The 5th Norway – Russia Arctic Offshore Workshop
“Joint Research and Innovation for the Petroleum industry working in the Arctic”, Murmansk 16th June 2010
Ove T Gudmestad
University of Stavanger, Stavanger
NTNU, Trondheim

• When relevant?
– Arctic shipping
– Drilling in cold climate
– Marine support operations in cold climate
– Production of oil and gas in cold climate
– Oil and gas transport in cold climate
– Etc.
• Where?
– Barents Sea South (our new area where Russia and
Norway will cooperate on development issues)
– Barents Sea North; Shtokman
– Pechora Sea
– Kara Sea
– Sakalin
– Northern Sea Route
– Etc.

• Effects of ice accretion on protection of personnel, safety of vessels and rig, :
– Stability of vessel due to icing
– Operability and adequacy of evacuation equipment
– Stability and operability of support vessels
– Unpredictable weather forecasts in case of polar low pressures
• Cold temperature effects
– Materials for cold climate, steel, plastics etc
– Operation of ballast water (below sea level, use of air bubbles)
– Operations of fire water
• Working climate
– Needs for enclosed space
– Concerns regarding ventilation requirements when hydrocarbons can get locked into enclosed space
– Large energy requirements
– Ergonometric design, danger of slips and falls

• Mechanical equipment design and operations
– Temperature effects
• Materials selection
• Lubrication
• Equipment handling, deicing
– Operability when icing occurs
• Operation of electric equipment
– Insulation design
• Instrumentation
– Icing
– Low temperature effects
– Need to be placed in enclosed areas
• Deicing
– Heat tracing
– Use of chemicals?

Requirements:
•Use experience
•Use qualified technology
•Apply risk approaches
•Be systematic and thorough
Ref: M. Mejlænder-Larsen, DNV

• Winterizing may be achieved by a variety of techniques:
– elimination of pockets or dead ended pipes or legs in piping and design of piping to be self-draining;
– maintaining a flow in lines (such as fire water mains and cooling water branch lines) which are sometimes filled with static liquid;
– insulation;
– protective heating, generally combined with insulation; heating may be internal (e.g. when heating components are within a tank or vessel) or external (e.g. when heat tracing tapes are on instrumentation and piping);
– use of an enclosure, generally accompanied by heating from an internal heating element or by a heating/ventilation system;
– use of chemical or mechanical seals on instrumentation;
– use of wind walls to reduce rate of heat loss;
– addition of chemicals (methanol, for example) to reduce the freezing point of material.

• Agip Norge is developing the Goliat field offshore
Hammerfest
• Topside winterization is a key to operations

© Sevan Marine

• Protection of personnel (and equipment) against wind, low temperatures, rain, sleet, hail, snow and icing
• Areas not exposed to hydrocarbons will be 100% enclosed.
• Process areas will have weather tight roof and perforated walls to ensure ventilation
• Large benefits to working environment; weather protection, heated work areas and safer material handling
• Emphasis on wind walls
• REF: www.pilottaskforce.co.uk/files/workgro up/2353.pptx

Displacements:
Operating, 23 m draft: 64 500 mt
Survival,19 m harsh environment: 59 600 mt
Transit: 44 500 mt

Aker H-6e Winterization DESIGN ISSUE FROM DAY ONE:
•Normally manned working areas kept indoors
•Pipe and cable routing kept indoors
•Maximum use of the double bottom
•Weather protected maintenance and inspection areas
•Cladding of Ram Rig and moon pool area
•Heat tracing of critical equipment and systems, escape routes, safety equipment, muster areas
•Heating units on drill floor and moon pool
•Steam service outlets for de-icing
•Heating medium system for frost protection
•Protection of EIT equipment
•Insulation of rooms and compartments
Ref: Aker H-6e Drilling Semi Submersible for Deep Water and Harsh
Environment, Pål Lindstad, 29 March 2006

• Winterization for outfitting systems can be considered as an essential difference in the design process to guarantee safe operation in cold environments.
• Koo, Choi and Ha of Samsung reported at OMAE 2010 from a study for Gazflot: WINTERIZATION TECHNIQUES
FOR SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE RIG OPERATING IN THE
ARCTIC OCEAN
• Their study concentrated on winterization of derrick and drilling deck space that have large opening areas to transport drilling, subsea equipments, and risers
– Much of the equipment require a minimum temperature of about minus 20 degree of Celsius to guarantee normal operations under the lowest operating ambient weather condition of minus 30 degree of Celsius.
– The possible optimum solutions were proposed by suggesting wind wall design with openings for ventilation and by finding locations and quantities of heaters and blowers considering local temperature and air change rate to satisfy hazardous guide.

• This rig was designed to go on working under the lowest outdoor temperature of minus -30 degree of Celsius, equipment to be designed for -
20 degrees
• Number of air exchanges per unit time
Derrick and Drill Floor without
Wind Wall and with

• Q =UA(T o
− T i
)
• U is the overall heat transfer coefficient and its unit is W / m 2 K
• Calculated to 3200 kW for the rig

7) Studies by students from Acergy, May 2010, course:
“Cold climate marine operations”
• Belousov: Offshore Pipelay in Arctic Conditions
• Heng: Umbilical installation in the Barents Sea
• Milch: Chukchi Sea Petroleum Development
• Rudi Moi: Pipeline Landfall in Arctic Areas
• Nygaard: Marine installation works and operations to support possible Oil and Gas field developments Offshore of West
Greenland
• Pakkan: Polar Lows, Extreme Value Analysis of Maximum Polar
Low Wind Speeds between 1999 and 2010 and Implications of
Polar Lows on Marine Operations
• Serck-Hanssen: Hyperbaric evacuation in the north
• Sletten: IMR Vessel Requirements – Shtokman Field
• Torheim: Secure launch of lifeboat in cold climate. Looking into requirements for winterization
• Wathne: Winterization of vessels for cold climate operations
• Westrum: Trenching of Subsea Pipelines in Arctic. Protection against ice gouging from ice ridges

Study by student from Norwegian Petroleum Safety
Authority, May 2010. Course: “Cold climate marine operations”
• Sigurd R. Jacobsen: Evacuation from Petroleum Facilities
Operating in the Barents Sea
• Preliminary recommendations:
– Third generation rapid response rescue vessels are recommended as standby vessels in the Barents Sea.
Response to ice accretion must be investigated for these vessels
– Freefall lifeboats are recommended for the Barents Sea in the areas where ice is not expected
– The effect of ice accretion on lifeboat stability could be of concern
– The effect of ice accretion on rescue and stand by vessels should be investigated
– The adequacy of thermal insulation should be evaluated for all evacuation and survival equipment that is intended for use in the Barents Sea

– Improved technology for drilling of (deepwater) wells
– Focus on setting casing and cementing
– Improved BOP technology (automatic shut in)
– Stricter rules for compliancy with regulations
– Thorough and real risk assessments
– Attention to emergency operations and clean up
– Attention to operator’s responsibilities
– Focus on documented competence
– Particular attention to safe operations in Cold climate
Pictures Boston Globe: