Conceptual design of offshore concrete structures

Tailor Made Concrete Structures – Walraven & Stoelhorst (eds)
© 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-0-415-47535-8
Conceptual design of offshore concrete structures
T.O. Olsen
Dr.techn. Olav Olsen a.s, Norway
ABSTRACT: There are remarkable offshore concrete structures. How they are conceptually developed? What
are the functional requirements that shape these structures, and make them competitive?
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INTRODUCTION
The recent offshore concrete structures are the two
Sakhalin platforms (installed), the Adriatic LNG Terminal (at the time of writing being constructed in
Spain and Italy), and the MPU Heavy Lifter (being
constructed in Rotterdam). Three very different structures with very different specifications, all of them
will hopefully do an excellent job fulfilling the needs
of their owners.
The offshore concrete structures show excellent
behavior with respect to durability and robustness.
Many platforms have passed their intended design
lives, many have got their functional duties enlarged,
and many have shown a remarkable strength towards
abnormal events.
Plans for further oil and gas development in
ever increasing hash environments have accelerated
the focus and interest for these offshore concrete
structures.
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of the European consumption, which is the important
aspect, not Katie Malua singing her beautiful songs
303 m under the sea level.
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
Design has many meanings to people. Fashion, for
example, is known by many. Engineers tend to include
something technical in their definition of design, even
some likes to include academic elements.
One way of thinking of design is the creation of
something that is of use for someone.
Sir William Lyons designed the Jaguar XK120 in a
period of two weeks, now a world ikon, for the purpose
of testing a new engine.
Structures too have a purpose. An offshore structure
often serves the oil and gas industry, and rarely is it the
structure that is the important part, rather the support
of the hydrocarbon treatment. In the picture below it is
the gas content of the pipes, supplying a major portion
Troll A represents one of the more complex structures, but there are simple ones also.
An important tool of proper conceptual design is to
always try to make it simple.
Obviously the harshness of the ocean is of importance, knowledge of the environment is required.
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Hydrostatics and hydrodynamics are other essential
sciences.
Note the design philosophies above, the two
philosophies gives the same result. Obvious?
The last pictures show the MPU Heavy Lifter, now
under construction in Rotterdam.
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