Project
The USD 3 million project required Zakum Development Company (ZADCO) to evaluate and reinstate the structural integrity of an Abu Dhabi wellhead platform for resuming oil production after a ship collision. To perform the assessment and just
ify the resulting insurance claim, ZADCO needed to prepare a structural design brief, model pile soil interaction to determine safety of the platform and piles and simulate the collision and post impact behavior of the structure. Given the varying hardness of the soil, uncertain vessel speed data, and an outdated model, ZADCO needed to utilize offshore modeling and analysis software to accurately assess the damage.
Solution
ZADCO relied on Bentley SACS to perform iterative modeling and analysis, accurately simulate the impact, and identify potential threats to the integrity of the platform. Approximate vessel speed was estimated by comparing the local damages against measured damages. Using Bentley’s comprehensive, integrated software, ZADCO carried out preliminary ship impact analysis in house, optimized the inspection scope, and identified critical subsea nodes to help understand the post-impact behavior of the platform to help determine the repairs needed in order to resume oil production.
Outcome
Using Bentley SACS to perform preliminary ship impact analysis in house, while outsourcing the detailed engineering, ZADCO reduced project time and costs. Identification of critical subsea nodes optimized inspection, reducing inspection time from 64 to 18 working days. Understanding post impact behavior and determining potential threats to the integrity of the platform mitigated risk, improved safety, and prevented further damage to the facility and the marine environment. ZADCO’s work in SACS resulted in an early release of the platform back to operations and enabled the company to justify the insurance claims.
Software
Bentley SACS provided ZADCO the comprehensive, iterative design and modeling capabilities necessary to evaluate and reinstate the structural integrity of the wellhead platform for resuming oil production ahead of schedule. The SACS Collapse module helped accurately analyze and simulate the ship impact, identifying critical nodes that reduced inspection dive time by 75 percent. Using SACS for its assessment enabled ZADCO to understand the post impact behavior and determine potential threats to the integrity of the platform, effectively mitigating environmental risk and improving overall operation. Read the case study.
