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Offshore Oil and Gas Engineering
Analysis Services |
| Your
Offshore Engineering Analysis Requirements |
| If you are looking for a consultant to
look after all of your analytical requirements, or to carry out complex analysis, CREA Consultants Ltd (CREA)
can provide the service you require. Our primary experience is structural and mechanical,
however, we can provide other engineering analysis services through associated companies. If
you have a requirement for engineering analysis, but don't have sufficient continuity of
work for a full time analysis department, then the running costs for analysis can
represent a significant overhead. In addition to staff, hardware and software costs, there
is the balance to be drawn between paying to keep your facility up to date, and risking
falling behind with your analysis capability. CREA
can help solve the problem by providing part or all of your analysis requirements. For
instance, we run ANSYS, one of
the worlds most advanced Finite Element Analysis programs, which is updated on a six
monthly development cycle. Our aim is to have equipment, or access to equipment, which can
use ANSYS to the best
advantage of our clients. [CREA ANSYS capability.] ANSYS can be used for all levels of analysis, from
basic stressing to full non-linear dynamic analysis. If you have your own stress or design
department and feel the need to add advanced analysis, CREA
can fill the gap by carrying out or assisting with advanced analysis.
CREA work closely with the
client's own design engineers when carrying out analysis tasks to ensure that product
history and special requirements are taken into account. If necessary CREA engineers can carry out the
design. Engineering analysis should always include hand calculation and/or simple computer
solutions to scope the advanced analysis. The well known concept of faster computers
making errors faster has to be considered at all times. |
| Structural
Analysis |
| CREA
engineering analysts have analysed a wide variety of offshore structures using data from a
variety of programs. As the regulatory aspects of construction become more stringent, it
is increasing important to be able to predict structural response to extreme conditions
and hazards, including (follow links for more information) wind, wave, seismic, temperature range, impact,
vibration, fire and explosion. (See also Seismic &
Vibration Response Analysis). Since it is not a practical proposition to test many
structures to measure response to extreme events, such as the 1 in 10,000 year return
period environmental conditions, FE analysis in collaboration with careful design is an
ideal means of carrying out the assessment. Many safety authorities will accept FE results
as a part of a safety case to demonstrate response to extreme conditions, especially where
testing is impracticable. We have extensive experience in the use of the non-linear offshore structural program USFOS (Ultimate Strength
For Offshore Structures) and can provide several services related to
it's use.
Fire and blast protection of structures can be expensive both in terms of installation
and maintenance. It is possible to optimise the quantity of material used to reduce costs,
and the need for the structure to carry what is effectively redundant mass. These
reductions are more cost effective on large process structures composed principally of
steel components, which operate in extreme or hostile conditions. Offshore oil and gas
production facilities are prime examples. |
| Component
Analysis |
| All structures and machines are composed
of components, the failure of any one of which could lead to global failure. In an
increasingly demanding consumer society, low cost - high reliability, there is advantage
in being able to design components which are being used as close as possible to their
optimum. CREA can
provide analysis of components to help achieve an optimum design with reduced physical
testing. As with larger structures, components need to be able to resist extreme
loading, sometimes these loads are seen by the component and not the full structure. Many
safety authorities will accept FE results as a part of a safety case to demonstrate
response to extreme conditions, especially where testing is impracticable.
Optimisation of mass produced components can save money in terms of production such
that the analysis cost is quickly recovered. FE analysis can also be used to quickly
consider all loading conditions to identify regions with low utilisation, identify areas
which may be susceptible to fatigue, or to identify unexpected loading responses.
FE analysis can also be used to design or redesign castings, pressings and fabrications
to improve utilisation, review the manufacture process or to identify causes
of failure. Design review and modification can follow. |
| Trouble
Shooting |
| Trouble shooting takes many forms, but
usually involves investigation of failure, poor performance or means of reducing cost. CREA engineers
have a background in trouble shooting to resolve many diverse problems. (See also Seismic and Vibration Analysis) Typical projects include:
The cause of the loss of monitoring equipment in a drill string, 2 miles underground,
where all that was recovered was a fractured stud and wear marks on the drill collar.
The calculation of an explosion overpressure by reproducing the structure failure modes
using a non-linear, dynamic FE model of the structure.
Trouble shooting can extend to resolution of problems with
analysis models, analysis procedures and the writing and use of
computer programs. |
| Computer
Program Interaction |
| There is an increasing number of
specialist computer programs written to solve specific tasks in the design and safety
assessment of offshore structures. Increasingly it is necessary to transfer data from one
to another, for instance, a model of a structure may he a SACS model for the topside and
an ASAS model for the jacket, with a requirement to use USFOS to carry out a ship impact
and pushover analyses. CREA can provide assistance in
providing data transfer mechanisms between program to reduce the chance of generating
errors. Error creeps into models which are transferred by hand, or it is considered
necessary to reduce translation error by simplifying models. Our approach is to write
management software which will control the data transfer and if necessary alter the model
detail between phases. Our software will also maintain and store cross reference lists
between models to aid checking and checking. Once written, software will be able to carry
out the same process for the next job, and it can of course be incrementally modified to
carry out other new tasks. Using TCP/IP networking, processes can be carried out on
different machines, USFOS on a work station and SACS on a PC say. |
CREA Consultants:-
"Your" Engineering Analysis Department |
Engineering
Analysis & Design | Offshore Oil and Gas Structural Analysis
| Dynamic Analysis (Seismic, Vibration)
Fire and Explosion Response Analysis | Thermal
Analysis | Safety Engineering
ANSYS Consultancy & Analysis | USFOS
Consultancy & Analysis | DynaTool | Programming for Engineering Analysis
Computing Training & Advice | About
CREA Consultants | Please Sign Our Visitors Book
© CREA Consultants Ltd,
High Peak, UK Last Updated 05 Jan 2002
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