Dr.Eng. Rudi W.

Prastianto
 Outline

1. Type of Deck Concepts

2. Deck Structural Systems
3. Factors affecting Offshore Platform Deck
Types
1. Type of Deck Concepts
 a). The Integrated Deck

• An integrated deck may be divided into a

number of levels and areas depending on the
functions they support.
• If the dry deck weight and geometry are
within the available crane capacity  an
integrated deck configuration may be
considered.
 a). The Integrated Deck (cont. …)
Typical levels of the Integrated Deck are:
• Main (upper) deck: supports the
drilling/production systems and several modules
(drilling, process, utilities, living quarters,
compression, etc.).
• Cellar deck: supports systems that need to be
placed at a lower elevation and installed with the
deck structures (e.g. pumps, some utilities, pig
launchers/receivers, Christmas trees, wellhead
manifolds, piping, etc).
• Additional deck levels, if needed. For example, if
simultaneous drilling and production operations
are planned, some process equipment may be
located in a mezzanine deck.
 The Integrated Deck
(An Example: Topside layout of Diana SPAR Design)
• The Upper Deck (is called the “Drilling Deck”):
• The production and temporary quarters buildings, drill rig,
chemical tote tank storage, and communications & radar
satellite dishes.
• The mid-level (Mezzanine) Deck (is called the
“Production Deck”):
• The majority of oil and gas separation, processing, treating,
compression equipment, power generation equipment, the
MCC/Control Room and many of the utilities.
 The Integrated Deck
(An Example: Topside layout of Diana SPAR Design)

• The lower “Cellar Deck”:

• Other utility systems (cooling water, fresh water, firewater,
flare scrubber, etc.) as well as oil and gas sales meters, pipeline
pig launchers and receivers, manifolds and shutdown valves.
• A Sub-cellar Deck  which is a partial deck
suspended below the cellar deck could also be
installed  usually small, it could be designed to
withstand impact from the wave crest and
transport the lateral loads to the rest of the
structure:
– to contain the gravity drain sumps and pumps.
 b). The Modular Deck

 A modular deck  a number of pieces and

modules depending on the functions they
support and available installation equipment.
• Modular deck system will be used, when:
 The deck weight or geometry exceeds the available
crane lift capacity, or
 Modules containing some of the production
equipment (e.g. a compression or pumping module)
will be added at later dates.
 b). The Modular Deck (cont. …)
The typical modular deck components are:
a) Module Support Frame (MSF):
 A space frame (a system of horizontal girders and
vertical and diagonal braces)  supporting the
modules and transferring their load to the
jacket/tower structure.
 Be designed to envelope a number of platform
facilities (e.g. the storage tanks, pig launching and
receiving systems, metering/proving devices and
the associated piping systems).
b) Modules  provide a number of production
and life support systems.
 Various of the Modules
• Living quarters module  generally supporting a
heliport, communication systems, hotel, messing,
office and recreational facilities,
• Utilities module  generally supporting power
generation and electrical and production control
systems, including a control room,
• Wellhead module  generally supporting the
wellheads, well test and control equipment,
• Drill rig module  containing the drill tower, draw-
works, drillers and control rooms, drill pipe and
casing storage racks and pipe handling systems. Drill
rig module is located over and supported by the
wellhead module.
 Various of the Modules (cont. …)
• Production module  containing the oil/gas/water
separation and treatment systems and other piping and
control systems and valves for safe production, metering
and transfer of the produced liquids and gas to the
offloading system.
• A compression module  may be added, if gas
compression for injection to the formation and/or high-
pressure gas pumping to shore is needed. Since
compression may be needed at later production stages,
this module may be installed on the deck at a later date or
on a nearby separate platform (generally bridge connected
to the deck). Similarly, water injection and pumping
modules may be added if these functions are needed at
later field development stages.
 c). Hybrid Deck

• Hybrids of modular and integrated deck.

• Some of the utility, wellhead and/or process
equipment and storage may be placed inside
the MSF, which would be installed in a manner
similar to an integrated deck, followed by the
installation of modules on its top.
 Note
• In general, Integrated Decks result in more
efficient and lighter structural systems 
since additional module steel, which is only
needed for installation reasons, is avoided.
 2. Deck Structural Systems
• The main function of the Deck Structural
System  provide a suitable horizontal area
above the water surface where the drilling
and production operations are performed.
• The Deck Framing  transfers the loads from
equipment supplies and operations exerted on
the deck coverings to the deck legs, which in
turn transfers loads to the jacket legs and the
foundation.
 2. Deck Structural Systems
Deck structural component sizing

Estimation of the deck loads

(e.g. the drilling rig, production equipment, live load, supplies, etc.)

Initial deck sizing (deck plate and beam sizes)  upper bound
distributed loads representing the deck equipment and supplies may be used.
(main deck = 500  1000 psf loads, mezzanine and cellar decks = 300  500
psf loads)

For detailed design (computer model)  more accurate

equipment and operational loads are used.
 Type of the Deck Framing Systems
1. A popular system  the loads are transferred through
flooring and deck beams to longitudinal trusses made
of tubulars and standard or built up beams (Figs. a & b).
2. Portal frames with stiffened plate girders directly
framing into deck legs (Fig. c).
3. Hybrids of the above-described deck structural
systems:
• The main load bearing structure (truss lines 1 and 2
in Fig. d) would be  K-braced trusses,
• The transverse wind bracing structure (lines A and B)
would be  stiffened girders.
Designing the plate and beam flooring systems

• The plate flooring cases (if properly welded to the

deck beams) :
– The deck plate acts as  a membrane  distributes the
horizontal wind and wave loads to the main deck structure.
– Particularly important for  diagonal loadings  force
the deck to behave as a horizontal portal frame.
• If deck plate is not present  using horizontal
diagonal braces connecting the column tops at each
deck level should be considered.
Designing the plate and beam flooring systems
(cont. …)

• The “lowest weight” solution for a specified deck

load may not always result in the “lowest cost”.
• Factors influence the initial and maintenance costs of
the system designed:
– number of cuts,
– ease of fitting,
– length and difficulty of welds &
– ease of maintenance.
Typical Stacked-Beam Deck Flooring System
1. K-Braced Deck Truss System
2. Stiffened Plate Girder Deck
3. Hybrids Deck System
 Note

• No major cost difference between the trussed

or stiffened plate girder deck structures.
• The fabrication of the plate girders may pose
dimensional control difficulties for
construction yards with no plate girder
fabrication experience.
 Deck Structure Flooring System

1. Stacked Beam Deck System

2. Two-way (Orthotropic) Deck System
1. Stacked-Beam Deck Flooring System
 1. Stacked-Beam Deck Flooring System

 The stacked deck plate-deck beam-main girder system (fig. a)

 results in heavier decks but requires much less labour to
build it.
 If the deck width < 80 ft  the deck beams could be ordered
from the manufacturers as single pieces, assembled stacked
over the main deck girder, plated/grated over, lifted and
installed over the pre-fabricated deck legs and braces  much
lower fabrication costs.
 The deck plate loads are transferred to the deck beams.
 Deck beam spacing  dictated by the wellhead spacing.
 Beams  are generally placed at equal spacing, spanning the
space between the main deck trusses (or main deck girders).
1. Deck Buta
 1. Stacked-Beam Deck Flooring System
 A standard GoM platform drilling rig  the skid beam spacing
 dictates the deck leg spacing for a drilling platform or
module.
 Placing the deck legs  directly underneath the skid beams
 facilitates direct transfer of the high rig and drilling loads
onto the column tops, resulting in an efficient structural
system.
 Most GoM drilling platform:
 Have 40 ft skid beam spacing.
 Use of cantilevers to gain additional deck space  Most
efficient cantilevers span  1/2 the lengths of the deck
spans.
 GoM platform deck footprints  80 ft by 80 ft four legged
and 120 ft by 80 ft eight-legged.
2. A Two-way Framed (Orthotropic) Plate-Beam
Approach

 The deck plate, deck beam & truss upper (lower) chord 
are replaced by a continuously welded plate/beam system.
 The plate carries the direct loads along its span while it
functions as top flange of the deck beam and the main
girder system.
 Lightweight but expensive structures  because of the
extensive cutting, fitting and welding requirements.
 Popular in deepwater fixed or floating platforms 
Compliant Tower platforms (CPT), Tension Leg Platforms
(TLP), SPARS and Semi-submersible floating vessels (SSV)
 the deck weight may drive the platform cost.
2. Two-way (Orthotropic) Deck Framing Details
 3. Factors affecting
Offshore Platform Deck Types

1. Operational requirements,
2. The fabrication infrastructure,
3. Installation equipment availability.
 1. Operational requirements

Operational requirements dictate:

• The general deck size, and
• Configuration (number of deck levels and their
layout, etc.).

Example:
A need for a fully integrated drilling and
production system would dictate  vertical and
horizontal layering of the deck structure  to
provide an efficient operation + providing an
acceptable level of human and environmental
safety.
 2. The fabrication infrastructure
Fabrication facilities and labour:
If fabrication facilities and skilled labor are not
available  the economics may dictate building
deck:
 in smaller pieces & modules

This approach may increases:

 steel weight;
 offshore construction time and cost,
 while the expense of investing in a major
fabrication yard may be avoided.
 2. The fabrication infrastructure
Fabrication facilities and labour:
If fabrication infrastructure and equipment are
readily available:
 Design the deck as an integrated single
piece structure, or
 as a Module Support Frame (MSF)
supporting few large modules.
3. Installation equipment availability

• Deck  in smaller pieces & modules 

assembling these offshore using low-capacity
offshore lifting equipment available.
• The “integrated deck”  be installed in site
using [Cotrell and Adrian, 2001]:
– High capacity lifting cranes,
– A float-over deck installation approach.
3.a. A float-over deck installation process

• The fully integrated or a large module is

loaded out onto a large transportation
vessel(s) and transported to the installation
site as a single piece.
• At the installation site, the deck is floated over
and then lowered on the support structure by
ballasting the vessel.
• Alternatively, for the case of a floating
support structure, the support structure may
be de-ballasted to pick up the deck.