PLATE-FORME POURVUE D'UN DEVIDOIR

PLATFORM WITH HOSE REEL

Abrégé français

L'invention concerne une plate-forme (10) comportant une zone centrale (70) de production et/ou traitement et/ou stockage d'hydrocarbures, et pourvue d'un dévidoir (30) disposé adjacent à une zone de service (50). Le dévidoir est disposé en dehors de la zone centrale et son axe de rotation (a-a) est orienté vers la zone centrale, la zone de service ne se trouvant pas entre le dévidoir et la zone centrale.

Abrégé anglais

A platform (10) with a central region (70) for production and/or processing and/or storage of hydrocarbons, has a hose reel (30) arranged adjacent to a service area (50). The hose reel is arranged outside the central region and oriented with its axis of rotation (a-a) being directed towards the central region, and the service area is not between the reel and the central region.

Revendications

5
CLAIMS
1. A platform comprising a hull and a deck, the deck having a central
region for
production, processing or storage of hydrocarbons and a hose reel arranged
adjacent to a
service area of the deck, characterized in that the hose reel is arranged
outside the central
region in a region near an edge of the deck and oriented with an axis of
rotation (a-a) of
the hose reel being directed towards the central region, and the service area
is arranged
outside the area defined between the hose reel and the central region, and
that the deck
further comprises a hose guide structure in the deck, comprising curved side
walls and
configured for providing lateral support for the hose.
2. The platform of claim 1, wherein the service area is outside the central
region.
3. The platform of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a spooling gear, having
a
guide funnel for the hose and motion control means for controlled movement
along
the guide structure.
4. The platform of claim 3, wherein the motion control means comprise
releasable locking means, whereby the hose guide structure may be locked in a
fixed position along the guide structure.
5. The platform of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the guide structure
outline
generally corresponds to an axial extension of the reel, and the guide
structure is
arranged substantially parallel with the reel axis of rotation, whereby the
outer
portion of the guide structure provides lateral support for the hose.
6. The platform of claim 5, wherein the guide structure outline is
rectangular,
with the outer portion defining an end of the rectangle.
7. The platform of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the platform is an
offshore
storage facility for hydrocarbons and comprises a GBS or a floating structure.

Description

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PLATFORM WITH HOSE REEL
Field of the invention
This invention relates generally to an offshore loading system for
transferring
hydrocarbon products via an offloading hose from a storage facility of a
transport
vessel such as a shuttle tanker. More specifically, the invention relates to a
platform
having a central region for production and/or processing and/or storage of
hydrocarbons and a hose reel arranged adjacent to a service area.
Background of the invention
The production of hydrocarbons (e.g. crude oil and gas) from subsea reservoirs
is
facilitated by multiple large offshore production facilities located near one
or more
subsea wells.
Traditionally, the hydrocarbons have been transported from the offshore
production
facility to onshore storage facilities and further processing, via pipelines
laid on the
seabed. However, as hydrocarbons are being produced from reservoirs located in
deeper and deeper waters and in regions where the seabed includes rough or
uneven
terrain such as steep cliffs and deep canyons, the use of seabed pipelines has
become increasingly complex and prohibitively expensive.
Thus, a more economical and flexible system for transporting the hydrocarbons
to
onshore locations involve the use of offshore storage facilities at or near
the
production location, in combination with shuttle tankers. The offshore storage
facility may comprise subsea storage cells integrated with a so-called Gravity
Base
Structure (GB S) platform or connected to a loading buoy of a fixed platform,
or the
offshore storage facility may be integrated in a so-called Floating
Production,
Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel which is maintained in position in a
manner
which is known in the art (e.g. moorings and/or thrusters controlled by
dynamic
positioning).
The hydrocarbons are transferred from the offshore storage facility (e.g.
platform)
to the carrier (e.g. a shuttle tanker) via a flexible transfer conduit,
commonly
referred to as a marine hose. The hose may be stored on a reel on the platform
and
connected to an on-board piping system, e.g. via a so-called "pipeline-end
manifold" (PLEM). Before commencing discharge of hydrocarbons, the free end of
the flexible hose is pulled across and connected to the shuttle tanker, in a
manner
known in the art.
Figure 1 illustrates the principle of a prior art hose reel station aboard a
platform 1.
A hose reel 3 is arranged near an edge of the platform. A hose 2, which may be

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connected to a shuttle tanker (not shown), extends through a guide structure 4
in a
deck structure 6 which is partly cantilevered out from the platform hull 8. On
the
side of the reel 3 that faces the platform (and not out towards the sea) is a
service
area 5 in which the hose end portion 2' may be handled; e.g. pulled into and
dismantled for maintenance. Immediately behind the service area is the
platform
process area 7.
Summary of the invention
The invention is set forth and characterized in the main claims, while the
dependent
claims describe other characteristics of the invention.
It is thus provided a platform, having a central region for production and/or
processing and/or storage of hydrocarbons and a hose reel arranged adjacent to
a
service area, characterized in that the hose reel is arranged outside the
central region
and oriented with its axis of rotation (a-a) being directed towards the
central region,
and the service area is not between the reel and the central region.
In one embodiment, the reel is arranged in a region near an edge of the
platform.
In one embodiment, the service area is outside the central region.
In one embodiment, the hose platform comprises a hose guide structure in the
platform, comprising curved side walls and configured for providing lateral
support
for the hose.
In one embodiment, the platform comprises a spooling gear, having a guide
funnel
for the hose and motion control means for controlled movement along the guide
structure.
In one embodiment, the motion control means comprise releasable locking means,
whereby the hose guide structure may be locked in a fixed position along the
guide
structure.
In one embodiment, the guide structure outline generally corresponds to the
axial
extension of the reel, and the guide structure is arranged substantially
parallel with
the reel axis of rotation, whereby the outer portion of the guide structure
provides
lateral support for the hose. Preferably, the guide structure outline is
rectangular,
with the outer portion defining an end of the rectangle.
In one embodiment, the platform is an offshore storage facility for
hydrocarbons
and comprises a GBS or a floating structure.
The invention makes valuable deck space available for e.g. process equipment,
in
that the service area is now no longer extending into the process area. This
gives
considerable cost savings during platform construction.

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Also, arranging the hose reel with its axis of rotation (and also the guide
structure)
pointing towards the central regions of the platform, as in the invention,
makes it
easier to transfer the forces imposed by the hose into the rigid deck
structure ¨ via
the spooling gear and/or guide structure ¨ than with the prior art arrangement
where
wide operating angles may require extra movable devices for arresting the
loads
imposed by the hose.
Brief description of the drawings
These and other characteristics of the invention will be clear from the
following
description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive
example, with reference to the attached schematic drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a side view of a part of a platform having a hose reel arrangement
according to the prior art;
Figure 2 is a side view of a part of a platform, showing an embodiment of the
hose reel arrangement according to the invention;
Figure 3 is a top view of the embodiment illustrated in figure 2;
Figure 4 is a side view of a part of a platform, showing the embodiment of
the hose reel arrangement according to the invention, including the guide
structure;
and
Figure 5 is a view of a part of the platform, as seen along the hose reel
axis,
showing the embodiment of the hose reel arrangement according to the
invention,
including the guide structure.
Figure 6 is a side view of a spooling unit;
Figure 7 is a perspective view of a spooling unit assembled on guide rails;
Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the hose reel
arrangement according to the invention, including the guide structure and the
spooling unit, and
Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the hose reel
arrangement according to the invention, illustrating an alternative
arrangement of
the service area in relation to the hose reel.
Detailed description of a preferential embodiment
Referring initially to figure 2, a hose reel 30 is placed towards the edge of
a
platform 10. The platform 10, which may be a GB S or a floating structure
known in
the art, comprises a hull 80, a process area 70 and a deck 60, part of which
is
cantilevered out over the water W. The reel's axis of rotation is indicated by
the

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dotted line a-a, and is pointing towards the process area 70 in one direction
and out
from the platform in the other direction. Figure 1 illustrates a situation
where the
hose is connected to e.g. a shuttle tanker (not shown). The hose 2 passes
through a
guide structure 40 in the deck 60. The hose is only shown partly, as the
connection
to the shuttle tanker is well known in the art.
In figure 3, which is showing the configuration of figure 2 as seen from
above, it
may be seen that the service area 50 is not located between the reel 30 and
the
process area 70, as is the case in the prior art (cf. figure 1). This frees up
more,
valuable, deck space for process equipment and/or the platform deck may be
made
smaller than platform decks of the prior art. In the process area 50, the hose
end 2'
may handled by personnel and connected to the required platform equipment (not
shown).
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate how the guide structure 40 comprises curved side
walls
and provides lateral support for the hose.
In one embodiment, the guiding of the hose is advantageously provided by a
spooling gear 90 (see figure 6), which comprises a guide funnel 93 for the
hose and
support-and-locking means (e.g. rollers) 91. Figure 7 illustrates the spooling
gear
arranged on a pair of tracks (e.g. rails) 92, and figure 8 shows the spooling
gear and
tracks arranged in relation to the deck opening (guide structure 40). As
described
above, the service area 50 and hose reel 30 are arranged outside of the
process area
70. Figure 9 illustrates schematically a variant where the guide structure 40
and
spooling gear 90 are arranged on the same side of the hose reel as the service
area
50.
When the hose is being reeled out from, or onto, the hose reel, the spooling
gear 90
is moved in a controlled manner (by motors, not shown) along the tracks 92, so
as
to guide the hose. When the hose reel is not rotating (e.g. in an offloading
situation), the spooling gear is locked in position relative to the tracks (in
a manner
which per se is known in the art), such the roller motors, etc. do not take
any loads
during the offloading operation. Alternatively, the spooling gear may bear
against
one of the end portions of the guide structure 40 (e.g. as shown in figure 8).
Figure 8 also shows how the guide structure 40 outline generally corresponds
to the
axial extension of the reel (rectangular) , and that the guide structure is
arranged
substantially parallel with the reel axis of rotation, whereby an outer
portion 99 of
the guide structure provides lateral support for the hose.
Although the description of the preferred embodiment refers to a hose, the
skilled
person understands that the invention is equally applicable to pipelines in
general,
including steel tubular pipelines as well as bonded and non-bonded flexible
flowlines fabricated of composite materials.

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