OTC 6185

Lightweight Materials for Deepwater Offshore Structures

by M.M. Salama, Conoco Inc.

Copyright 1986 Offshore Technology Conference

This paper was presented at the lirth Afrnual0TC in Houston, Texas, May 5-8,1986, The material is subjecl to correction by the author, Permission
to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words,

system and the foundation) Similar effects of weight on

other TLPs can be illustrated by examining other TLP
designs such as Conoco's TLWP design for the Green
Canyon project. The penalty of weight on the cost of
structures is not new. The aerospace industry has always
faced this problem and one of their solutions, i.e., the use
of advanced lightweight fiber composites, represents an
a ttractive option to the offshore industry. This paper
discusses the potential application of advanced fiber composites as a substitute for steel in the fabrication of
several components in a TLP and demonstrates the Viability and cost effectiveness of composite materials. The
paper also proposes an evaluation program to develop the
engineering data needed for the incorporation of these
materials in future designs.

ABSTRACT
Advanced lightweight fiber reinforced materials have
been identified as an attractive class of materials for the
development of deep water compliant structures. The
application of these materials for the fabrication of process vessels, drilling derricks, tendons, and risers is discussed. The advantages of these materials in terms of
weight saving and cost benefits are addressed, and an
evaluation program to ensure their successful application is
described.
INTRODUCTION
The oil industry is continUing its effort to develop oil
and gas reservoirs in deeper waters. Recently, exploration
in water depths of 7,000 feet (2,134 meters) was performed, and the design of offshore structures for
1,800 feet (549 meters) is currently in progress for
Conoco's Green Canyon Block 184 in the Gulf of Mexico. It
is projected that by the year 2000, production facilities for
8,000 feet (2,438 meters) of water may be required (Figure 1). There are three basic structural concepts that have
been proposed for deep water developments. These are
fixed structures, guyed towers, and tension leg platforms
(TLPs). Hybrids of these systems are also being considered. Recent studies I ,2 on the relative cost of these three
basic concepts demonstrated that the TLP is the most cost
effective for deepwater, as shown in Figure 2. These
relative costs do not take into account annual maintenance
cost, which includes inspection, and structural removal
cost. If these costs were considered, the TLP concept
would become even more attractive.

APPLICATION OF LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS

There are several components in a TLP where
advanced lightweight fiber composites can be easily used
as a substitute for steel. This substitution can be done
utilizing existing technology, without the need for an
extensive developmental program.
These components
include drilling derricks, accommodation quarters, process
vessels, helidecks, risers, and tendons as shown in Figure 3.
Composite materials offer a unique advantage because they provide the flexibility of engineering material
properties to meet the design reqUirements. Tendons, as
an example, require high axial stiffness, and therefore,
can be fabricated using high-modulus carbon fiber composites or high-modulUS "Kevlar 49" ropes. 4 ,5 In contrast,
risers reqUire low axial stiffness,6 and therefore, can be
fabricated from low-modulus carbon fiber, "Kevlar 29", or
fiberglass composites. Composite materials are chemically resistant to a seawater environment; thus their use
eliminates the maintenance cost associated with the corrosion protection required for steel components. In order
to illustrate the viability and cost effectiveness of composites, four specific applications will be considered in
detail. These are drilling derricks, production separator
vessels, risers, and tendons.

The TLP is a compliant structure which is very

sensitive to weight. The ability to economically develop
deep water TLPs depends on the success in reducing its
weight. The weight sensitivity of a TLP can be easily
demonstrated by examining Conoco's Hutton TLP design
(Table 1). The design reqUires that for every pound added
to the deck, 1.3 pounds of fabricated steel are needed in
the hull to prOVide the necessary buoyancy at a cost of
about $6.50. In addition, for the same I-pound weight on
the deck, an 0.65-pound load of mooring pretension is
required, thus impacting the cost of both the mooring

DRILLING DERRICK

In 1976 General Dynamics' Convair Division

conducted a design study of a large helicopter

References and illustrations at end of paper.

297

LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS FOR DEEP WATER OFFSHORE STRUCTURES

portable drilling derrickJ

They assessed performance
benefits, technical feasibility, and the manufacturing cost
of such structures. The results of this study demonstrated
the feasibility of designing and building a drilling derrick
rated at 859,000 pounds using advanced composite materials. The derrick consisted of 5,700 pounds of graphite/epoxy, 6,600 pounds of "Kevlar"/epoxy, and about
7,000 pounds of steel, for a total of approximately
20,000 pounds. A comparable steel derrick weighs approximately 55,000 pounds. For transportation by helicopter,
this weight saving of 35,000 pounds or 64 percent would
reduce the number of trips from 22 to 8, which represents
a major cost saVing. However, for a TLP, a weight saving
of 35,000 pounds corresponds to a direct saving in the hull
cost of about $250,000. This amount does not include other
savings in the cost such as those of the deck structure,
mooring system, foundation, and maintenance.

OTC 51&5

action thus leading to an increase in the required surface

area of the platform. Also, long term pressure resistance
of these materials have not yet been proven. Steel risers
will require an expensive motion compensation system to
reduce the fluctuating riser loads due to wave action and
platform movement and to compensate for temperature
and pressure effects which reduce the pretension on the
riser. The use of composite materials provides an a ttractive option to eliminate these complications. In addition
to their light weight, which allows closely spaced risers
with modest pretensions, composite risers can be designed
to provide low axial stiffness (Figure 4), allowing the
wellheads to be fixed at deck level without the need for
motion compensation eqUipment. Also, composite risers
can be designed to be axially rigid (i.e., zero axial strain)
when subjected to pressure due to failure in the tubing by
having a Poisson's ratio of 0.50. This condition is important when the wellheads are fixed at the deck level.

PRODUCTION SEPARATOR
Composite materials can be fabricated using a hybrid system (different fibers for hoop and axial orientations) to reduce the axial strain due to pressure, allowing
the elimination of the motion compensation equipment.
Table 3 gives the mechanical characteristics of a
5,000-psi (35-MPa) working pressure, 9-inch (228-mm)
internal diameter composite riser. 9 The composite riser
(including steel inserts, couplings, and tubing) weighs less
than 40 percent of an equivalent steel riser with the same
pressure rating and has about one-third the axial stiffness.
The weight saving can be higher if composite tubing and
titanium rather than steel couplings are used. Realizing
the potential advantages of composite risers, several
companies have initiated aggressive developmental
programs. An example of these developments is the joint
effort between the Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP) and
Aerospatiale and between VETCO and Hercules. In 1978,
IFP and Aerospatiale initiated their joint program to
develop composite tubulars for drilling and production
riser systems. 9 ,10 As part of their development, they
successfully field-tested for three months six 4-inch-ID,
10,000-psi (70-MPa) working pressure kill and choke lines
for drilling risers. Test results on prototype tubes gave a
burst pressure of 24,000 psi (170 MPa). These pipes were
fabricated using a hybrid of fiberglass (hoop direction) and
carbon fiber (axial direction) with both internal and
external liners and adhesively bonded metallic connectors.
Fatigue testing of full-scale composite risers is currently
being considered to develop design data.

In a recent study by OPC engineering, the application

of advanced composites for the design and fabrication of
process eqUipment was evaluated. 8
The study restricted
the use of composites to vessels which can be fabricated by
facilities available to several U.S. suppliers and can be
designed using the existing ASME pressure vessel code.
These restrictions limited the use of composites to vessels
subjected to maximums of pressure and temperature of
1,500 psi and 1500 F, respectively. Size limitations of
30 feet in length and 8 feet in diameter were also imposed.
These restrictions were overly cautious as the ASME code
is currently under modification to allow the design of
vessels under higher pressures and temperatures. Currently, facilities exist that would allow fabrication of
composite process vessels up to 14 feet in diameter and
90 feet in length. In spite of these restrictions, the study
showed that for a 100,000-BOPD production facility,
722,000 pounds of carbon steel vessels could be replaced
with 244,000 pounds of composite vessels for a weight
saving of 478,000 pounds. An example vessel is a 6-ft
diameter by 24-ft length production separator. The weight
and cost savings are given in Table 2. The cost saving of
more than $250,000 for a single separator demonstrates the
cost effectiveness of composite materials. The cost and
weight estimates were based on fabricating the vessels
or
from
"Kevlar"/epoxy composites with carbon
"Nextel 312" outer wrap and internal rubber liner. The
liner was selected to be compatible with the stored fluids.
The use of carbon or "Nextel 312" outer wrap was considered sUfficient to meet the fire resistance requirements.
However, other options, such as fire-resistant intumescent
paint and a resin formula with fire-retardant bromide
additives, can also be considered.

TENDONS

RISERS
The use of steel risers for deep water development
requires com plicated and costly tensioning and motion
compensation equipment and an expensive flotation system. In order to maintain compatible riser profiles for the
prevention of hydrodynamic interaction and contact between adjacent risers, the top tensions applied to the risers
must be significantly greater than the riser weight. This
will not only result in expensive tensioning eqUipment as
the weight of the risers increases with increasing water
depth, but it will also lead to an increase in the required
platform displacement. One approach of reducing the
apparent weight of the risers is to add syntactic foam
flotation modUles. However, this will markedly increase
the overall diameter of the riser assembly resulting in
larger hydrodynamic forces. Flotation modules will also
require large distances between risers to prevent inter298

Similar to the effect on the risers, increased water

depth will lead to an increase in the weight of the
mooring tendons, which necessitates the use of complicated tensioning, handling, and flotation systems. The use
of lightweight tendons provides an efficient solution to
these problems. A key factor in the design of a TLP
mooring system is the need to minimize the heave natural
period to about three seconds to reduce the dynamic
amplification of the load on the tendons due to wave
action. 4 ,5 This requirement suggests the use of highmodulus fiber reinforced composites and high-modulus
synthetic fiber ropes as suitable for such an application. 4,5 Table 4 presents weight and cost comparisons
between lightweight materials and steel tendons for a
TLP in 2,000 feet (610 meters) of water. The weight
comparison is based on the Hutton-type tendons,!l Table 4 clearly demonstrates not only the potential large
weight savings, but also the attractive cost of these
proposed materials. It is interesting to note that the
weight of composite and synthetic rope tendons in
2,000 feet (610 meters) of water approximately equals the

OTC 5185

MAMDOUH M. SALAMA

weight of the Hutton steel tendons in 500 feet (152.4

meters). This suggests that an increase of water depth
from 500 to 2,000 feet would not add weight penalty to the
Hutton design if lightweight mat~rials were substituted for
the currently used steel tendons. j

REFERENCES

RECOMMENDED APPROACH

(I)

Lewis, R. E. (1982), "An Overview of Deepwater

Compliant Structures," presented at the American
Petroleum Institute, Production Annual Meeting,
San Antonio, Texas, April 1982.

(2)

Bleakley, W. B. (1984), "What Structures to Expect

for Deepwater Developments," Petroleum Engineer
International, pp. 32-44 (November issue).

(3)

Achenbach, G. D., and Salama, M. M. (1985), "Materials Engineering Contribution to Deepwater Development," Mechanical Engineering, June Issue,
V. 107, No.6, pp. 56-61.

(4)

Salama, M. M. (1984), "Lightweight Materials for

Mooring Lines of Deepwater Tension Leg Platforms," Marine Technology, V. 21, No.3, pp. 234241.

(5)

Salama, M. M.; Williams, J. H.; Lee, S.; and Vennett,

R. M. (1985), "Materials for Lightweight Mooring
Systems for Deepwater Compliant Structures,"
Proc. of 4th Int. OMAE Symp., Offshore Mechanics
and Arctic Engineering Division of ASME, February 17-21, 1985.

(6)

Sparks, C. P.; Manesse, J. P.; Jardinier, R.; Perol,

C.; and Martin, J. (1985), "PLTB 1000, A Concrete
Tension Leg Platform," Ibid.

(7)

Tanner, C. J. (1977), "The Application of Advanced

Composite Materials to Petroleum Drilling Structures," SPE Paper 318,181, 1977 Drilling Technology
Conference of the Int. Assoc. of Drilling Contractors.

(8)

"Evaluation of High Strength Composites for Pressure Vessels," OPC Engineering Inc., Houston,
Texas, October 1983.

(9)

Sparks, C. P. (1985), "Lightweight Composite Production Risers of the PLTB 1000 Tension Leg Platform," Proc. of 5th International OMAE Symposium,
ASME Publication.

Since the use of composites in offshore structures

represents a novel application, several areas of development must be addressed carefully. These areas include
materials characterization, nondestructive evaluation, fabrication, design of joints, and field evaluation.
Materials characterization involves the evaluation
and selection of the resin system, stacking sequence,
hybridization, and protective jacket materials. It also
addresses the development of design parameters, such as
seawa ter fatigue and creep behavior, strength, toughness,
and damage tolerance data.
Figures 5 and 6 provide
examples of these data. Figure 5 shows seawater tensile
fatigue data for carbon fiber composites with different
resin systems. Figure 6 illustrates the effect of hybridization of carbon composites with "Kevlar" fibers on impact
resistance.
The development and evaluation of inspection systems for both quality assurance during fabrication and
integrity assessment during service life are important
areas. Table 5 gives a summatyof various nondestructive
evaluation techniques for both composites and synthetic
ropes. It can be seen that the primary NDE techniques
involve acoustic emission, thermography, and ultrasonics.
It is necessary to establish not only the proper
fabrication approach for the different components, but also
to identify fabrication variables affecting the quality and
production rate of the resulting composites. Parametric
studies of these variables and determination of production
cycles are areas of major importance.

The design of joints and terminations, particularly for

the mooring and riser systems, is considered to be of paramount importance. Optimization of the design using finite
element parametric analyses and testing of large-scale
joints must be an integral part of the development.
Field evaluation of prototype components is necessary to establish confidence in their tolerance to handling,
installation, retrieval, and operational conditions and also
to identify any unexpected performance problems.
CONCLUSIONS
The current trend in offshore operations prOVides a
major challenge to the development of cost effective
deepwater production facilities. Weight reduction through
the use of advanced composite materials is one viable
route to cost saVing.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author would like to thank the management of

299

Conoco Inc. for their permission to publish this paper. He

would also like to thank Messrs. Andrew Hunter, John
Bohannon, and Jerry Williams for their support and input.

(0) Odru, P., and Guichard, J. C. (985), "Design and

Test of High Performance Composite Tubes for Use
in Deep Water Drilling and Production Systems,"
Proc. of OMAE Speciality Symposium on Offshore
and Arctic Frontiers, Edited by M. M. Salama,
ASME Publication.
(11) Salama, M. M., and Tetlow, J. (1984), "Selection and
Evaluation of High Strength Steel for Hutton TLP
Tension Leg Elements," J. Energy Resources Technology, Trans. ASME, V. 106, No.1, pp. 32-37.

TABLE 1
EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON TLPs

Hutton
(North Sea)
Displacement (tonnes)
Deck Weight (tonnes)
Hull Weight (tonnes)
Mooring Pretension (tonnes)
Hull Weight/Deck Weight
Mooring Pretension/Deck
Weight
Estimated Hull Cost/Deck Weight
(dollars per pound)

62,000
20,000
26,000
13,000
1.3
0.65
6.5

TABLE 2
COMPARISON

BETWEEN STEEL AND

COMPOSITES PRODUCTION

sEpARAToR (6.o-FEET
DIAMETER AND 24-FEETLONG)

Steel
Dry Weight (lb)
Weight Saving (lb)
Estimated

Composites

18,800
50,800

69,600

Cost ($)

115,000

200,000

Premium for Weight Saving ($)

Reduction in Hull Cost ($)

(85,000)
330,000

Net Saving ($)

245,000

TABLE 3
MECHANICAL

CHARACTERISTICS

OF

COMkKXITE RISER (REI=9)

Internal Diameter
Working Pressure
Burst Pressure
Collapse Pressure
Ultimate Tension
Axial Modulus
Circumferential
Modulus
Shear Modulus
Specific Gravity
Wall Thickness (total)
Outer Liner (Buns)
Longitudinal Layer (carbon/resin)
Circumferential
Layer (glass/resin)
Inner Liner (buns)

_....

228 mm (9-inch)
35 MPa (5,000 psi)
105 MPa (15,000 psi)
38 MPa (5,400 psi)
450 tonnes
51,300 MPa (7.4 msi)
38,600 MPa (5.6 msi)
11,350 MPa (1.6 msi)
1.8
17.4 mm (0.685 inch)
1 mm
5.9 mm
9.5 mm
1 mm

TABLE 4
TLP TETHERS

Potential
Weight
Savings
(Tonnes)

2,000 FEET
Material

.$@

lb/f t

Graphite/Kevlar
Composite
!tKevlar 49! Rope
Steel

25

1,850

3,400

31
257

2,400
2,100

3,300

Notes
1.

2.

Tether size is similar to Hutton.

The weight given is in water.

TABLE 5
SUMMARY OF VARIOUS NONDESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION TECHNIQUES

Nondestructive
Evaluation
(NDE) Technique
Accoustic

Emission

Acoustical Holography
Liquid Penetrant
Mechanical Vibration
Neutron Radiography
Optical Holography
Stess Wave Factor
Thermal Imaging
Thermography
Ultrasonic

Attenuation

Ultrasonic

Pulse-echo

Ultrasonic ThroughTransmission
Ultrasonic Velocity
X-ray
X-ray with Opaque
Penetrant

NDE Capabilities

Investigated

Flaw Growth, Fabrication Condition

Strength, Microcracking
Overt Flaw
Surface Crack
Strength
Debonding
Flaw Growth
Flaw, Porosity, Impact Damage
Overt Flaw, Flaw Growth
Overt Flaw, Void
Debonding, Flaw Significance
Strength, Fabrication Condition, Fatigue
Impact Damage, Moisture, Void Content
Overt Flaw, Moisture, Porosity
Flaw Growth, Debonding, Delamination
Delamination
Moisture, Tension in Rope
Inclusion, Fiber Pattern
Flaw Growth, Debonding, Delamination

Life

Water Depth (feet)

Shell

E.Coast

20000

-------

Texaco
Canada

10000

,9

/*.*~

1000

-/=

--

~;oduction
Green
Canyon

ConotxJ

.
Shell Cognac
Exxon

1960

and projected

1990

1980
Year

1970

Fig. 1Historical

Hondo

water depth for exploration

2000

and production

activities.

Relative Cost For Field Development

4

Fixed +
Platform

1
1
I

1000

2000
3000
4000
Water Depth (feet)

Fig. 2Relative cost of field development

concepts.

for the three basic offshore

5000
structural

..
..)-

.A ._:.

. .

--

@iiioinfJ
Structure
Helideck
Process &

utility

Equipment
+Accommod ations

Some
Applications
for Lightweight
Materials
-Tethers
-Risers

Fig. 3Application

Fig. 4Four-in.

of composite

ID and 80-ft-long

composite

materials

for TLP components.

tube illustrating

lightweight

and flexibility.

..

Seawater

Corrosion

Fatigue

0.85
Maximum
Stress
Ultimate
Strength

0.80

Mean Stress

= 0.45

Ultimate Strength

104

105

Ic

106

Cycles to Failure
Fig.5Seawater

tensile fatigue data for carbon fiber composites

with different

resin systems.

Effect of Impacts
.

Residual

Strength

0.75

Undamaged
Steflgth

0.50

---F
0.25
0L

10

1 Oz
Number

Fig. 6Effect

103

10

of Impacts

of hybridization on residual strength of composites due to impact loading:

(A) unidirectional 0 carbon, (B) unidirectional 0 intimately mixed carbon and Kevlar,
(C) addition of & 45 cross-play Kevlar to both sides of Material A, and (D) unidirectional
0 Kevlar.