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Technology Development & Solutions
 In
addition to the mono hull, three floating structure designs ─ TLP,
Semi, and Spar ─ have been successfully developed over
the past several decades. Each of these floater designs has
been evolving along with subsea and riser technology to meet
new field development challenges mainly related to increased
water depth and reservoir operating pressures and temperatures. Design
improvements continue as new developments in offshore technology
are incorporated into the basic designs
The functional requirements for
floating structures can be generalized as;
- Drilling facilities
- Number, type and location of drilling rigs
- Production facilities
- Weight, area and center of gravity
- Drilling/ production risers
- Well systems
- Number of wells, completion and workover methods
minimum well spacing and well bay location
- Hull compartmentsation
- Damage stability considerations
- Air gap requirements
As illustrated in the figure below, the relative hull responses
of the three designs vary considerably. In all cases the
objective is to minimize the response to the environment.
 
Efficient design of floating structures
is predicated on functionality and performance – it should be capable
of supporting all the necessary equipment for production
and related tasks while meeting all performance criteria.
The structure should provide sufficient space and robustness
to fulfill its intended purpose ,. Also, the floating structure
should be built at a minimum of cost, which is governed mainly
by the hull steel weight.
Hull weight estimates are based on global sizing which is
determined by the naval architectural and structural design.
Global sizing is a key engineering design process in both
the concept selection stage and design phase of a floating
structure. The sizing of a moored floating structure considers
relationships among the payload, the size of the hull, and
the mooring system. During the concept selection phase, efforts
are concentrated on the main dimensions and weights under
the consideration of design standards and performance requirements
without a high degree of engineering detail. Finalized dimensions
and main properties of the floating structures will be determined
in the front-end engineering and design (FEED) stage through
various analyses.
FloaTEC, LLC was formed specifically to provide unbiased
and concept-neutral engineering to support the deepwater
industry. It is unique in that it is the only company that
can offer and deliver a suite of multiple hull forms (TLP,
Spar, and Semi), including moorings and risers from technical
feasibility work to an EPC delivery. FloaTEC, LLC’s
objectivity relative to floating production platform concepts – along
with the worldwide experience and support from the JRM and
KFELS organizations - means the company is ideally suited
to participate in front end study and technical feasibility
work. It also enables FloaTEC, LLC to employ innovative construction
engineering techniques and provide a high level of confidence
in project estimating and project execution planning. Also,
in dialogue with its clients, FloaTEC, LLC is prepared to
engage in some innovative contracting and delivery models
encompassing EPC strategies as well.
FloaTEC, LLC will spend a great deal of
energy further developing their portfolio of floater designs,
particularly the semi. When one looks at the maturity of platform
designs, the spar is in its fourth generation, the TLP is in
its fifth generation, but for the production semi, the industry
has only scratched the surface. That is the area where FloaTEC,
LLC and its parents will put a lot of effort initially to bring
it up to par with the others - including model testing, motion
analysis and riser issues. The group will focus on creating
a semi design that is applicable for a variety of deepwater
projects – for
both wet tree and dry tree applications. Instead of trying
to come up with multiple semi designs that play to the entire
spectrum, FloaTEC, LLC’s objective will be to find the
sweet spot relative to water depth, payload, and riser issues.
Portfolio of Solutions
Under the FloaTEC, LLC umbrella,
the joint venture boasts an unmatched portfolio of
three floating production solutions for its clients,
represented by their brand names – SparTEC®;
SemiTEC™ and TlpTEC™. FloaTEC, LLC’s
objectivity relative to floating production platform
concepts – along with the worldwide experience
and support from the JRM and KFELS organizations - means
the company is ideally suited to participate in front
end study and technical feasibility work. FloaTEC, LLC
(FloaTEC stands for “Floating Technology, Engineering,
and Construction), offers a unique business
model which gives the operator maximum flexibility in
how they contract for all or part of an entire package
of a deepwater FPS. The company was formed specifically
to provide unbiased and concept-neutral engineering to
support the industry. FloaTEC, LLC is unique in that
it is the only company that can offer and deliver a suite
of three distinctly different hull forms (TLP, Spar,
and Semi), including moorings and risers from technical
feasibility work to delivery of an EPC contract. Click
here for our Portfolio of Solutions PDF Document.
Scope of Services:
• Technical Feasibility Studies
• Unbiased Concept Screening Studies
• Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED)
• Detailed Engineering and Design
• Engineer and Procure (EP)
• Engineer, Procure, and Construction Manage (EPCM)
• Engineer, Procure, and Construct (EPC)
• Engineer, Procure, Construct and Install (EPCI)
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