OGP Marine Risks Workshop Proceedings
. FPSO Design & Conversion Practice
Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering
FPSO DESIGN AND CONVERSION PRACTICE
Foresight in
Offshore
OGP Conference
London, March 17, 2003
T. Terpstra
IHC Gusto Engineering BV
FPSO: ship or offshore structure?
Foresight in
Offshore
Consequences in design procedure
Applicability tanker gained experience
Restrictions
When apply offshore standards and how combine?
© OGP
International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Contents
Foresight in
Offshore
Design procedure and approach
� Offshore and shipbuilding approach
� FPSO hull design procedure
Specific design issues
� Hull design features
� Design loads
� Hull / topsides interface
� Materials
� Hull fatigue aspects
� Corrosion allowance
Specific conversion issues
� Steel renewal criteria
� Novelty in FPSO conversion
Shipbuilding and offshore approach
Foresight in
Offshore
Offshore approach
� Strong focus on design reliability
� Extensive adoption of direct calculation principles
� Use of multi-disciplinary design teams
Shipbuilding approach
� Focus on production process, keen on costs
� FPSO part of shipyards mass production, less flexibility during
8 -12 week dry dock assembly time
� Implications of building offshore structures not always clearly
realised
� Clear division between disciplines
© OGP
OGP Marine Risks Workshop Proceedings
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
FPSO Hull Design Process
Foresight in
out for tender, Offshore
s
consultant further
ek
8
we develops design
6
Concept Design
Design consultant
- Global FEA
s
ek Basic Design
we
0
16
-2 -Detailed Finite Element Analysis
-Detailed Fatigue Analysis
-identification of critical structural welds
Confirm with shipyard critical structural details
Shipyard
Detailed Design
- production drawings
- welding details to further develop
Operator
Operational phase
- Hull condition monitoring and survey program
- Newbuilding supervision and site management
FPSO Hull Design Process
Foresight in
Offshore
Concept Design
� Overall dimension
� Tank arrangement
� Global hull structure
� Global finite element analysis
Analytical Tools:
a) Rules based calculations
b) FEA, 3-tank model
Global structural analysis
objective:
a) Examine strength
b) Determine hull flexibility
c) Accurate steel weight
estimate
© OGP
International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
FPSO Hull Design Process
Foresight in
Offshore
Basic Design
� Mooring system integration
� Riser system integration
� Detailed transverse strength
analysis
� Local strength and fatigue
analysis
� Identification of critical welds
� Topsides / hull interface plan
� Class Approval
Courtesy by Bureau Veritas
Local structural analysis
objective:
a) Fatigue performance of
stiffener connections
b) Transverse web end
connections
c) Riser integration structure
Hull Design Features
Foresight in
Offshore
New build designs tend to excessive hull proportions:
� L/B = 5.1 (Tanker > 5.5)
� L/D = 9.2 (Tanker > 11.0)
� CB = 0.97 (Tanker < 0.9)
Excessive hull proportions lead to:
� High still water loads, ample buoyancy at the ends /
large topsides weights amidships
� Increased freeboard for smaller ship length
� Hull size shall match shipyard dock capacity
© OGP
OGP Marine Risks Workshop Proceedings
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Hull Design Features
Foresight in
Offshore
Tank Arrangement Newbuild FPSO
ballast in side tanks
3CT ballast tank reduce SWBM
Machinery space Disadvantage is empty tank in fully Machinery space
laden condition
Hull Design Features
Foresight in
Offshore
Buoyancy Curves
New Build and Conversion FPSO
1,2
0,8
Buoyancy [-]
New build FPSO
0,6
Conversion FPSO
0,4
0,2
0
0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 1
Length of Vessel x/L [-]
Ample buoyancy
induce high SWBM
© OGP
International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Hull Design Features
Foresight in
Offshore
Still Water Bending Moments New Build FPSO
8000000
6000000
4000000
2000000
Bending Moment [kNm]
0
0,00 0,10 0,20 0,30 0,40 0,50 0,60 0,70 0,80 0,90 1,00 Hogging Rules Design
Sagging Rules Design
-2000000
Hogging Actual
Sagging Actual
-4000000
-6000000
-8000000
-10000000
-12000000
Length of Vessel x/L [-]
Hump/hollow due to
ballast tank
Design Loads
Foresight in
Offshore
Still water loads exceed tanker standard design values
� SWBM and SWSF for newbuild exceeds tanker design
values by 95%
� SWSF for conversion exceeds design values by 77%
� Normal tanker practice not directly applicable
Concentrated topsides loads
� Single deck module Fz = 130Te
� Double deck module Fz = 2000Te
� Concentrated loads may result in local overturning
moments at supports, ship structure not designed for
© OGP
OGP Marine Risks Workshop Proceedings
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Hull / Topsides Interface
Foresight in
Offshore
Difference in dimensioning of plate sides:
� Shipbuilding � moulded plate side
� Offshore � center of plate
Offshore and shipbuilding standards conflict in weld
design for topsides supports
� FP or PP weld details to be applied according to offshore
standards
� Shipbuilding use fillet welds, throat thickness � 0.17*t
� Special weld details at specific locations disrupt
shipbuilding production
Hull / Topsides Interface
Foresight in
Offshore
Midship Section 2.2 mbls storage
Long. BHDs to line up with
topside supports
Width approx. 5m
© OGP
International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Hull / Topsides Interface
Foresight in
Offshore
Tank loading deformation Tank loading deformation
Two adjacent tanks, one LBHD Three adjacent tanks, two LBHDs
Difference in deformation to be
addressed in conceptual design
Hull / Topsides Interface
Foresight in
Offshore
Regions with enhanced scantlings (transverse web frame)
main deck
t = 12.5mm
long. BHD
side shell
long. BHD
Increase upper plate
strake BHD t > 22mm Increase to t = 15mm
minimum
�In order to support topsides modules, enhanced scantlings of upper
strakes of BHDs and transverse web frames to cope with high
concentrated loads
�Use of local plate inserts to be avoided, since this would disrupt the
yards production process
© OGP
OGP Marine Risks Workshop Proceedings
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Hull / Topsides Interface
Foresight in
Offshore
Support stools on main deck Side view support stool
SUPPORT
Fz LOADS
FP WELD
My
PP WELD
Hull / Topsides Interface
Foresight in
Offshore
Flexible Supports Process Module: 4-point-support
Elastomeric pads account for hull
flexibility and are rotational free,
less bending moment introduced in
hull structure
© OGP
International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Hull / Topsides Interface
Foresight in
Offshore
Tubular supports
Materials
Foresight in
Offshore
Difference in material selection procedure
� Shipbuilding based on zones and class, I - V
� Offshore based on function and criticality
FPSO hull material selection
� Main hull structure based on shipbuilding standards
� Special structures based on offshore approach
� Topsides supports
� Turret/mooring integration
� Offshore and ship selection criteria can be combined in a
transparent selection table
Special requirements
� Reserve on material qualities, use of Z-quality for
enhanced flexibility
� Higher material grades on owner request for improved
fracture toughness
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OGP Marine Risks Workshop Proceedings
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Hull Fatigue Aspects
Foresight in
Offshore
Safety factors shall be increased to values between
2 < FS < 10 depending on criticality & inspectability,
deviation from tanker rules where FS = 1.0
Other details like topside supports and mooring & riser
integrations shall also be verified
Note that not included in the analysis are:
� Local corrosion which has a large impact on cracking
(void side tanks coated or dehumidified)
� Workmanship (alignment and weld quality) which has
large impact on cracking
Hull Fatigue Aspects
Foresight in
Offshore
Hull Fatigue Details Side Shell
TSCF as guideline for details
add backing bracket
avoid these details
transv. web
transv. web
side
shell
© OGP
International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Hull Fatigue Aspects
Foresight in
Offshore
Engineering Approach
FPSO hull according to CN 30.7
� First screening based on World Wide data, FS = 1.0
� World Wide FS = 1.0 corresponds to FS � 3.0 for benign
environment
� Limited experience analysis software
Use of different S-N curves for ship and offshore
structures
� Basic S-N curves for ship structures, excluding SCF
� Series of S-N curves for offshore structures
Corrosion Allowance
Foresight in
Offshore
Tanker experience: nominal Rule corrosion rate
� Rules state nominal corrosion rate 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 based
on 20-year design life
� Analysis software use these default corrosion values
Ship rule allowances may not be sufficient
� Consistency required between Rule design values and
measured / TSCF values
Apply corrosion design allowances on plating and
stiffeners based on (in-house) FPSO measured data
and/or TSCF
Corrosion allowance to be based on offshore design life,
not on ship repair life
© OGP
OGP Marine Risks Workshop Proceedings
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Steel Renewal Criteria
Foresight in
Offshore
Inspection and survey of tanker hull is still often based on
marine practice
Marine practice refers to a 5-year regular special survey
Consequently it is common practice that often hull
structural details are approved with 5-year inspection
period as reference
No special survey for FPSOs applicable, special survey is
equivalent to FPSO design life
Solution is to provide conversion steel renewal criteria
to be derived from fatigue analysis
� Check on plate thickness and section modulus
� Proportionality of existing stiffeners is limiting factor
Steel Renewal Criteria (case study)
Foresight in
Offshore
Severe pitting corrosion in Repair in yard: $3/kg
stiffener flange
Initially approved based on 5- Repair offshore: $30/kg
year survey experience
© OGP
International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Novelty in FPSO Conversion
Foresight in
Offshore
Conversion of a suezmax tanker to equivalent VLCC size
FPSO
Production capacity is 100,000 bbls, installed on small
deck area
Congested deck area due to module supports, cable tray
supports and spread mooring arrangement
To overcome these problems sponsons are added to:
� Increase deck space area
� Support of process modules
� Increase of deadweight
Novelty in FPSO Conversion
Foresight in
Offshore
© OGP
OGP Marine Risks Workshop Proceedings
FPSO Design & Conversion Practice - Taco Terpstra, Gusto Engineering ()
Conclusions
Foresight in
Offshore
FPSO to be considered as an offshore unit, ship design
gained experience forms the basis
Enhanced level of detail in concept and basic design
Differences in tanker and FPSO design
� Hull design
� Loads
� Structural design criteria
Ship and offshore approach can be combined for effective
design
Tanker Structure Coorporative Forum (TSCF) shall be
more frequently applied in FPSO design
FPSO DESIGN AND CONVERSION PRACTICE
Foresight in
Offshore
OGP Conference
London, March 17, 2003
T. Terpstra
IHC Gusto Engineering BV
© OGP
International Association of Oil & Gas Producers
© OGP
