SILO TANK FPSO CONCEPT

Introduction

All FPSOs currently operated in harsh weather environments have experienced either green water on deck,
slamming of the hull or fatigue cracking of the hull. The results of these phenomena are limited utilization,
downtime, or additional CAPEX and revenue loss if the vessel is taken off station for repairs. Limited utilization
can be the result of reduced capacity during harsh weather periods, restrictions on offloading, or reduced access
for personnel at certain areas of the vessel. Sea of Solutions BV therefore set of with the intention of creating an
FPSO design that reduces the chances of these incidents taking place. In addition, conventional FPSO
technology has a problem with volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. For certain types of crude this can
yield significant loss of revenue, but also cause an environmental risk. The Norwegian government requires VOC
systems where the emissions are reduced by 78%. The proposed silo tank FPSO will have no VOC because of
the individual tanks that are always filled, thereby leaving no space for the formation of VOC.

Figure 1: 3-D Image of the Tanks Located in the Hull

New Concept

The main goal in developing a concept for a new type of FPSO hull and structure was to design an FPSO which
solves the problems that are present in the current tanker-based designs.
The main objectives for the concept development were to solve the following issues:
• Green water on deck
• Slamming of hull
• Stress cracks in the tanks
• VOC emission
• Reduce outflow with breach of hull
• Reduced motions for better process performance

Ulstein Sea of Solutions B.V. Member of the Ulstein Group

Churchillsingel 432-446, 3137 XB Vlaardingen, the Netherlands
tel. +31(0)10 475 00 11, fax +31(0)10 474 67 33
E-mail: info@seaofsolutions.nl , Internet: www.seaofsolutions.nl
Green water is caused by waves breaking over the bow or sides of the ship. This uncontrollable mass of water
can cause damage to instruments and structures on deck. It is therefore important to have enough clearance
between still water draft and the deck. On some FPSOs, where green water has been a problem, extra walls or
bulwarks have been installed along the side of the ship and higher bows were erected in order to reduce the
incidence of green water and possible damages that it may cause.

Slamming is caused by the hull being lifted out of the water and hitting a coming wave with a certain speed.
Slamming can cause extreme load conditions that are difficult to predict and it is therefore important to minimize
the possibility of its occurrence.

During harsh weather, a tank that is not completely filled will experience sloshing. The uneven loading of the
sloshing may create cyclic loads in the structure of the tanks, and therefore the vessel hull. Such cyclic loads can
lead to the formation and propagation of fatigue cracks. Cracks may create hazards and require costly repairs.
An FPSO is normally meant to stay in the field for the lifetime of the project and interruption for repairs will
therefore incur high costs.

The proposed storage system on the new concept FPSO will avoid VOC releases into environment without any
additional power requirements. By having storage tanks that are always filled, there will be no gas layer where
VOC can be formed. It should be noted that the UK sector does not require VOC recovery systems for FPSOs
and shuttle tankers at this time, but this will likely change in the future.

In order to increase the environmental safety, FPSO’s are normally double hulled vessels. This is in order to
reduce the chance for oil spill to the environment in case a vessel or similar hits the side of the FPSO and the
impact causes the hull to breach. However, in case the hull should breach, due to smaller tanks for the Silo Tank
3 3
FPSO much less oil enters the environment; 11,000m vs. 2,000m .

The motion characteristics of an FPSO affect both the process system and the well being of the people on board.
An FPSO in harsh environments will experience large accelerations, which can both damage topsides equipment
and reduce its operability. It is therefore important to design the FPSO hull so as to reduce the motions on the
vessel and to locate the most motion sensitive equipment where the motion is least. The proposed Silo Tank
FPSO will naturally be larger and therefore have a better motion behavior. In addition, there will be more surface
area for the process facilities.

Ba si cs f e atu re s of t h e p ro po sed Cru de St or ag e s yst e m

The proposed system for crude storage comprises a series of individual tanks that are completely filled at all
times with both seawater and crude oil. The two liquids are naturally separated due to difference in their
respective specific gravity where the upper layer will be crude and the lower layer will be seawater. Crude and
seawater will not naturally mix but in order to decrease the contact area between the crude and seawater and to
minimize heat transfer; a floater with a specific gravity between crude and seawater will separate the two media.

When crude is being filled into a tank, seawater will be displaced at the same rate, ensuring that the tank is
always filled. It is envisaged that sets of 10 tanks will be filled and emptied at the same time. When the tanks are
full of crude, the floaters will be in their lowest position. During the offloading of crude to a shuttle tanker,
seawater is pumped into the tanks and the crude will be displaced and flow out at the top of each tank to a header
and through pipes located under deck towards the stern of the ship where offloading to a shuttle tanker will take
place. Figure 1 presents a 3-D image of 20 tanks placed in the hull of the ship. Figure 2 presents the sequence of
filling and emptying the crude in a tank.

Ulstein Sea of Solutions B.V. Member of the Ulstein Group

Churchillsingel 432-446, 3137 XB Vlaardingen, the Netherlands
tel. +31(0)10 475 00 11, fax +31(0)10 474 67 33
E-mail: info@seaofsolutions.nl , Internet: www.seaofsolutions.nl
 Figure 2 Loading and Offloading Sequence of Crude

The conceptual silo tank design is that each tank will be cylindrical, with a diameter of 10 m and a total height of
30 m. The main body will be 25 m high, while a cone shaped section on each end will be about 2.5 m high. The
tanks will have a smooth internal surface, which will be coated. Each tank will have a sacrificial anode placed in
the bottom of the tank where there will always be seawater.

The tanks will be supported by the hull structure bottom and with stiffeners. However, the tanks will not be part of
the load carrying part of the hull structure, and will therefore not be experiencing cyclic loads that can lead to
fatigue failure. There will be sufficient gaps between the hull and the tanks for external tank inspections and the
air will act as insulation to the tanks so that the crude will have limited temperature drop during storage.

The silo tank FPSO will have a draft differential of less than one meter between full condition and empty
condition. A conventional FPSO may have a draft differential of up to 10 m. The constant draft will allow for an
optimized hull design with respect to motions and bending moments. In addition there will be less vertical motions
acting on risers and mooring. A midship section of a Silo Tank FPSO and a conventional FPSO for the same
storage volume is presented in Figure 3. It can be seen that the Silo tank FPSO hull will be larger in all
dimensions especially in the height above sea level. Taking into considerations that the elevation difference will
be nearly constant compared to the conventional FPSO, means that 100% utilization of the FPSO can be ensured
also during harsh weather conditions.

Ulstein Sea of Solutions B.V. Member of the Ulstein Group

Churchillsingel 432-446, 3137 XB Vlaardingen, the Netherlands
tel. +31(0)10 475 00 11, fax +31(0)10 474 67 33
E-mail: info@seaofsolutions.nl , Internet: www.seaofsolutions.nl
 Figure 3: Midship section of conventional and Silo Tank FPSO

Proposed future developments

The silo tank FPSO system is currently in its conceptual stage and additional design work is necessary to confirm
the technical superiority of the system. In order to provide the technical documentation that is needed for this
verification and to prepare the concept for further detail design the following main tasks should be performed in an
initial concept verification study.

The vessel hull shape should be optimized for the required amount of crude storage. Further hull design will also
require tank testing. Preliminary hull design is not optimized with respect to strength and fatigue analysis. During
the conceptual phase this should be further detailed in order to verify the steel weight requirements. The use of
an internal frame between the tanks may reduce the need for bulkheads. Although bulkheads are necessary for
the integrity of the vessel, fewer bulkheads may be beneficial with respect to cost.

The operational aspects of the silo tank system need to be detailed. Although the basic principles of the system
with seawater and crude in the same tank is a design proven in concrete base platforms in the North Sea, the
proposed method of pumping seawater into the tanks to displace crude oil needs to be verified. Also the
measurements and cleaning of the seawater that is displaced by incoming crude oil in the tanks needs to be
verified.

Procedures for the initiation and start-up of the tank system need to be determined. These procedures will include
initial filling of the tanks, concurrent filling and emptying of seawater and crude, and emptying of the crude and
seawater before tank cleaning.

The lay-out and required process facility components to be placed on the FPSO are normally project specific and
are determined based on the composition of oil and gas in the reservoir. The storage capacity will also largely be
based on the amount of oil that will be produced and the required offloading rate.

Ulstein Sea of Solutions B.V. Member of the Ulstein Group

Churchillsingel 432-446, 3137 XB Vlaardingen, the Netherlands
tel. +31(0)10 475 00 11, fax +31(0)10 474 67 33
E-mail: info@seaofsolutions.nl , Internet: www.seaofsolutions.nl