Structural Integrity
Technical Bulletin 2016

The papers in this section present the breadth of Bureau Veritas structural integrity expertise, and the advanced methods and tools that we apply to assure integrity of structures over their lifecycle.

Currently, gas projects, especially potential FLNG projects, are driving development in the offshore industry. However, with no long-term operational data or experience to draw from, most operators are waiting for the results of the first in-service projects to validate the economic model of FLNG units. The first paper in this section presents an overview of the burgeoning FLNG market, and details how Bureau Veritas is providing a reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) assessment-based method to adjust FLNG project economic models, helping ensure reliable, safe designs and optimum returns on investment.

Reflecting financial and asset integrity management priorities and more stringent environmental regulation, structural integrity methodologies inspired by the aerospace industry have emerged in the offshore energy industry and are being integrated into asset life-cycle management, from the development phase to decommissioning. This is the subject of the second paper in this section, which focuses specifically on subsea systems. The proliferation of ultra-deep water (over 1,500m) and subsea processing technologies in the last decade has placed a focus on the performance of subsea components. Reducing the risk of component failure in deep water is critical – in terms of cost, environmental impact and reputation. The paper details how reliability techniques from the aerospace industry can provide added value in subsea system development and management, helping drive design improvements and mitigate deep water risks.

The conversion of tankers to FPSOs requires modifications that, generally, have little impact on the existing structure, with the exception of FPSOs that are destined for operation in colder waters. In these cases, a complete change of steel grade is required, from Grade A to Grade B. In reality it is obviously meaningless to replace all material just because material certificates,  considering that the actual steel grades provided by steelmakers are usually stronger than required. This should however be properly shown: the third paper details a statistical approach to evaluating actual steel toughness with limited sampling that has been investigated by Bureau Veritas.

Asset integrity management and structural integrity management are improving thanks to risk-based methods that can improve unit reliability and maintenance while reducing OPEX costs. Bureau Veritas is developing dedicated asset integrity and structural integrity tools and methodologies for both fixed and floating platforms, covering the complete life cycle of units – from design to decommissioning and, in particular, the operational phase – and the next two papers focus on these subjects.

Outside the scope of the oil and gas industry, structural integrity methodologies can also be applied to critical marine sectors, such as the transportation of dangerous goods in inland waterways. In this context, Bureau Veritas has developed a collision analysis tool, SHARP, which can be used more effectively than finite element modeling calculations to assess alternative design of inland waterway vessels for compliance with the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways (ADN). This is detailed in the final paper of the section.

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