some of these challenges with the aim of starting a focused process leading up to a clear interpretation of the implications of overall design philosophies, necessary in order to define consistent materials requirements ensuring that brittle fracture is not going to represent a significant threat to the structural integrity. The material recommendations provided in the paper are based on the latest research results from the Arctic Materials project (2008–2017) managed by SINTEF and supported by the industry.

Extreme Storm Wave Histories for Cyclic Check of Offshore Structures

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
O̸istein Hagen ◽  
Gunnar Solland ◽  
Jan Mathisen
Keyword(s):  
Structural Reliability ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Load History ◽  
Load Effect ◽  
Design Point ◽  
Design Storm ◽  
Existing Structures ◽  
Load Effects

Offshore platform resistance to cyclic storm actions is addressed. In order to achieve the best economy of the structure especially when assessing existing structures, the ultimate capacity of the structure is utilized. This means that parts of the structure may be loaded into the non-linear range and consequently the load-carrying resistance of the structure against future load cycles may be reduced. In such cases it is required to carry out a check of the cyclic capacity of the structure. Such checks are required in the ISO 19902 code for Fixed Steel Offshore Structures. The paper presents a proposal for how a load history for cyclic checks can be established. The method is in line with what is included in the NORSOK N-006 standard on “Assessment of structural integrity for existing load-bearing structures”. The load-history for the waves in the design storm may be expressed as ratio of the dimensioning wave. The ratio will be different for check of failure modes where the entire storm will be relevant such as crack growth, compared to failure modes like buckling where only the remaining waves after the dimensioning wave need to be accounted for. Using simple order statistics and simulation, the statistics for the ith (Hi), i = 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. highest wave in the storm is studied in some detail, assuming that the maximum wave (H1) is equal to an extreme wave obtained by a code requirement. Environmental contours for the pair (H1,H2) are established by Inverse FORM for design conditions. Further, the long term statistics for load effects that are expressed as a function of H1, .., H4, i.e. L = f(H1, .., H4), are determined. The R-year value LR for the load effect L is determined by structural reliability techniques, and the most probable combination (design point) (H1*, .., H4*) for L = LR is determined. The design point values Hi*, as well as the design point value for the significant wave height, are determined for different load effects, and their characteristics for different types of load effects are discussed. The paper gives advice also on how to establish the magnitude for the remaining waves in the storm.

Verification of the material resistance factors in the CSA-S474 code for offshore concrete structures

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 660-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maher A. Nessim ◽  
Han Ping Hong ◽  
James G. MacGregor
Keyword(s):  
Structural Reliability ◽  
Concrete Strength ◽  
Concrete Structures ◽  
Steel Structures ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Class I ◽  
Test Cases ◽  
Resistance Factors ◽  
Using Data

The Canadian Standards Association has developed a national code for the design, construction and installation of fixed offshore structures. This code was developed on the basis of probabilistic principles. It consists of five parts (CAN/CSA-S471 to S475), dealing with general loading and design requirements, foundations, steel structures, concrete structures, and sea operations. The material resistance factors cited in the part on concrete structures (S474-M1989) were verified using data typical of offshore structures for a set of representative design cases. The test cases were based on reinforced concrete ice resisting walls with configurations typical of those contemplated for offshore structures in Canada. They covered rare and frequent ice loading for safety classes I and II under flexure, combined flexure and axial force, and shear. The test cases were designed according to the CSA and DnV code provisions, and the reliabilities associated with the resulting members were calculated and assessed. The results indicate that the reliabilities achieved by designing to the CSA standard for safety class I sections are greater than those obtained by designing to DnV rules for all cases considered. Designs carried out according to CSA-S474 meet the target reliabilities implied by CSA-S471 for values of the coefficient of variation of the in situ concrete strength of up to 12% and are, in many cases, very conservative. Sensitivity analysis of safety class I members suggests that the material resistance factors can be increased. Issues that need to be addressed in order to justify an increase in the factors include the acquisition of more data on in situ concrete strength and a more comprehensive consideration of the design conditions covered by the code. The overall consistency of the reliability levels associated with the CSA code can be improved by simultaneous verification of the material factors in CSA-S474 and the load criteria and factors in CSA-S471. Key words: concrete structures, offshore structures, code verification, structural reliability, in situ concrete strength.

Development of Key Performance Indicators for Offshore Structural Integrity

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. V. Sharp ◽  
G. Ersdal ◽  
D. Galbraith
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Performance Standards ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Life Extension ◽  
Offshore Installations ◽  
Incident Rate ◽  
Safety Systems ◽  
Incident Rates

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are widely used to assess performance against targets, whether these be technical, environmental or financial. Offshore KPIs are used by both duty holders and regulators to assess the reliability of equipment and systems, often they relate to safety systems and the regulator’s interest relates to such systems. The most obvious KPIs include number of fatalities, fatal accident rate, lost time injury frequency and total recordable incident rate, as well as hydrocarbon release incident rates associated with maintaining safety. Many of the “non-headline” KPIs relate to systems that could be critical in the event of an accident and these are of great importance. However KPIs have not yet been developed for the performance of the offshore structural system. Performance standards are a requirement of current UK offshore legislation, although these again are more normally associated with fire and explosion. Since many offshore installations are now in the ageing phase performance measures are increasingly important. This paper described the background to developing KPIs for offshore structures, relating to aspects which are important for both safety and asset integrity. This has been achieved based on a hazard approach, which includes extreme weather, fatigue, corrosion and accidental damage. KPI’s need to be measurable and this aspect has been incorporated in their development. It is proposed that these KPIs will have significant use in providing a basis for measuring structural performance, particularly for ageing installations where a case for life extension needs to be made.

A Novel Approach to Improving the Structural Reliability of a Fixed Offshore Platform Subject to Wave-in-Deck Loading Using a Holistic Structural Integrity Management (SIM) TRIAD Approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Kimiaei ◽  
Jalal Mirzadeh ◽  
Partha Dev ◽  
Mike Efthymiou ◽  
Riaz Khan
Keyword(s):  
Structural Reliability ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Reliability Assessment ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Offshore Platform ◽  
Offshore Platforms ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Integrity Management ◽  
Fixed Offshore Platform

Abstract Fixed offshore platforms subject to wave-in-deck loading have historically encountered challenges in meeting target reliability levels. This has often resulted in costly subsea remediation, impacted platform occupancy levels or premature decommissioning of critical structural assets due to safety concerns. This paper addresses the long-standing industry challenge by presenting a novel structural reliability approach that involves converging the analytical behavior of a structure to its measured dynamic response for assessment. In this approach, called the Structural Integrity Management (SIM) TRIAD method, the platform model is calibrated based on the measured in-field platform natural frequencies using a structural health monitoring (SHM) system, so that the reliability assessment can be performed on a structural model whose stiffness is simulated as close to reality as possible. The methodology demonstrates the potential of unlocking structural capacity of offshore structures by removing conservatism normally associated with traditional reliability assessment methods, thus significantly improving the ability to achieve target structural reliability levels in a cost effective manner. The SIM TRIAD method has been implemented while assessing an existing fixed offshore platform subject to wave-in-deck loads, which is located in East Malaysian waters. It has enabled the facility operator to achieve acceptable target structural reliability and has assisted in developing an optimized risk-based inspection (RBI) plan for ensuring safe operations to end of asset field life. The methodology and findings of the assessment are presented in this paper to illustrate the benefits of the SIM TRIAD method.

scholarly journals Bayesian maintenance decision optimisation based on computing the information value from condition inspections

2021 ◽  
pp. 1748006X2097812
Author(s):  
Guang Zou ◽  
Kian Banisoleiman ◽  
Arturo González
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Fatigue Cracking ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Information Value ◽  
Bayesian Decision ◽  
Maintenance Strategies ◽  
Optimal Maintenance ◽  
Maintenance Decision

A challenge in marine and offshore engineering is structural integrity management (SIM) of assets such as ships, offshore structures, mooring systems, etc. Due to harsh marine environments, fatigue cracking and corrosion present persistent threats to structural integrity. SIM for such assets is complicated because of a very large number of rewelded plates and joints, for which condition inspections and maintenance are difficult and expensive tasks. Marine SIM needs to take into account uncertainty in material properties, loading characteristics, fatigue models, detection capacities of inspection methods, etc. Optimising inspection and maintenance strategies under uncertainty is therefore vital for effective SIM and cost reductions. This paper proposes a value of information (VoI) computation and Bayesian decision optimisation (BDO) approach to optimal maintenance planning of typical fatigue-prone structural systems under uncertainty. It is shown that the approach can yield optimal maintenance strategies reliably in various maintenance decision making problems or contexts, which are characterized by different cost ratios. It is also shown that there are decision making contexts where inspection information doesn’t add value, and condition based maintenance (CBM) is not cost-effective. The CBM strategy is optimal only in the decision making contexts where VoI > 0. The proposed approach overcomes the limitation of CBM strategy and highlights the importance of VoI computation (to confirm VoI > 0) before adopting inspections and CBM.

Causes of Structural Failures with Steel Structures

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goran Alpsten
Keyword(s):  
Structural Damage ◽  
Human Error ◽  
Structural Reliability ◽  
Steel Structures ◽  
Fatigue Loading ◽  
Structural Instability ◽  
Human Errors ◽  
Collapse Mode ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Structural Failures

This paper is based on the experience from investigating over 400 structural collapses, incidents and serious structural damage cases with steel structures which have occurred over the past four centuries. The cause of the failures is most often a gross human error rather than a combination of “normal” variations in parameters affecting the load-carrying capacity, as considered in normal design procedures and structural reliability analyses. Human errors in execution are more prevalent as cause for the failures than errors in the design process, and the construction phase appears particularly prone to human errors. For normal steel structures with quasi-static (non-fatigue) loading, various structural instability phenomena have been observed to be the main collapse mode. An important observation is that welds are not as critical a cause of structural steel failures for statically loaded steel structures as implicitly understood in current regulations and rules for design and execution criteria.

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