Subsea hardware study – Offshore Update
Robert E. Snyder
The reliability of subsea hardware will come under close scrutiny during the next six months when results of the current data-gathering exercise by OREDA (Offshore Reliability Database) is completed. As reported in Subsea Engineering News (SEN) of February 7, aspects of offshore equipment for nearly 20 years, but only in the last year–in Phase VI of its joint industry project forum–has it been decided to focus on sub sea hardware The nine operators who sponsor OREDA–BP, Chevron-Texaco, ENI/A gip, ExxonMobil, Norsk Hydro, Phillips, Shell, Statoil and TotalFinaElf–operate a large percentage of the subsea wells in the world. The only other major subsea operator missing is Petrobras.
What makes this exercise different from any number of others attempted in the past, SEN notes, is that both operators and manufacturers have agreed to participate. The four main hardware suppliers-ABB Offshore Systems, Cooper Cameron, FMC Kongsberg Subsea and Kvaerner Oilfield Products–are all involved. In previous reliability data-gathering programs, manufacturers got minimum feedback from operators. The general complaint was that once equipment was supplied, little about operational life and failures–or even maintenance–was ever reported.
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