Production • Processing • Handling
Fig. 1. The Arctic for example, presents challenges in the prediction of weather and ice flow patterns for the design of FPSOs and transport systems.
Optimising FPSOs in extreme environments
Wojciech Misiag explains the importance of understanding the environmental conditions at a site in order to determine when offloading operations need to be suspended or when an offloading tanker needs to be disconnected.
Wojciech Misiag explica la importancia de comprender las condiciones medioambientales de un lugar para determinar cuando deberían suspenderse las operaciones de descarga o cuando debe desconectarse un depósito de descarga.
Wojciech Misiag erklärt, warum man die Bedingungen vor Ort kennen muss, um über eine Unterbrechung von Lagervorgängen oder das Losmachen eines Lagerschiffes zu entscheiden.
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il and gas companies continue to move into new and increasingly harsh and remote environments to meet the world’s
growing demand for energy. For example, the potential wealth of natural resources in the Arctic is leading organisations to show an increased interest in this region. However, exploring new frontiers, as well as constructing new facilities carries risks and underlines the importance of understanding, mitigating and managing the associated operational risks. Optimising the design, operability and safety of FPSOs (Floating Production Storage Offloading vessels) is one such area that must be duly considered. Deepwater oil and gas resources are
an important part of the energy mix, especially in the US, where offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico has reversed a 23-year trend of declining domestic oil production. According to a new assessment by the US Geographical
Survey released earlier this year, 75% of the world’s undiscovered, technically recoverable conventional oil, (exclusive of the US) is in four regions: South America and the Caribbean; sub-Saharan Africa; the Middle East and North Africa and the Arctic provinces portion of North America. Although these regions represent the
richest areas of energy resource, they also signify the most challenging operational environments for oil and gas companies. As well as tropical storms and hurricanes in areas such as the Caribbean for example, the harsh winter weather in the Arctic continues to be the most dangerous and expensive place for oil and gas exploration. Equipment must be specially designed to withstand the frigid temperatures and limited transportation access and long supply lines can significantly reduce the available options, whilst increasing costs. Higher salaries are also required in order to attract personnel to work in such an isolated and inhospitable area.
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