FLOATING OFFSHORE

STRUCTURES
Ship-shaped:
Floating Production, Storage and
Offloading Systems

OE4652 Floating Structures

Ir. H. Boonstra

Offshore Engineering

CONTENT

Types
Design drivers
Sizes
Shapes
General Arrangement
Systems

WORLD FLEET FPSO

August 2005 data (Offshore Magazine)
99 operating units
About 50/50 leased/operator owned
15 under construction or repair/modification
1 LPG FPSOs
27 units being bid
142 altogether
3

FPSO DISTRIBUTION JULY 2005

FAMILY

Regular Tankers
SPM Terminals
FSU (floating storage unit)
FSO (floating storage & offloading unit)
FPSO
FSRU (regasification)
LNG-FPSO (liquefied natural gas)

FPSO - why
Recoverable asset
Marginal fields (North Sea)
Political stability (Nigeria)
Re-use is feasible
Lack of infrastructure (storage)
Deep water
Improve First Oil Date
Parallel engineering
Drill while you build
Anasuria
6

FPSO Layout

FALCON

255 000 dwt

GIRASSOL

DESIGN DRIVERS

Reservoir characteristics
Field life/service life
Site conditions
Subsea development lay-out
Regulatory standards & operator requirements
Well intervention needs

10

RESERVOIR
CHARACTERISTICS

Plateau production capability

Pressure, temperature, viscosity
Wax, asphaltenes
CO2 and H2S content materials, coatings
Water cut bpd throughput > bopd
Gas content (GOR) compression, gas swivel
Water or gas injection
Gas lift
11

PRODUCTION PROFILE
Usually
peaking
up front
Water cut
influence

12

SITE CONDITIONS
Sea surface : wind, waves, currents
spread mooring or weather-vaning
Waves : motions, accelerations
workability; extreme motions, stresses; fatigue
Current profile for risers vortex shedding
Water depth : risers, mooring system
Sea bed soil conditions for anchors
Air temperature
gas turbines
possibility of ice
13

SUBSEA LAY-OUT

Direct tie-backs versus manifolding

Turret diameter and number of risers
Limited passes through swivel
Swivel complexity

14

15

16

STANDARDS AND CODES

Classification Society (Lloyds, ABS, DNV, etc.)

Coastal State
Flag State
International Conventions : IMO, SOLAS, MARPOL
Detailed standards : API, ASME, ISO, ILO, etc

17

VESSEL SIZE DETERMINATION

Field production rate (bopd)

Oil specific gravity (ton/m3, degrees API)
Shuttle tanker schedule, days between offloading
Sea state persistence data
Complexity, size & weight of process plant
Gas disposal : use, export, re-inject
Availability of ships (for conversion)

18

SHUTTLE SCHEDULE
Regular or irregular
Effect of weather on mooring up / disconnecting
Mechanical breakdowns
Result : FPSO storage capacity =
bopd x shuttle interval plus a 10 - 15% reserve

19

CRITERIA FOR TRANSFER

source : UKOOA

Connect

Disconnect

Sign wave height

4.5 m

5.5-6.0 m

Max wave height

8m

9.5 m

Max wave period

15 sec

15 sec

Wind speed

35-40 knots

35-40 knots

Visibility

500-800 m
20

PERSISTENCE DATA
example : Gulf of Thailand

All year persistence of significant wave height

Threshold L arger than threshold
m
Duration
M ean (hr) M ax(hr) % of
0.5
91
1091
1
45
348
1.5
27
185
2
22
127
2.5
17
102
3
18
63
3.5
14
43
4
11
11

time
69.5
21.8
5.7
1.4
0.4
0.2
0.1
0

Smaller than threshold

Duration
M ean (hr) M ax(hr) % of
49
1541
138
2861
357
6758
1093
7751
3009
8758
4373
8782
6254
8782
7965
8782

time
30.5
78.2
94.3
98.6
99.6
99.8
99.9
100

21

DESIGN STEPS
Determine total storage tank capacity
Max. filling of tanks typically 98%
Determine dwt capacity requirement
Add estimated weight of the process plant
From comparable ships, estimate main dimensions and
lightweight or steelweight
Allow for project specifics (e.g. turret)

22

MAIN DIMENSIONS
Largely determined by deadweight capacity
Sometimes restriction of draught
In North Sea and similar : risk of green water on deck
/ slamming on bow : ship shape with high freeboard at
bow
In benign areas : barge shape (cheaper to build)
L = length between pp B = width, beam
T = draft
D = depth
23

TANKER DWT-VOLUME RATIO

Tank Capacities, 1923 ships
4,500

Abt 7.5 bbls/ton

4,000

Tank volume, thousand barrels

3,500

s.g.~ 0.84 ton/m3

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0
0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

DWT

24

FPSO DWT-VOLUME RATIO

25

STORAGE-PRODUCTION RATIO

26

RESERVES-PRODUCTION

27

MMboe

TANKER LENGTH
Length of Tankers, 1923 ships
500,00

450,00

400,00

Length between PP, m

350,00

300,00

250,00

215+ 0.00037 dwt

200,00

150,00

for 100-300 kdwt

100,00

50,00

0,00
0

100.000

200.000

300.000

400.000

500.000

600.000

DWT

28

TANKER BEAM
Beam of tankers, 1923 ships
90.00

80.00

70.00

Moulded beam

60.00

50.00

40.00

30.00

20.00

10.00

0.00
0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

D eadw eigh t tonnage

29

OIL TANKER LIGHTWEIGHT

0,2
0,15

lwt/dwt
lwt/LBD

0,1

Linear (lwt/LBD)
Linear (lwt/dwt)

0,05
0
0

100000

200000

300000

400000

Deadweight Capacity (at full draught)

30

DESIGN APPROACH

Determine the required storage capacity

Start with an educated guess of dimensions
Determine scantlings, based on Rules or first principles
Check the required storage volume, weight capacity
Include reasonable volume for water ballast
Change dimensions and start again

The lwt/dwt statistics of tankers enable a bypass of the

cumbersome determination of scantlings
31

FPSO DIMENSIONS
Always check :
displacement = gCBLBT + skin, appendices
displacement = lightweight (incl. process plant) + deadweight +
suspended items (risers, anchor lines)
deadweight = cargo weight + fuel + fluids in systems + crew +
miscellaneous
T max = D - freeboard
Minimum freeboard determined by ship rules, for large tankers
abt. 6 m
Positive GM
(GM = MB + BK GK)
32

SHAPES AND TYPES

33

TYPES
New-built or conversion
Ship-shape or barge-shape
Oil, LPG, LNG
Spread moored or weather-vaning
Internal or external turret
Midship, bow, stern position
Tandem or side-by-side offloading
Gas re-injection or sales (pipeline)

34

FPSO SHAPE

Ship Shape
In North Sea and similar
Green water on deck
Risk of slamming at bow
High freeboard at bow
Or :because of conversion

Barge shape
Benign areas
Cheaper to build

35

CONVERSION VERSUS NEW

BUILDING
Available time from decision to first oil
Cost aspects
Lifetime (fatigue considerations)
Availability of appropriate conversion tanker
size
age
history of use
New built may be ship-shape or barge-shape

36

DESIGN OF ARRANGEMENT

Spread mooring or SPM

SPM midship, internal in bow, external to bow
Side or tandem offloading
Flare tower or ground flare; position

37

DESIGN OF ARRANGEMENT
Accommodation (living quarters, LQ) : position upwind
or downwind of the process plant
Separation between LQ and flare
Heliport unrestricted access
Process plant subdivision
Thruster (at stern)

38

MOORING

Soft Yoke (Nigeria)

Spread Moored (Nigeria, risers attached

to side)

39

Internal Turret (UK)

DP (China, temporarily)

OFFLOADING
Usually within 24 hours
Sea-state limits for mooring
up and for remaining
moored
Shuttle tanker may be
purpose built or a tanker of
convenience
Side by side

Tandem

SPM

40

FPSO BRASIL

41

255 000 dwt

42

BLEO HOLM

43

GIRASSOL

44

LNG FSRU NEW BUILT

SBM design
45

LNG FSRU CONVERSION

SBM design
46

PROCESS PLANT

47

PROCESS PLANT
At elevation above tank deck
Subdivided in functional Pre-Assembled Units (PAUs),
pancakes
Multitude of interconnections
Small to large
2 000 30 000 tonnes

48

49

50

DEMOLITION OF EXISTING
DECK STRUCTURES

51

ELEVATED DECK

Typically 2.5 m above (closed) main deck

Minimizes impact of green water
Provides natural ventilation
Separates (explosions in) topsides from cargo tanks

For Northern North Sea:

Green water : elevation above still water to be taken 1822 m at bow, 10-12 m midship and stern
52

53

(FPSO) PROCESS PLANT

Separation Oil, Gas, Water

Stabilized crude oil storage
Gas handling compressors, dehydration
Water cleaning & disposal
Cooling and heating
Flare
Injection : gas, water, chemicals
Gas lift
Utilities
FIELD SPECIFIC !!
54

55

Glas Dowr CSU load-out

56

STRUCTURAL WEIGHT PROCESS FACILITIES

Depends on flat versus 3D Pre-Assembled Units (PAU)

Typically 30-40 % of total PAU weight
Self bearing structure for
Load out
Installation by heavy lift
Decoupling from ships hogging/sagging

57

ASSEMBLY

"Pancake approach" saves time (ideally)

.....but adds weight
Planning and logistics are essential
Don't wait, expedite

58

59

60

LIFTING PROVISIONS

61

TYPICAL COMPLETED TOPSIDES

62

OIL PROCESSING MODULES

Oil Separation LP

Oil Separation HP

63

GAS COMPRESSION MODULES

HP/LP Flare Knockout
Gas Treatment
Flare Stack

Gas Process
Gas Compression
64

WATER INJECTION MODULES

Water Treatment
Water Injection
65

STEAM / POWER
GENERATION

Power Generation
66

Steam Generation

FPSO SYSTEMS
Safety

Operation

Cargo Handling

Support Systems
Miscellaneous

67

SAFETY
Fire and Gas
Emergency shut down
Deluge
Safe Haven / Temporary Refuge
Emergency lighting
Access and escape
Life boats, life rafts, helicopter
Seabed safety valve
68

FIRE FIGHTING

Pressurized fire mains throughout ship

Deluge system in specific areas
Sprinkler system in accommodation
CO2 or other system in ship engine room
Foam system on helideck
Main fire pumps + jockey pump
Diesel driven emergency fire pump
Fire & Gas detection system, monitored in CCR

69

ACCESS & ESCAPE

Main access by helicopter
Heliport includes safety induction room
Escape by helicopter or boat
conventional closed life boats
free fall boats
Life rafts as required by IMO
Fast Rescue Craft

70

OPERATION
Central Control Room
Power generation
Power distribution
Uninterruptable Power Supply
Remote cargo valve control
Material handling / laydown
Fresh/potable water
Tank monitoring

71

CARGO HANDLING
Crude distribution
Tank monitoring
Fiscal metering
Offloading
Inert gas & tank ventilation
Ballast
Corrosion protection

72

CARGO

Central pumproom or deepwell/submersible pumps

Single or multiple segregations
Tank level gauges
Settling tank(s)
Slop tank(s)
Cargo control system
Remote control of valves
Sloshing and free surface effects

73

CRUDE STORAGE TANKS

Storage tanks for 5-10-20 days peak production

Storage for off-spec production
Max size per tank 30,000 m (MARPOL)
Slop tank(s)
Segregated ballast tanks
Double hull principle : not (yet) required for FPSO
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) control in crude
tanks
74

INERT GAS
Purpose : preventing explosive conditions
IG generator or stack exhaust gas
VOCs depend on crude composition
Crude flammability grade A-E depends on vapor
pressure (RVP measured at 31.8 C) and flash point
Lighter crude usually is more flammable

75

BALLAST

Purpose : draft and trim control

Always segregated ballast tanks
Mainly wing tanks + peak tanks
Corrosion protection
Inspection

76

OFFLOADING
Tandem shuttle mooring
hawser
offloading hose
quick release provisions
shuttle collision risk
Side by side shuttle mooring (unusual)
Separate SPM berth (spread moored FPSO)
Fiscal metering system
77

GLAS DOWR

Reel for the

offloading hose

78

GLAS DOWR
Offloading hose reel

79

GLAS DOWR
Bunker hose and hawser reels

80

TANDEM OFFLOADING TO
MIDSHIP

81

SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Pig launcher & receiver
Material handling
Crude oil washing
Anchor line tensioning
Cooling & heating
Drain systems

82

UTILITIES
Neither ship nor process
Power plant for compressors, process etc
Disposed water treatment

83

MATERIAL HANDLING

Deck crane(s)
Lay down area(s)
Trolleys, deck equipment
Swivel module handling system

84

MISCELLANEOUS
Accommodation
Communications and Public Address System
Shipboard power distribution
HVAC
Seawater
Fresh water
Grey water, sewage treatment, incinerator
Fuel, lubrication oil
Thruster

85

ACCOMMODATION
Position of living quarters upwind or downwind of
process area
Safe Haven /Temporary Safe Refuge
Central Control Room
Client cabin(s) and office
Temporary accommodation of larger maintenance
crews

86

HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning)

Forced ventilation in living quarters and hull

Natural ventilation of process plant
HVAC designed for worldwide conditions
Flaps in air ducts close on fire alarm

87

FUEL & LUB OIL

Concentrated in ships engine room
Diesel pipeline to gas turbines in utilities
Supply by supply boat or shuttle tanker

88

FRESH WATER
Fresh water makers on waste heat or board net
Sewage treatment unit
Engine cooling may be on closed fresh water circuit

89

THRUSTER(S)
Requirement with midship turret
Sometimes with bow turret
Automatic thrust control, heading feedback

90