The most common way of exporting oil and gas from offshore installations is through long pipelines. The combination of the high pressure needed to induce flow, as well as the massive amount of inventory present in the pipeline, pose a risk of full bore rupture FBR , which, in the event of occurring, can lead to one of the most catastrophic types of accidents possible in the offshore industry. During the Piper Alpha tragedy Cullen, 1990 , for example, the rupture of the three gas export pipelines, although not the primary cause of the accident, resulted in the major escalation of the incident and the eventual collapse of the platform. There have also been several other documented cases relating to FBR, which have resulted in numerous loss of life and significant damage to the environment Bond, 1996.
Consequently, an important part of the safety assessment case HMSO, 1989 for all offshore platforms utilizing subsea pipelines greater than 40 cm in diameter is the prediction of the amount of inventory released and its variation with time in the event of FBR. Such information has a direct impact on almost every safety aspect of the platform including the survival time of the temporary safe refuge.
Another area of concern is during controlled release or blowdown. In such cases, prior estimations of the resulting temperature drops in the fluid and the pipeline are of primary importance in order to avoid pipeline brittle fracture or the formation of solid hydrates, which can in turn lead to blockage.
.. toctree:: :maxdepth: 2 :caption: Introduction
.. toctree:: :maxdepth: 2 :caption: Methodology
.. toctree:: :maxdepth: 2 :caption: Results
.. toctree:: :maxdepth: 2 :caption: Conclusions and recommendations