UsingdimensionalcontroltomitigateriskforATPTitan

installation
Published:May1,2010
TomGreaves,SparPointGroup
RobertShivers,ATPOil&GasCorp.
JoseVasquez,RoyCottrell,Bennett&AssociatesLLC
IanMackie,KeithMedley,IntertekHiCad
Theclientisasmallindependentthatjustmadea$600millionbetonanew
deepwaterfloatingplatformtodevelopaGulfofMexicofieldthemajorsconsidered
toosmalltodevelopthemselves.Getitrightandtheclientdoublesproductionnext
year.Getitwrongwell,donotgothere.Mitigatinginstallationriskwith
dimensionalcontrolmakesalotofsensewhenthestakesaresohigh.Hereishow
BluewaterIndustriesdiditforATPOilandGasCorp.(ATP)ontheTitanMinDOC
projectearlierthisyear.
Themomentoftruthforalloffshoreinstallations:Willthetopsidestohull
integrationbeperformedsuccessfully,onthefirstattemptandwithout
interferences?BluewaterIndustriesdeployeddimensionalcontrolservicesfrom
IntertekHiCadatrelevantstagesoffabricationtolimitthepotentialforinstallation
problems,andcostandscheduleimpactsforATP'sMinimumDeepOffshore
(MinDOC3)floatingplatformproject.Installationandintegrationofthetopsides
moduleswascompletedoffshoreinJanuarywithoutincident;nodimensionalfitting
orclashproblemswereencountered.
TheATPTitanproject,adeepwaterdrytreeplatform,isthefirstofitstypetobe
usedintheGoM.ThepatentedMinDOChull,designedbyBennett&Associates
(BASS),consistsofthreecircularcolumnsconnectedbytriangularpontoonsanda
toptensionedriser(TTR)framethatsupportstherisersthroughthecenterofthe
hull.Ontopofthehullsetsatwomodule,"Tshaped"facilitydesignedbyMustang
Engineering.Thestructuremeasuresapproximately726ft(221m)fromthebaseto
thetopofitsderrickandhasadesigncapacityof25Mbbl/dofoiland100MMcf/d
ofgas.TheTitanMinDOChasbeendeployedintheMiragefield(MississippiCanyon
block941),aspartoftheTelemarkHub,andwillbeinitiallyproducingpartofthe
Telemark(AtwaterValleyblock63)andMorgus(MississippiCanyonblock942)fields
viasubseatiebacksinwaterdepthsofapproximately4,000ft(1,219m).Thestakes
arehighdevelopmentoftheTelemarkHubisexpectedtodoubleATP'sproduction
thisyear.


TitanhullfloatinghorizontallyingravingdockatGulfMarine
Fabricatorspriortosailaway.
Atfirstglance,Titan'sthreecolumnstructureresemblesasemisubmersible,but
motionwise,itsdeepdraftandlowcenterofgravitygiveitpitch,roll,andheave
motionsmoreinlinewithspardesigns.ThisisparticularlyimportantforpostKatrina
designconditions.Thenaturaloscillationperiodsfortheplatformfallwelloutside
thewaveperiodstypicallyexperiencedintheGoM.Furthermore,theMinDOCwas
designedtobemovedtonewlocationsoveritsexpectedservicelife.TheTitancan
operateindepthsrangingfrom2,000ft(610m)to7,500ft(2,286m)with
comparablepayloadandenvironmentconditions.Moreover,theunitcanbetowed
toanewlocationwiththetopsidesinplace.Assuch,theTitanallowsATPto
considerfieldsthatwouldotherwisebecommerciallymarginalwithconventional
completions.
The18,000ton(16,329metricton),485ft(148m)longhullwasconstructed
horizontallybyGulfMarineFabricatorsatthecompany'spurposebuiltgravingdock
inIngleside,Texas.Duringconstruction,twoofthethree52ft(16m)diameter
uppercolumnsweresupportedbysaddleslocateddirectlyontheconcretefloorof
thegravingdock,whilethethirdcolumnwasassembledmorethan100ft(30m)up
intheair.Afterhullfabricationwascompleted,the40ft(12m)deepgravingdock
wasfloodedandTitanwasfloatedandtowedtoitsdeepwaterinstallationsite
whereitwasupendedtoitsoperationalpositionbycontrolled,freefloodingofits
lowerhull.


ProcessmodulebeingloadedoutatGulfIsland
Fabrication.PhotobyJeffRushing.
Thetopsidesconsistofa3,600ton(3,266metricton)processmoduleanda2,500
ton(2,268metricton)utilitymodulethatwerefabricatedatGulfIslandFabricators
inHouma,Louisiana.Inplanview,thetopsidesstructureisTshapedwiththe
processmodulespanning150ft(46m)acrosstheportandstarboardcolumns.The
utilitymodulespansfromtheforwardcolumntotheprocessmodule,wherethetwo
areconnectedviaastructuralinterface.Weightconstraintsmadeitimpracticalto
fabricatethetopsidesasoneunit;theliftwouldhaveinducedunacceptable
deflectionsorrequiredanimpossiblylargespreaderbarortwocranebargestolift.

UtilitymoduleatGulfIslandFabricationpriortoloadout.
PhotobyJeffRushing.

IntertekHiCaddelivereddimensionalcontrolforpreinstallationstructuralinterface
compatibilityandidentificationofpotentialinterferencesbetweenthemodulesand
hull.
BluewatercontractedIntertekHiCadinApril2009toprovidedimensionalcontrol
(DC)servicesfortheTitan.Inadditiontogeneralconstructionsupportforkey
components,IntertekHiCad'sscopeincludeddetailedandhighaccuracyasbuilt
dimensionaldatathatassuredcompatibilitybetweenthetopsidestohulland
moduletomodulestructuralinterfaces.Thiscompatibilityanalysisincludedclash
checkingoftheinterfaceenvelopestoidentifypossiblehardclashesandclose
proximitycomponentsthatcouldcauseproblemsduringmoduleinstallation.Asthe
projectprogressed,BluewaterelectedtoexpandIntertekHiCad'sscopetoinclude
assistancewiththeinstallationofthefour80ton(73metricton)risertensioners
andpreinstallationverificationofthetopsidestohullinterconnectpipingspools
basedonasbuiltmodulelocationsrelativetothehull.
Discoveringclashesandinterferencesduringinstallationisaprojectteam's
scheduleandbudgetbustingnightmare.Withdayratesforoffshoreinstallation
operationsoftenexceeding$1millionperday,thereiseveryincentivetoshorten
thedurationrequiredforinstallation.Dimensionalcontrolislowcost,highvalue
insurancetosignificantlyreducethatduration.Althougharrangementscanvary,
dimensionalcontrolcontractstypicallyamounttolessthan0.2%oftotalinstalled
cost."ThecostofIntertekHiCad'sserviceswasinsignificantincomparisontothe
negativescheduleandcostimpactsthatcouldhavebeenencounteredduring
fabrication,installation,oroperations.Theirattentiontodetailandcommitmentto
maintainingourprojectschedulehavesolidifiedtheirinvolvementinfutureprojects
ofthismagnitude,"saysGeorgeFriedel,VPofOperationsforBluewaterIndustries.
Ofcourse,safetyalwayscomesfirst.Whenliftingsignificantloads,whetheratseaor
onland,thepriorityistosafelyandefficientlylandtheload.Leavingaloadthat
weighsthousandsoftonshangingonthecrane,foranylengthoftime,while
resolvinginstallationissuesintroducesseriousadditionalrisks,includingthe
potentialforacatastrophicaccident.
Inthecaseofoffshoreinstallations,successininstallingmodules(whosetendencyis
toflexintheliftcondition)fromabargeontoafloatinghullstructuredemands
understandingthepotentialdimensionalissuesthatcanbeencounteredduringthe
approach,engagement,andtouchdownofthemodulestothehull.
"Withmatingtolerancesaslittleas0.5in.orlessonmajorstructuralcomponents
fabricatedinseparatelocationsindifferentstates,youneedtheprecisionand
accuracyofDCtomakesureitallfitstogether.Inmostinstances,youonlygetone
shottoinstallmodulesthesizeoftheTitan's,"saysJeffRushingwithBluewater
Industries."Physicalinfluencesinanoffshoreenvironmentmakeitimpracticalto
haveasecondchance."


InstallationoftheprocessmodulebyJ.RayMcDermott'sDB50.Photo
byJamieArmstrong.
Thismakesreversingtheprocedure(i.e.,liftingthemodulesbackuptofieldcorrect
forstructuralcompatibilityandinterferenceissues)animpractical,andsometimes
impossible,option.
Dimensionalcontrolworkflow
IntertekHiCadoperationsmanager,KyleMcNeil,ledtheteamthatconductedthe
dimensionalcontrolwork.SteponewastomeetwithBluewaterprojectpersonnel
tounderstandthedesigntolerances,deflection,andmovementissuesspecifictothe
Titaninstallationactivities.McNeilisnostrangertooffshoreworkhe'sbeenwith
IntertekHiCadforthreeyearsandspent26yearswithKBRandMcDermottbefore
that.McNeilviewsdimensionalcontrolasaninvestment:"It'sdowntotheclientand
theinvestmentinmanagingpotentialrisk."
UnderMcNeil'ssupervision,IntertekHiCadsurveypersonnelvisitedthehulland
topsidesfabricationfacilitiesatappropriatetimestoexecutethesurveyworkusinga
proprietarysurveyingprocessesandsupportingsoftware.Theaccuracyanddetailof
thesurveyworkwascriticaltoassessthestructuralinterfacecompatibilityandto
detectandvisualizepossibleclashesthatcouldariseduringinstallation.Aseachpart
oftheasbuiltsurveyworkwascompleted,IntertekHiCadprogressivelycalculated
andfittedthepiecestogethertoobtaina"bestfit"amongallstructures.
Constructionsupport
Atonestageofconstruction,theforwardcolumnoftheTitanwassupported
elasticallybystrandjacksandtrusses100plusft(30m)intheairafterassemblyand
justpriortotheinstallationoftheTTRframewhichwouldtieallthreeoftheupper
columnsoftheTitantogether.BASScalculatedtheamountofdeflectionexpectedas
thestrandjackswerereleasedandthestructurewaspositionedinalocationthat
wouldminimizelockedinstressesonthehull.Aspartofthiscriticalconstruction
activity,IntertekHiCadwasaskedtomonitorthepositionoftheTTRframerelative
tothetargetpositionsprovidedbyBASStoanaccuracyof1/16in.(1.586mm)
duringtheweldout.EndResult?Thestresseswereminimizedaspredicted.
Topsidestohullstructuralinterface

Toproperlymatewiththemodulelegs,stabbingguidesonthehullweredesignedto
allowadjustmentinthex,y,andzdirectionbeforeweldingthemtothehull.This
adjustmentallowancehadtoaccountforfivefactors:1)theasbuiltgeometryofthe
modulelegs,2)theasbuiltgeometryofthemoduletomodulestructuralinterface,
3)theasbuiltgeometryofthehull,4)theweldingtoleranceofthehull,and5)the
geometrychangeanticipatedasthehullmovedfromthehorizontal,laterally
supportedconditiontotheuprightandfreefloatingconditionoffshore.IntertekHi
Cadsurveyedtheasbuiltlocationsofboththemodulelegsandmoduletomodule
structuralinterfacestodeterminethe"bestfit"ofthemodulesrelativetothehull.
Withthisinformation,BASSwasabletopinpointtheoptimumlocationsforthe
stabbingguidesonthehullwhichsignificantlyreducedinstallationrisksoffshore.
Oncefittedandinplace,IntertekHiCad'sscopecontinuedwithmonitoringthe
stabbingguidesduringweldoutrelativetotargetpositionsthatwereestablished.
WithIntertekHiCad'sexperienceandtwiceadayreadings,theseoptimum
locationswereaccomplisheddespitethemovementofthetargetpositionsdueto
expansionandcontractionofthehullduringthesummerheat.
OffshoreDCverification
IntertekHiCadcarriedonwiththeDCservicesbymeasuringpossibledeflections
thatmayhaveresultedfromtransportationandupendingofthehullonceitwas
floatedtotheuprightservicepositionandfullyballasted.Thesurveyreadingsthen
werecalculatedandmodeledinAutoCADtodeterminethepositionofthestructural
interfaces,primarilythestabbingguides.ResultsfromIntertekHiCad'swork
confirmedthattheforwardlegcolumnhaddeflectedoutboardbyclosetothe
predictedoffsetandallelevationsheldtoplanewithin3/16in.(4.75mm).

Loweringoftheprocessmoduleontothehullstabbing
guides.PhotobyIsidroRodriguez.

Oncethehullandtopsidesweremated,thenextstepwastoconnectthepiping
systemsandinstallthespecificallydesignedrisertensionersystem.WithIntertekHi
Cad'sforesighttopresurveythepositionsofthepipingtieinpointsonboththe
topsidesandhullpriortoinstallation,itwasstraightforwardtocarryouttheminimal
surveyworknecessarytocalculatethegeometryoftheclosingspools,which
includedlengths,flangeangles,andboltpatternorientation,whereapplicable.The
requireddimensionalinformationforselectedspoolswascompletedandissuedto
pipingpersonnelforfabricationcompletionthegoal:firsttimefit.

Theutilitymodulebeinginstalledatnight.PhotobyColes
Hairston.
Confinedwithinthewellbaystructureoftheutilitymodule,therisertensioners
hungsuspendedinmidairforthetransportationoffshore.Surveyworkhadbegun
manymonthsearlierinpreparationoftheinstallation.IntertekHiCADhadplaced
targetsinstrategicpositionsonthetensionersthatwouldallowtheproper
alignmenttobeachievedasthetensionerswereloweredtotheirfinalresting
positionontheTTRframe.Thisalignmentwascritical,asthetensionerswereonly
abletobeloweredintopositionpriortobeingputintoservice.Considerationofthe
utilitymodulewellbaypositionswasincludedintheIntertekHiCADbestfit
calculationsforlocatingthemoduletothehull.Onceagain,goodsurveypreparation
allowedforefficientandaccuratepositioningofthetensionersduringtheoffshore
installation.
DCtechnology
TotalstationsurveyinstrumentsandaccessoriessupportedbyDIMES(IntertekHi
Cad's3Dcalculationsoftware)andAutoCADsoftwarewereusedasthemaintools
fortheprojectsurveywork.TheDIMESsoftwareiscompatiblewithAutoCAD.
IntertekHiCadsurveyorsareexperiencedwith3DCADmodelingtechniques,
allowingtheassurveyeddatatobemanipulatedinAutoCADforthepurposeof
modelingrelevantinformationandpossibleoverlayagainstthedesignmodelfor
interrogation.Inthisinstance,threeseparatemodelswerepreparedforthetopof

thehullandtheundersidesoftheprocessandutilitymodules.Basedonthe
calculations,themodulesweremovedintopositiononthehullmodel,thereby
allowinginterrogationofthefullinterfaceenvelope.Workingoffshorewithatotal
stationinstrumentoftenrequiresflexibilityandknowledgeoftheacceptable
parameterstobeabletosetuptheinstrumentindifficultsituationsandmaintain
highaccuracyinordertoachievetherequiredtolerances.
Howisdimensionalcontroldifferentthaninspection?
Here'swhereexperiencewithdesign,fabrication,andinstallationpaysoff.A
dimensionalcontrolexpertengagedthroughoutfabricationcannotonlyidentify
potentialfabricationdimensionalproblemsandtoleranceaccumulationsbutcan
alsoadviseonpracticalsolutionstocorrectfortheaccumulations.Dimensional
controlinsightintofabricationprocesses,experienceandunderstandingof
installationproceduresaswellasknowledgeaboutthecapabilitiesofindividual
contractorsletsDCexpertsinformprojectteamsabouthowtomakemidcourse
correctionsandadjustmentstoavoidpotentialseriousexpensiveproblemsfrom
occurringatthecriticalstages.McNeilsays"ittakesaclientwithanopenmindto
getfullvaluefortheinvestmentbecauseitisnotbusinessasusual."
Otherlessonslearned
Constructionofsomeoffshorestructuresrequiresthecoordinationofmultiple
fabricationcontractors,eachresponsibleforproducingcomponentstoaspecified
tolerance.Thechallengefortheprojectteamistomanagetheaccumulationofthe
variationsbetweenthenominaldesigndimensionsandtheasfabricated
dimensions.Tighteningthespecificationshascostandscheduleimplicationsandin
mostcasesbecomesimpractical.Duetocostandscheduleconcernsaprojectteam
canbepushedtotakeriskonoutoftolerancedimensions.Dimensionalcontrol
appliedaccuratelyandwithconstructionexperienceandknowledgecanprovidethe
assurancethatcomponentswillfittogetherwhenitreallycounts,thefirsttime.
ends

IntertekMediaenquiries:http://www.intertek.com/news/mediacontacts/

IntertekSalesEnquiries:NorthandSouthAmerica:+17134754022
EAME:+390295383833/AsiaPacific:+81352450648
AboutIntertek(www.intertek.com)
Intertekisaleadingproviderofqualityandsafetysolutionsservingawiderangeof
industriesaroundtheworld.Fromauditingandinspection,totesting,qualityassuranceand
certification,Intertekpeoplearededicatedtoaddingvaluetocustomers'productsand
processes,supportingtheirsuccessintheglobalmarketplace.Intertekhastheexpertise,
resourcesandglobalreachtosupportitscustomersthroughitsnetworkofmorethan1,000
laboratoriesandofficesandover25,000peopleinmorethan100countriesaroundthe
world.