Handling of hydrocarbons and equipment of an offshore platform
AssigneeEquinor Energy AS
InventorsBjarne Alexander Solberg, Magne Bjørkhaug, Dagfinn Krøger
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Abstract
A method for handling of hydrocarbons on an offshore platform includes the absence of emergency depressurisation for a fire. The method includes arranging the platform such that there is no mechanism for emergency depressurisation of a hydrocarbon inventory of the platform in the event of a fire, restricting the size of the platform such that evacuation of personnel can be achieved prior to escalation of a fire due to the lack of emergency depressurization, and permitting a fire to escalate by combustion of the hydrocarbon inventory after evacuation of the personnel.
Claims20
A method for handling of hydrocarbons on an offshore platform, the method comprising:
- arranging the platform such that there is no mechanism for emergency depressurisation of a hydrocarbon inventory of the platform in the event of a fire;
- restricting the size of the platform such that evacuation of personnel can be achieved prior to escalation of a fire due to the lack of emergency depressurisation;
- determining a maximum permitted evacuation time based on an estimate of the expected time for escalation of the fire, and then using this time to determine what size of platform can be permitted in combination with the absence of emergency depressurisation;
- and
- permitting a fire to escalate by combustion of the hydrocarbon inventory after evacuation of the personnel.
A platform for an offshore oil and gas installation, the platform comprising:
- equipment and piping associated with the oil and gas installation;
- a hydrocarbon inventory including hydrocarbons in the equipment and piping;
- and
- no mechanism for emergency depressurisation of a hydrocarbon inventory of the platform in the event of a fire;
- wherein the size of the platform is restricted such that evacuation of personnel can be achieved prior to escalation of a fire by determining a maximum permitted evacuation time based on an estimate of the expected time for escalation of the fire, and then using this time to determine what size of platform can be permitted due to the lack of emergency depressurisation;
- and
- the platform is arranged to permit a fire to escalate by combustion of the hydrocarbon inventory after evacuation of the personnel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.