Calibration of Deterministic Parameters

Abstract

The Arabian Gulf oil and gas production reserves have made it one of the world's strategic producers since the early 1960s, with many of the existing platforms stretched beyond their original design life. Advances in drilling technology and reservoir assessments have extended the requirement for the service life of those existing platforms even further. Extension of the life span of an existing platform requires satisfactory reassessment of its various structural components, including piled foundations.

The American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 2A (API RP2A) is commonly used in the Arabian Gulf for reassessment of existing platforms. The API guidelines have been developed for conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, the waters off Alaska and the Pacific and Atlantic seaboards of the USA. However, the Arabian Gulf conditions are fundamentally different to those encountered in US waters. Hence, there is a need to develop guidelines for reassessment of existing offshore structures to account for the specific conditions of the Arabian Gulf.

This thesis performs statistical analyses on databases collected during this research from existing platforms to calibrate relevant load and resistance factors for the required guidelines. The developed guidelines are based on established approaches used in developing international codes and standards such as API RP2A-LRFD. The outcome of this research revolves around the following three main issues:

1. Calibration of resistance factors for axial capacity of piles driven in the carbonate soils
2. Development of open area live loads (OALL) on offshore platforms
3. Effect of extreme storm conditions on the reliability of existing platforms in the Arabian Gulf

The outcomes of this research are expected to have a profound influence onreassessment of existing platforms in the Arabian Gulf.