A practical approach to fire hazard analysis for offshore structures

Offshore quantitative risk assessments (QRA) have historically been complex and costly. For large offshore design projects, the level of detail required for a QRA is often not available until well into the detailed design phase of the project. In these cases, the QRA may be unable to provide timely hazard understanding. As a result, the risk reduction measures identified often come too late to allow for cost effective changes to be implemented. This forces project management to make a number of difficult or costly decisions. This paper demonstrates how a scenario-based approached to fire risk assessment can be effectively applied early in a project's development. The scenario or design basis fire approach calculates the consequence of a select number of credible fire scenarios, determines the potential impact on the platform process equipment, structural members, egress routes, safety systems, and determines the effectiveness of potential options for mitigation. The early provision of hazard data allows the project team to select an optimum design that is safe and will meet corporate or regulatory risk criteria later in the project cycle. The focus of this paper is on the application of the scenario-based approach to gas jet fires. This paper draws on recent experience in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and other areas to outline an approach to fire hazard analysis and fire hazard management for deep-water structures. The methods presented will include discussions from the recent June 2002 International Workshop for Fire Loading and Response.