Classification:

Status:

Source:OLF

Upgrade of Design Basis for Composite Material Free Fall Life

Boats
Bjrn Melve StatoilHydro

Free fall life boats

Higher installation heights (36 m) + safer

evacuation-> Free fall life boats

Two main suppliers:

Umoe Schat Harding
Norsafe

Two main launch methods:

Drop (vertical)
Skid (vertical + horizontal)

Hull shape give the boat movement away

from the installation

Veslefrikk FPSO June 2005 Installation test of

upgraded lifeboats

Source: www.ptil.no

Old boats- winch lovered

Drop height 32 m

Source: www.ptil.no

Veslefrikk installation test after test

Boat was filled with water

Loose and damaged hatch

Source: www.ptil.no

Back door open and deformed

Internal damage on boat from Veslefrikk FPSO June 2005

Source: www.ptil.no

Areas of damage and possible deformations

Source: www.ptil.no

What had happened? and immediate consequences

Production on Veslefrikk stopped personnel evacuated
Same boat types at the Kristin platform (in commissioning)

Alternative evacuation methods were put in effect depending on weather

Evacuation hose / helicopter

All Veslefrikk boats and Kristin boats were sent to shore

Simulation of life boat loads at Marintek Ship Model Tank
Strength analysis performed -> improvements suggested
Material testing and verification at SINTEF (and in-house)
Strengthening work implemented
New set of certification issued and boats were delivered back to the platforms

Drop simulations with life boat in ship model tank (Marintek)

Model drop with 1:10 scale
model (290 drops)
Measurement of
trajectories and pressures

Measurements on full scale

boat drop in order verify
model

Pressure sensor

Results: The boat behave like a submarine goes deeper than

expected Static head
80
Liner modell baug

Trykk (kPa)

70

Obs. tak v. baug

60

Liner modell v. spant 12

50

Obs. tak v. spant 12

40
30
20
10
0
0

10

20
30
Hyde over MSL

40

50

10

First analysis to define extra reinforcements

11

The regulations
The PSA Facility Regulations for life boats -> the NMD (Norwegian Marine
Directorate) regulations-> SOLAS rule l III/4 and rule III/5 and IMO Resolusjon
MSC.81(70) Revised recommendation on testing of lifesaving appliances.

Qualification in short (test based design):

A number of full scale tests of a prototype to verify strength and the behavior in
the sea according to the IMO and SOLAS requirements and to satisfy the
classfication society IMO Resolution MSC 81(70): 100 %, 50 % front, 50 % aft; empty, +
strength drop at 1.3
An installation test is required after the boat and davit is installed. acc. IMO Res 81(70)
Pt.2 5.3.2 (largest drop height 110% load)
Acceptance of test:
- Positive movement
- Engine shall start and work for 4 hours
- Boat is functional

12

Testing and recertification of the strengthened boats

All six strengthened lifeboats were subjected to

similar test program as required for a new
prototype.
Test program for modified boats :

Drop from skid (36 m) with 50% of

load in front
Drop from skid (36 m) with 50% in the
back
Drop from skid (36 m) with 100% load
evenly distributed
Vertical drop from 47 m med 100%
load evenly distributed
Drop from skid (36 m) with 110% load
evenly distributed
2 boats were instrumented
(deflection, acceleration, strains)
All boats were inspected after each
drop
Classification society witnessed all tests
and re-certified the boats.

13

Continuation of story
The requirements for the life boats were not sufficient for the increased drop heights
The Activities Regulations 68 and The Facilities Regulations 43 shall free-fall
lifeboats be available in all weather conditions

Consequences for the rest of the life boat fleet (200 + on Norwegian sector)
Process started to upgrade design basis from ship (IMO) standard to offshore
standards with limit state design
Load definition -> for all weather conditions (wind, waves)-> how deep did the
boats go into the water
Detailed analysis (FEM) of the hulls
Linear / nonlinear
Material testing to define acceptable load factors

14

Free fall life boats on NCS

UMOE-SH

Lifeboats

GRP

Stl

Stl

Stl

GRP

Sliske

Dropp

Dropp

Dropp

FF34S

FF48.1

FF48.2

FF48.3

FF800

BP

Norsafe
GRP

GRP

GRP

GRP

GRP

GRP

GRP

GRP

Sliske

Dropp

Sliske

Sliske

Sliske

Sliske

Sliske

Sliske

FF900S

FF1000D

FF1000S

GS30S

GES33

GES40

GES40MB

GES50

Tambar

Sum

VFS

VFN

VIP
Odfjell

Smedvig Offshore

West Navigator
West Venture
Hydro

4
6

10

15

Oseberg st

45

Oseberg A

Oseberg B

Statoil

31

20

10

15

107

Comment

Ver. 2

Ver. 1

15

FF34 The first commercial free boat 20 m drop height

16

Second producer

17

Which approach could be used to obtain design values?

Various approaches for design limits:

0.2 % strain to avoid microcracking in
polyester laminates
Use a safety factor 3 for all load carrying
constructions?
Cast in place concrete use a safety factor
1.25
Average values
Average values standard deviations?
Bend tests versus tensile
Eurocode

Shall the safety factor be applied on the load side or

the material side?

18

Material types used in the life boats

Spray laminate of short glass fibres

and polyester inplane isotropic

CSM (Chopped strand mat) hand lay

up laminate inplane isotropic

Woven roving with polyester anisotropic

Unidirectional stitch-bonded plies

with polyester orthotropic

UD carbon fibre in selected areas

19

Different sections of a life boat

20

Tensile breaking stress for spray up laminates from various

sources
160

Tests from boat

140

Stress (MPa)

120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1

Red bar standard deviation

10

11

21

Youngs modulus spray laminates

Tests from boat

12000

Youngs modulus
(MPa)

10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1

10

11

22

Approach selected

Only inplane values (tensile)

Determine characteristic value of stress
according to Offshore Standard DNV-OSC501, January 2003
Use average value for stiffness

8
7
6

km

10

5
4
3
2

xc = x k m
where
xc
x
km

1
0
0

10

15

20

25

30

Num ber of sam ples

characteristic value
mean value
factor dependent on number of tests, 9 for three parallels down to 2 for an infinite nu
standard deviation of test samples

23

Example of results
Table 1. Test data from Veslefrikk and new material tests
Tensile strength [MPa]
No.
Material
km
x
spec.
xc

Spray laminate VF
Spray laminate (new)

20
10

2.8
3.4

90
104

5.0
4.8

76
88

Old boat 1 set

4.9

97

65

Old boatmore samples

35

2.5

92

75

Youngs modulus
[MPa]
x

7500
7800

600
500

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Conclusions
The security level on the free fall
life boats has been lifted from due
to shift from maritime to offshore
rules

Challenges with life boats was not

a material issue

The statistical approach from the

DNV C501 spec was used to
determine design values for the
reanalysis of the life boats.