Introduction to Offshore Structures - Offshore Structures: Design, Construction and Maintenance - page 20

two additional inclined members as a support for the pile. Furthermore, in the last
20 years many projects have used concrete gravity platforms fabricated from rein-
forced concrete, and there is a lot of research into these platform types.
Besides the types of offshore structures that are used in oil and gas projects,
we need to focus on the economics and policy decisions that guide and direct
the projects.
Worldwide, the relationship between multinational companies in the petroleum
industry and the countries that have oil and gas reserves is usually in the form of an
agreement. It is just as important for structural engineers to focus on this relation-
ship as on stresses, strain, structural analysis, codes and design standards, which
are the main elements of the structural engineer s job, but not all that their job

entails. Creation of a structural configuration that matches the engineering office

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knowledge and capability with the owner s expectations is also a big factor. The

contractors, the engineering firm and the engineering staff from the owner

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nization have to be on the same page to achieve the owner ' s target and goals.

s target and goals are based on business targets and profits,
the expected oil and gas reserve, expected oil and gas prices and the last impor-
tant factor, the country that owns the land and the reserves. Therefore, the terms
and conditions of, and the political situation in, the country will directly affect
investment in the project. Consequently, any engineer working on the project
should keep in mind an overview of all the constraints on the project, because
these constraints affect the engineering solutions, options and alternative
designs. In fact, this overview is very important knowledge for all staff, from
senior management down to the junior level.

The organization '

1.8 PREVIEW OF THIS TOPIC
Load calculation is the first step in a structural analysis. Loads on platforms are
usually defined based on the owner s specifications. The studies that govern the

loads and other technical practices are discussed in detail in Chapter 2 .
In order to design a steel structural platform, one must understand the prin-
ciples of steel structure design, the effects of environmental and other loads on
offshore structures and how designs are governed by API and ISO standards.
These concepts are discussed in Chapter 3 .
The foundation is very critical to the safety of the structure, but the foundation
is subject to many variations and uncertainties. Therefore, Chapter 4 presents
methods for assessing the pile capacity for offshore structures on sand and clay
soil. All the tools and data required to estimate pile capacity are illustrated.
The construction of an offshore structure is very costly. So the fabrication,
erection, launch and installation of the platform are discussed in detail in
Chapter 5 .
Corrosion protection for an offshore structure is very critical, and an appro-
priate system needs to be chosen for both existing structures and retrofitting
projects. There are different types of cathodic protection, and design of the

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