INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROORKEE

Summer Internship
at
Offshore Engineering Services, ONGC Mumbai

Internship Timeline:
Week 1 & 2: Study
API, Structural
Design Criteria,
Offshore
Terminologies

Week 5 to 8:
Problem statement
to design a 4legged fixed
offshore structure

Week 3 & 4:
Secondary beam
and Deck plating
design

About Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.

ONGC was founded in the year 1956.
Presently, ONGC is the worlds no.3 Exploration and Production
company.
ONGC has installed more than 250 offshore platforms in Mumbai high
for drilling of wells and to extract and process oil and natural gas.
Offshore Engineering Services, ONGC, Mumbai is a core group of
multi disciplinary engineers responsible for execution of the offshore
projects from concept to commissioning.
It has many departments namely, Structural, Process, Electrical,
Piping etc.

Types of
Offshore
Platforms
Platforms can be either
fixed or floating.
Fixed platforms are
generally used for a water
level up to 100-200 metres
from sea-bed.
Bombay High has a low
water level of about 70
metres and hence Fixed
Jacket Structures are very
common.

Unique Challenges to Structures

in the Sea:

Analysis
Analysis Challenges:
Challenges:
Wave
Wave and
and Current
Current Loading
Loading
Significant
Significant Wind
Wind Loading
Loading
Horizontal
Horizontal Impact
Impact Loading
Loading (due
(due to
to ships,
ships, barrages
barrages etc.)
etc.)
Effects
Effects due
due to
to Buoyancy
Buoyancy

Practical
Practical challenges:
challenges:
Installation
Installation challenges
challenges

Pre-service
Pre-service Analysis
Analysis

Foundation
Foundation challenges
challenges

Codes & Standards followed:

Section 3.4 Volume II Structural Design Criteria Part I & II Revision 6,
ONGC
API-RP 2A, Recommended Practice for Planning, Designing &
Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms (WSD), 21st Edition, October
2007
AISC, Manual of Steel Construction Allowable Stress Design, 13th
Edition, 2005
Roarks Formulas for Stress & Strain, 7th edition

Problem Statement
Design and Analyse an unmanned Well Platform:
Main Deck Size: 33 X 26 m2 at elevation + 24 m (from working point)
Cellar Deck Size: 33 X 26 m2 at elevation +18 m (from working point)
Platform North is coincidence with True north and Rig approachable Side.
Water depth (Chart Datum) of 60.2m is to be used.
Environmental Parameter for Extreme & Operating case as taken for
Mumbai offshore in accordance with Structural Design Criteria Sec 3.4 Part
II, ONGC.
Platform is to support 12 Conductors of 762 mm diameter & two nos of
Risers of diameter 305 mm and Boat Landing is to be provided at the South
face of Platform.
Consider Blanket Live Load = 1.5 MT/m2 on main deck and Loading Area
load as 2.0 MT /m2
Carry out analysis and design member sections for both Jacket and Topside.

IN-PLACE ANALYSIS
USING SACS

1. Generate a Computer Model

Bentley SACS is a suite of software to aid design and analysis of
Offshore Structures.
Computer model prepared using SACS.
The STP1 Jacket is a typical template type fixed structure with 4 main
legs, platform north oriented along true north.
Origin of Coordinate system located at the center of the structure at
the working point plane.

Main Deck
Cellar Deck
El +7.6m

El -8m

Model of
Structure as
seen in
SACS

El -24m

El -42m
Z
Y

El -59.5m
X*

* X axis is along
South direction

Main Deck
Cellar Deck
El +7.6m
Boat landing
El -8m
Riser
El -24m
12 Conductors

3D
rendition of
structure in
SACS

El -42m
Z
Y

El -59.5m
X*

* X axis is along
South direction

2. Important input parameters in

SACS
Design water plane for each direction:

Design Water Depth (WD) = Chart Datum Water Depth(CD) +

Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT) + 50% Astronomical Tide (HAT)
+ Storm Surge (SS)

Wave, current and wind parameters

Wave Kinematics Factor
Current Blockage Factor
Morrison Equation: Cd and Cm
Conductor Shielding Factor
Marine growth parameters

3. Input Loads
Eight directions are considered.
Extreme wave and current loading (EWC1 to EW8)
Extreme wind loading (EW1 to EW8)
Operating wave and current loading (OWC)
Operating wind loading (OW)
Dead load (DL)
Blanket live load (LL1) of 1.5 MT/m2
Loading and unloading area live load (LL2)
Allowable stresses for members are increased by one-third for
extreme storm condition.

4. Input Load Cases

Extreme Environment
cases

EWC1 + EW1 + DL + 0.6 * (LL1 + LL2)

EWC2 + EW2 + DL + 0.6 * (LL1 + LL2)

EWC3 + EW3 + DL + 0.6 * (LL1 + LL2)

EWC4 + EW4 + DL + 0.6 * (LL1 + LL2)

EWC5 + EW5 + DL + 0.6 * (LL1 + LL2)

EWC6 + EW6 + DL + 0.6 * (LL1 + LL2)

EWC7 + EW7 + DL + 0.6 * (LL1 + LL2)

EWC8 + EW8 + DL + 0.6 * (LL1 + LL2)

Operating environment
cases

OWC + OW + DL + 06 * (LL1 + LL2)

4. Member joint input parameters

Why tubular steel members are used for the jacket structure?
Light and economical
Buoyancy
Simple Tubular Joints are classified into three main types in order to
estimate its capacity in accordance with API 2A RP:
K joints
X joints
T & Y joints
Tubular joints in jacket structure need to be checked for failure.
SACS incorporates the recommendations of API and estimates capacity of
joint.

OUTPUT FROM INPLACE ANALYSIS IN

SACS

Member Unity
Check Summary:
Members having unity check
ratio above 1 have to be
redesigned.
Outputs can also be viewed in
the Postvue module of SACS as
well after analysis.

Final Jacket Member Sections used for the platform

Membe Type of Outer

r
Section Diamet
er

Thickn
ess

mm

mm

Materi
al

Yield
Streng
th

Density

MPa

tonne/m
3

Descriptio
n of
member

1.

Tubular
Section

200

4.5

STEEL

345

7.850

Used for
Jacket Legs

2.

Tubular
Section

76.2

3.2

STEEL

345

7.850

Vertical X
brace

3.

Tubular
Section

61

2.5

STEEL

345

7.850

Horizontal
Bracing

4.

Tubular
Section

76.2

3.5

STEEL

345

7.850

Horizontal
bracing

5.

Tubular
Section

76.2

STEEL

345

7.850

Conductors

Final Deck Member Sections used for the platform

1. Deck beams
Name of
Member

Type
of
Sectio
n

in X
lb/feet

Dept
h

Widt Flange Mater Yield

h
Thickne
ial
Streng
ss
th

mm

mm

mm

Densit
y

MPa

tonne/
m3

Descripti
on of
member

W 24 X
250

Wide
Flange
I
sectio
n

669

335

48

STEEL

345

7.850

Secondary
beam

W 24 X
306

Wide
Flange
I

689

340.
5

58

STEEL

345

7.850

Primary
beam

Final Deck Member Sections used for the platform

1. Deck plates
Name
of
Membe
r

Type
of
Sectio
n

Thickn
ess

Poisson Materi Yield Density

Ratio
al
Streng
th

mm
1.

Plate
Sectio
n

0.3

STEEL

MPa

tonne/m
3

248

7.850

Description of
member

Deck and Cellar

deck plates

Joint Check Summary:

Failure in punching shear is checked by SACS in accordance with API RP
2A.
Two types of joint failure checks:
Strength Unity Ratio Check
Load Unity Ratio Check
We need to consider Strength Unity Check only for the primary members
of the jacket structure.
Two ways we can redesign if any of the joints fail:
Joint CAN thickness can be increased
Joint can be qualified through use of ring stiffeners
In the case of my structure, ring stiffeners were introduced and new unity
check ratios were calculated for the joints connecting primary members.

Further Design Steps:

Design of deck plating and secondary beams were carried out.
Output from SACS is used for the design of the plates and secondary
beams in accordance with AISC Manual of Steel Construction and Roarks
formula for stress and strain.
Based on this excel tool, the deck plates and secondary beams sections
mentioned before have been designed.

What I gleaned from my

Internship:
Introduced me to the vast world of the construction and installation of
offshore platforms.
Modelling of structure through the use of software (SACS)
Analysis and design practices followed in the offshore industry
Familiar with the API RP 2A and AISC codes

Q&A

Wave and current loading

on a fixed offshore platform

Wave and current loading

on a fixed offshore platform

1. Jacket structure towed on a barge

2. Decks towed on a barge

Main Deck Dimensions

Internal Ring Stiffener in a Chord cross-section view

Wave-Current and wind loading from all eight directions

Main Deck
Cellar Deck
El +7.6m
Boat landing
El -8m
Riser
El -24m
12 Conductors

3D
rendition of
structure in
SACS

El -42m
Z
Y

El -59.5m
X*

* X axis is along
South direction

Thank
You!