O&G Platform Repair

Storms in the Gulf of Mexico

Weather conditions offshore are often incredibly harsh and – whilst offshore infrastructure is designed to be extremely robust – storms, hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions can cause damage to structures. In some years, particularly extreme weather can cause all sorts of problems, and there have been periods when a series of large hurricanes have battered offshore infrastructure along the south coast of America.

The Gulf of Mexico is a significant site for the global energy sector and is home to a large number of oil and gas fields and their associated platforms, hubs and pipelines. In a typical year, structures in the Gulf of Mexico face a certain amount of ‘expected weathering’ and companies can expect to face around 5 days of named-storm downtime in any one year. However, from time to time the weather in that region is much worse than expected and causes significantly more impact, with almost a month of named-storm downtime in a single year! At times like these, when there is so much storm damage, it is important that repairs are conducted efficiently and expertly, both for the safety of crews working offshore, and for the continued supply of oil and gas to keep things running onshore!

 

O&G Platform Repair

In one such year, FoundOcean took on an IRM (Inspection, Repair and Maintenance) project on one of the platforms in the GoM, not named in this article.

During the extreme weather conditions, waves had slammed into the topside of the platform as well as tidal and wave action damaging the supporting structure beneath. As a result, this had become bent out of shape and urgently needed to be fixed.

This platform was extremely large and heavy, and the size of the structure played a part in how we approached the task. Once the effects of the storm had been assessed, it was decided by the operator that multiple members in the foundation structure should be strengthened.

FoundOcean’s expertise was called upon to mix and install the most appropriate grouts for the repair. To do so, injection ports were created by drilling into the hollow legs at intervals. When we were ready to commence filling, this made for a very efficient process as we could grout much larger sections at a time. 

The FoundOcean technicians filled the members with a modified grout mixed for higher strength and workability. To further improve project efficiency, we added a plasticiser to keep the cementitious matter fluid and prevent it from setting too quickly, allowing us to fill larger sections in a single operation than would otherwise have been possible with a ‘neat’ standard grout.

 

Our expertise

The repair work required different grouts to be mixed for different parts of the structure. As well as the varied strengths of cementitious liquid, we also used a variety of pumping durations to suit the different sizes of members.

FoundOcean’s knowledge and years of experience meant that the Operator could rest assured that the repaired members was to the quality and specification that was required for ongoing offshore operations – incredibly important in a region which will continue to face stormy conditions. The stability of the supporting structure not only ensures the safety of personnel working on the platform above but also avoids disruption to the transport system delivering crude oil onshore.

Our expertise in asset life extension supports the energy sector by ensuring that offshore infrastructure can continue to operate safely and withstand the wild weather it may see in its lifetime.

 

For more information on FoundOcean’s experience and capabilities, contact the team on +44 1506 440330 or email info@foundocean.com