NATIONAL PROGRAM ON TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING (NPTEL) IIT MADRAS

Offshore structures under special environmental loads including fire-resistance

Tutorial-2- Key
Part-A
1. both a and b
2. Isolate the deck
3. TLP and SPAR
4. Rotation compliancy
5. Heave restrained and taut moored
6. Symmetrically
7. One-third of the highest wave
8. Cracking, crushing, creep, buckling and spalling
9. 5
10. Mean wind component and fluctuating gust component
Part-B

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1. Triceratops is a new-generation offshore platform where ball joints isolate the deck
from the buoyant legs, which support the deck. Buoyant legs are in taut-moored to the

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seabed using tendons. Ball joints present between the deck and buoyant legs help isolate
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the deck from buoyant legs, making it less sensitive to encountered environmental
loads. Offshore triceratops consists of a deck, which is supported by three buoyant legs.
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The deck is connected to buoyant legs through ball joints that allow the transfer of
translation but restrain rotation between them. Under the encountered environmental
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loads, deck experiences reduced translational and rotation motion in comparison with
that of the buoyant legs. Ball joints provide rotational compliance to buoyant legs,
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conforming to the horizontal position of the deck even under rough weather conditions.
Ball joints transfer translational motion from buoyant legs to the deck under the wave
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action and vice versa under the wind action. They do not transfer moments about any
axis.
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2. Microscale variations are so rapid and give rise to the dynamic effects on the platform.
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These are due to the degree of uncertainties present in estimating these loads that
encounter offshore platforms. Macro-scale variations are those who do not affect the
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platform response directly (for example, average wind velocity, tidal current, PGA of
earthquake motion etc.). Micro-scale variations are so rapidly such that they make a
significant influence on the response behavior of the platform. They give rise to
dynamic effects.

3. Wind loads are based on the following assumptions

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NATIONAL PROGRAM ON TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING (NPTEL) IIT MADRAS
Offshore structures under special environmental loads including fire-resistance
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Pw = 2 𝜌aCwV2

A finite combination of regular waves can represent Wind-generated sea surface waves.
Wave forces are generated based on horizontal and vertical water particle velocities,
and accelerations Airy’s wave theory is quite popular, which assumes linearity between
the kinematic quantities and wave height

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Waves can be classified as deep water, shallow water, and intermediate water based
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on the relation between water depth and wavelength.
• Deepwater: d > k/2, phase speed is independent of water depth.
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• Intermediate water: k/20 < d < k/2, phase speed will be influenced by both water
depth and period.
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• Shallow water: d < k/20, phase speed depends only on water depth.
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When current is present in water, current velocity is added vectorially to the horizontal
water particle velocity before computing the drag force. The current increases slowly
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with an increase in depth. While opposing current will increase the force on the
member, current in the same direction will decrease the force. The presence of current
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is alternatively accounted for by increasing the wave height to 10–15% and all other
effects are ignored.
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4. The propagation of the wave and the type of fire depend upon the layout of the critical
elements or members that need to be protected against fire. The potential risks in the
offshore platforms include:
 Blowout.
 Riser and process leak.
 Fire and explosion.
 Vessel collision.
 Helicopter accidents.
 Dropped objects.
Level of risk is also higher due to the following reasons:
(i) Facilities, equipment, and process design are unique, and hence, protection becomes
mandatory
(ii) Retrofitting the damaged platform is very expensive.
(iii) Offshore platforms operate in a remote and harsh environment.
(iv) Offshore facilities do not have any auxiliary support of firefighting on

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NATIONAL PROGRAM ON TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING (NPTEL) IIT MADRAS
Offshore structures under special environmental loads including fire-resistance

demand.

Fire is triggered when leakage or spill of flammable mixture occurs in the presence of
a potential ignition source. Fire can be classified as follows:
(i) Pool fire.
(ii) Jet fire.
(iii) Fireball.
(iv) Flashfire.

Pool fire is the turbulent diffusion fire, which burns above the pool of vaporizing
hydrocarbon. The probability of the occurrence of pool fire in the offshore platform is
very high due to the continuous handling of hydrocarbons. It occurs from the rupture
of pipelines

Jet fire is the turbulent diffusion of the flame resulting from the combustion of fuel and
release continuously. It has a significant momentum to propagate in a particular

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direction, especially in the downwind direction. It can affect the offshore installation,
even located far away from the potential source of the fire.

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Fireball is the rapid, turbulent combustion of fuel. Usually, it is in the form of rising
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and expanding a radiant ball of fire when a fireball attacks a vessel/tank containing
pressure-liquefied gas, the pressure inside the vessel increases leading to the
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catastrophic failure of the vessel and loss of the complete inventory in the vessel.
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Flashfire is the transient fire resulting from the ignition of the gas or vapor cloud. It
initially forms a vapor cloud expanding radial, and then the cloud explodes. It is more
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catastrophic and causes damage to a large area. Fireball can remain as a continuous
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flame either by sudden ignition or by delayed ignition.

5. Steel jacket-type fixed platforms consist of a tower that supports the superstructure. A
tower is of truss configuration, whose transparency to waves enables it to reduce the
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encountered loads. GBS resist lateral loads using their self-weight, as the colossal
weight is very high. These platforms are not attached to the seabed through piles but
rest on their weight, hence the name gravity base. They are suitable for a medium water
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depth of up to 350 m. Concrete gravity-based structures are constructed with the base
as a reinforced concrete structure. The design of the base includes plenty of void spaces,
termed as caissons, which initiate natural buoyancy to the geometry. A TLP in its static
position will remain in equilibrium. Any excess buoyancy will be accounted for by
initial pretension in the tethers. Under the equilibrium condition, the platform remains
vertical and the tethers will always be in tension. Under the action of lateral forces
caused by waves or wind (on the superstructure), the platform is displaced along the X-
or Y-axis. It will induce the vertical displacement in the heave direction, indicating that
there is a strong coupling between surge/sway and heave degrees of freedom. Set down
will cause a change in the waterplane area, which in turn affects buoyancy forces.
Additional tension will now be imposed on the tethers. The horizontal component of
the tethers induces a restoring force, whereas the vertical component improves stability.