A Review: Operational Perspective into Cohesive Design of Offshore Facilities

Abstract

Offshore facilities have diverse operational requirements due to the difference in user populations and the design intent of the facilities. Most facilities design is focused on the process requirements rather than the operations of the facilities. This paper focuses on the operational perspective in the design of offshore facilities. The term operational perspective covers all handling of materials, human machine interfaces and managing people in offshore facilities. General operational concerns are described briefly. The operational needs such as handling provisions, human factors and regulatory compliance for the offshore facilities are summarized based on the current practices. Also, recent development and engineering practices in the offshore facilities operation are elaborated. Usage of human factors tools and others operational studies in design development activities are discussed as well. As identified during the review, there is a common aim from operational and process that is to produce a reliable and safe facilities design. Any apparent gap between the operational requirements and current offshore facilities design products may result in low efficiency, higher risks exposure and lost time injuries. And these would be faced by the operator through the facilities life. In addition, there is a growing demand in the industry that stresses lower manning in the facilities, focused on operational needs and safety culture. Therefore, a cohesive approach during early design phase is required in addressing these gaps. Systematic approaches are elaborated in this paper during early design phase to create better solutions and reducing modification works throughout the facilities life.