Safe Operations of Subsea Systems

Recent history has shown that the handling of subsea systems involves significant operational risk. Fishermen are, in fact, exposed to higher risk levels than most other occupational groups in Norway. The safety level in the offshore sector is in general higher, but better procedures and training are still desirable. Handling of subsea systems are often characterized by a combination of heavy loads, rough environmental conditions and complex interplay between the vessel stability and the forces from the s ubsea system. Accomplishing the operations with acceptable levels of safety may pose big demands on continuously analyzing the operational risk of the seamen. The present project will contribute to increased safety by development of tools and procedures f or such operations. Simulators for training purposes are well known tools for training of personnel operating in situations with potential risks, such as pilots, navigators, surgeons, and military combat groups. Simulators for training of seamen performi ng offshore operations have recently become available. Modeling subsea systems is a major challenge, and numerical issues make it even more challenging to simulate in real-time. Nevertheless, reliable models are needed for subsea system operational traini ng, and this project will contribute to this. Particular challenges are the modeling of anchor chains and towing wires, environmental loads, fishing gear and all devices that have interaction with the seabed. The latter will be a major activity in the pro ject, and considerable effort will be put into studying forces acting from the sediments to the subsea systems. Reliable models in combination with measurements render possible development of decision support systems able to provide the necessary informa tion to such systems will be developed in the project. This will provide on-line information to the operator about important subsea system states, making him able to predict and avoid dangerous situations.