ALBERT

Description: For the design of structures we need to select design safety levels to ensure structures shall safely operate and not collapse. These levels are given in relevant safety standards. For these levels we need to identify the actions and ensure that we design according to recognized codes. The objective of this technical note is to shed light on the identification of the design action due to waves to ensure that the design action events be incorporated in the design phase of the structures. The approach used in this technical note is to give a description of an actual extreme event, discuss the efforts and research that was undertaken to explain the event, investigate wave conditions which possibly could have been present at the day of the event, and present a challenge and suggestion for wave tanks to ensure that design action events really are identified during wave tank experiments. We will, in particular, discuss the need for modelling of nonlinear waves to ensure that the action effects from waves are properly identified.

Description: This paper considers the issue of associated petroleum gas utilization during hydrocarbon production in remote petroleum fields. Due to the depletion of conventional oil and gas deposits around the globe, production shifts to hard-to-recover resources, such as heavy and high-viscosity oil that requires a greater amount of energy to be recovered. At the same time, large quantities of associated petroleum gas are extracted along with the oil. The gas can be utilized as a fuel for power generation. However, even the application of combined power modes (combined heat and power and combined cooling heat and power) cannot guarantee full utilization of the associated petroleum gas. Analysis of the electrical and heat loads’ graphs of several oil fields revealed that the generated thermal energy could not always be fully used. To improve the efficiency of the fuel’s energy potential conversion, an energy system with a binary power generation cycle was developed, consisting of two power installations—a main gas microturbine and an auxiliary steam turbine unit designed to power the technological objects in accordance with the enterprise’s power load charts. To provide for the most complete utilization of associated petroleum gas, a gas-to-liquid system is introduced, which converts the rest of the gas into synthetic liquid hydrocarbons that are used at the field. Processing of gas into various products also lowers the carbon footprint of the petroleum production. Application of an energy system with a binary power generation cycle makes it possible to achieve an electrical efficiency up to 55%, at the same time maintaining high efficiency of consumers’ energy supply during the year. The utilization of the associated petroleum gas in the developed system can reach 100%.

Description: The time required for rescue is a critical factor for surviving a marine incident. The regulatory framework, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Polar Code, utilizes a risk-based approach. It states that the vessel operators are to define the time required for rescue but never less than 5 days. Based on experience from the classification society DNV GL, utilization of the minimum requirement of five days is the current industry standard when conducting risk assessments. The dimensioning of search and rescue resources is a national issue. There are no international requirements defining the adequacy of the resources for different geographical areas. The remoteness and lack of resources present within the IMO Polar Code area imposes a significant challenge for mariners in distress. The time required for rescue is highly dependent on multiple variables. Based on this study, the number of persons to be rescued, the number and type of evacuation platforms and the distance each evacuation platform must travel significantly impacts the time required for rescue. In addition, the meteorological and oceanographical (metocean) conditions play a significant role when determining the efficiency of a search and rescue operation.