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Careful safety evaluation identifies fire hazards on offshore facilities

Journal Article · · Oil Gas J.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5431379

One approach to offshore facility safety evaluation for fire and explosion has been proposed and recently adopted by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). Although it currently applies only to those offshore facilities that will be operating in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, this methodology can be applied to platform design worldwide. This method attempts to relate the probability of the occurrence of operational offshore platform accidents to the design of the facility. The probabilities are used to determine the frequency and magnitude (consequences) of potential accidents. In this way, the safety evaluation will contain potential accident magnitudes against which acceptable safety levels may be compared. This allows the development of a series of design basis accidents (DBAs) which should be considered in the design of a specific offshore facility. NPD includes supply boat collisions, earthquakes, impact of dropped objects, impact of flying fragments, blowouts, effects of extreme weather, fire, and explosion. However, in this article concentration is placed only on fire and explosion DBAs with some emphasis on blowout.

Research Organization:
NRG Systems Inc., Stafford, TX
OSTI ID:
5431379
Journal Information:
Oil Gas J.; (United States), Journal Name: Oil Gas J.; (United States) Vol. 81:40; ISSN OIGJA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English