A report by Norwegian researchers SINTEF has revealed that a lack of knowledge, standards and procedures is the greatest hindrance to extending the life of oil platforms in the North Sea, where facilities have defied waves and salt for decades.

The SINTEF report drew some fire. It suggests a comprehensive look at a platform’s systems be underaken and, step-by-step, everything from wells, risers, topsides and safety systems be evaluated along with building methods and production histories.

But a ConocoPhillips expert cautioned against producing exhaustive field reports and suggested “age is not a design parameter for many systems” and that some key parts would simply outlast the whole. A costly look at structures, he argued, might only reveal the oil company had long ago repaired cracks.

“The (SINTEF) report basically suggests a "risk analysis (or) safety case" be undertaken to assess current and future states of the ageing system,” Conoco facility expert Mamdouh Salama said in a presentation.

He said SINTEF was right to point out very little consistent risk-based assessments were being made at present.

SINTEF, in line with other risk and safety players in Norway, suggests careful monitoring, regular inspections, testing be a fact of life for older platforms. Although, researchers warned the industry was hardpressed to produce routines for modifications and repairs when installed products adhered to there own standards, a fact admitted by the industry.

“The oil industry is not known for sticking to one standard, and it’s like a poision from top to bottom,” Kongsberg Intellifield chief exec Bjørge Kolstad was quoted by Scandoil.com affiliate Scandinavian Oil-Gas Magazine in October.

In an attempt to show rig owners how aging drill rigs can work in Norway, classification society DNV has produced a step-by-step standardization instructions. The company also has a wellhead standard in the works for older installations based on stress histories.

Tags: DNV