Despite current worldwide economic uncertainties, global E&P spending is forecast to rise 11% in 2011 to $490 billion from $442 billion in 2010. For many operators, platform hookup and commissioning (HUC) will be one of the final offshore project activities before the company begins to receive a return on its massive capital investment. There is therefore intense pressure for HUC to be delivered successfully, on time, and to budget.

While topsides installation is probably the most logistically challenging part of a HUC project, a wide range of vital support services is required before and after this step, prior to beginning production. Offshore regulations set the minimum standards and specifications required for materials including coatings, insulation, and passive fire protection, while NDT (non-destructive testing), heat treatment, and weld inspection must be carried out to ensure the platform and all of its components are safe to operate.

With much of the work being carried out offshore, issues such as bedding limitations and manpower planning have the potential to delay the project completion and the return on investment. Companies that can deploy multi-disciplined teams to execute varied work scopes are increasingly being contracted due to the efficiencies and effectiveness they can bring to a project.

A multidisciplined rope access technician erects underdeck scaffolding. (Images courtesy of RBG)

History of hook-ups

Technology innovations and changes in platform design mean the work scopes of today differ greatly from previous decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, platforms were constructed from a number of pre-fabricated modules that were assembled offshore. This meant operators were spending significant sums on materials, equipment for the transport and installation of the modules – such as heavy lift cranes and barges – and high levels of design revisions and engineering project man hours.

In the 1980s, to lower this significant outlay and improve efficiency, operators looked to reduce the size and scale of operating platforms. The platforms were re-engineered to provide a single integrated deck that could be installed onto the jacket in a single lift rather than in separate modules. This significantly improved safety by reducing the number of hazardous operations carried out and lowered costs – with only 150-300 workers required to execute the project (half the number for an old platform design HUC project).

Innovation

While the new platform design reduced the number of man hours required for the main activities, such as electrical, welding, piping, and rigging, the industry’s move to make platforms safer introduced a new range of complex work scopes that required an innovative way of working. Rope access solutions were developed so multi-disciplined technicians could install deluge sprinkler systems without having to erect scaffolding, while electrical teams could install fire alarm systems as opposed to contracting out a third party. Deploying a team of multi-skilled personnel that can deliver a range of expert integrated services reduces the pressure on bed space and travel logistics and provides integral cost-efficient services.

Product innovation also has played a major role in the advancement of HUC projects in recent years. Working with suppliers and manufacturers, RBG has introduced a range of new technology to its HUC product portfolio. One such innovation is the ULVA Shield, a lightweight nonmetallic insulation cladding that provides weatherproof coating to any pipework. Metal cladding was used in the offshore sector for many years; however, due to leak paths, corrosion under insulation was a significant problem that could result in unscheduled shutdowns for maintenance. A fully sealed nonmetallic system, such as ULVA Shield, reduces this risk and the likely impact of disruption to production.

Issues

Planning is critical to successful HUC. Materials for passive fire protection and coatings have to be ordered approximately six to seven months in advance. Reviewing product specifications can potentially reduce costs. For example, certain types of paint require fewer coats than others but are equally effective.

Labor and equipment requirements also are a major part of the planning process. Support contractors must ensure they have the right number of workers for each position with the correct safety certification, premobilization training, and competency standards. Ensuring the correct equipment is available for activities such as blasting, heat treatment, and insulation installation also is crucial. For companies that have their own plant inventory such as RBG, this is a far easier task than subcontracting to a third party.

RBG carried out HUC on Nexen’s Buzzard PS platform (right) in the Outer Moray Firth area of the central North Sea.

Putting multidiscipline support to work

The benefit of using multidisciplined support services was proven for Nexen when RBG carried out the HUC of its Buzzard PS platform in the North Sea. The Buzzard field was discovered in 2001 and came onstream in early 2007. The initial development comprised three platforms. The Buzzard PS was commissioned after development drilling resulted in more well-to-well variability in the concentration of hydrogen sulfide. An additional platform with production-sweetening facilities was required.

In preparation for the Buzzard PS installation, RBG was contracted to provide fabric maintenance services, such as scaffolding access, insulation painting, and passive fire protection, as part of a brownfield modifications program for the three existing platforms. Activity focused on the three bridges linking the installations, which enclose all of the relevant piping and spooling between the platforms and are the focal point for electrical tie-ins.

The Buzzard PS topsides was fabricated at Heerema Fabrication Group’s Hartlepool yard. The topsides left the yard on schedule and was transported to its location in the North Sea in May 2010. Prior to this, four RBG engineers measured the work scopes that were to be completed in the HUC phase. The complex and varied work scope included similar fabric maintenance activity to that previously executed for the other three platforms, as well as deck services, weld inspection, heat treatment, and NDT (nondestructive testing) inspection.

The company had a manning profile of 100 people for the hookup phase, which took place from May to October 2010. Given the wide range of other engineering activity being carried out by non-RBG personnel and limitations on manning levels, there was a severe limitation on bed availability. To ensure the work scope was delivered in the most efficient manner, RBG deployed multidisciplined rope access engineers who performed their required services without the need for additional scaffold provision. In total, RBG delivered more than 280,000 man hours of integral activity on the project with no serious incidents.