SPAR Ultra-Deepwater Petroleum Platforms Virtual Reality Simulation System

Gerson Gomes Cunha(1) : gerson@lamce.ufrj.br Luis Augusto Petrus Levy(2) : levy@cenpes.petrobras.com.br Maria Clia Santos Lopes(1) : celia@ntt.ufrj.br Luiz Landau(1) : landau@lamce.ufrj.br Nelson Francisco Favilla Ebecken(1) : nelson@ntt.ufrj.br
(1)

Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro UFRJ/COPPE/PEC/LAMCE P.O.BOX 68552, CEP 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ-Brazil Phone +55 21 2562-8413 Fax +55 21 2562-8414 (2) Petrobras Research Center, Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. PETROBRAS/CENPES/DIPREX/SEDEM Rio de Janeiro RJ

Extended Abstract
This paper presents a new system for offshore floating petroleum platforms design and simulation using virtual reality technology. Environmental conditions and visual effects was introduced together the analysis results to build a realist experience. The system integrates the capabilities of two large scale design systems PROSIM and ANFLEX. PROSIM is simulation system for design and evaluation of floating structures under wave, wind and current effect and ANFLEX a system to analysis and design of anchor cables and risers (flexible ducts). This systems widely used on design of ultra-deep (2000 to 3000m) water production systems in Brazil was developed in collaboration with PETROBRAS Research Center. Now associated with SPAR, real-time immersive system, technicians have an improved tool for design and simulation. The SPAR system is not only a post-processing module for PROSIM and ANFLEX, besides this, the system includes realistic visual effects and environmental conditions representation to enhance the visual perception and phenomenon understanding. The conception of SPAR system is based in that project considerations of petroleum floating systems is relative to storm conditions. Then we need to introduces several effects to simulated that atmospheric conditions. This paper presents a system that not only represent that storm conditions but several atmospheric and daytime conditions. It will be presented the system characteristics of PROSIM and ANFLEX systems and the features of SPAR virtual reality system. The elements of the SPAR virtual environment was separated in two main groups, Geometric and Environmental. The Geometrical group includes not only the platform but anchor lines, risers (flexible ducts), Christmas-Tree and Manifolds (underwater equipment), the real sea bottom (terrain) and the analysis waves definition. The Environmental group includes several atmospheric elements like water, sky, clouds, fog, sprays, lens flare, rain and lightning (thunder) and complementary models. While Geometrical group is controlled by the analysis results and the user adjust the parameters of animation (scale factor and velocity) the Environment group can be adjusted by the user to represent any atmospheric condition. Sky representation includes color casting linked to daytime and sun position. Sun representation is linked to daytime and latitude. Cloud representation includes coverage percentage, transparency and have movement linked to wind direction and intensity. The Water representation includes a set of textures that

represent different sea conditions with movement linked to wind direction and intensity. Fog and haze representation include variable density and color linked with sky color casting and daytime. Some other effects include in the system are lens flare, rain, lightning and thunder, the wake around the structure, underwater volumetric light and complementary elements like fishes, dolphins, whales and sharks. To enhance the experience even more, sounds for waves (several conditions), thunder, and platform machinery was added. The user can move freely in the three-dimensional virtual environment flying over the sea, diving underwater, walking in the platform deck or perform a guided tour through a list of recorded viewpoints. Scalability allows system to perform the simulation at the same frame rate on systems from desktop workstation to high-end computers. The system is stereoscopic enabled and can be used with Head Mounted Displays (HMD) or CAVE systems and has building for IRIX and MS Windows operational systems. It will be presented a real case usage of the system in the project of new floating platform with wave, wind and terrain data of the Campos Basin (Brazilian biggest reservoir). The real-time simulation of floating systems are not new, but until today only the scientific aspects was considered besides visual appeal. The association of artistic elements only used on movies and games are introduced in real engineering simulations creating a new way to everyone understand and interact with this scientific data.