Thought Leadership

By Danny Brown, Process Consultant, KBR

Offshore platforms have traditionally been designed around the people who work on them. Everything from living quarters, utilities and safety systems are all built to support crews spending time offshore.

However, operators are increasingly looking for smaller, more cost-sensitive developments that don’t need people there all the time. This is where we’re seeing an increase in the use of not normally manned (NNM) platforms and normally unattended installations (NUIs).

Although they’re similar, NUIs are typically simple wellhead platforms with minimal equipment and a temporary refuge, but no living quarters. Personnel travel out for short visits, carry out work and then leave the facility unattended for extended periods of time.

NNM platforms are typically more complex with the introduction of processing equipment, such as separation, compression or dehydration systems, while still operating without a permanent crew. Instead, teams are deployed onto the asset in planned campaigns, typically for a few days at a time, leaving the platform to run remotely once their work on the asset has been completed.

Ultimately, reducing equipment on an asset reduces the size of the topside facilities but also the substructure that supports the equipment. Both of which result in a redirection of capital expenditure.

A different approach to offshore projects

Although the trend for reducing crews has been driven by safety and cost considerations, it has forced offshore projects to fundamentally rethink their approach.

Many of the large, standalone fields have been producing for some considerable time, particularly in mature regions such as the North Sea. However, that means the newer opportunities are now often in smaller fields that are more difficult to justify economically.

As a result, operators are looking to minimise their capital and operating costs. One way to do that is through a ‘minimum facilities’ concept, where offshore platforms are simplified and tied back to existing infrastructure. A nearby host facility that has spare ullage can support the bulk of the processing and utilities, with hydrocarbons being routed using pipelines supported by umbilicals for control and utilities demand, in much the same way that subsea tie-backs are considered.

In a recent project, KBR developed a detailed design for a remote offshore gas development in Australia, where a NNM platform was tied back to an existing floating LNG facility via a long-distance subsea pipeline. 
The platform carries out limited processing, including gas conditioning and dehydration, before exporting fluids to the host. By using existing infrastructure and operating without a permanent crew, the overall footprint of the development was reduced.

Additionally, KBR has developed a lightweight, NNM water injection semi-submersible concept, intended to be redeployable and remotely operated from a host facility. 

A minimum facilities engineering approach

Designing facilities to operate in this way requires a different approach, starting with simplification. Engineers should assess each system and ask whether it is really needed offshore, or whether it can be removed, relocated or replaced with a simpler alternative. I.e. ‘justify in’ rather than ‘justify out’.

This might mean moving utilities to a host platform, eliminating auxiliary systems using alternative equipment, use of temporary packages that can be brought to the asset as required and embracing the next generation of technology.
Simplifying the facility goes hand in hand with improving reliability. This comes down to selecting robust equipment with a high mean time between failure (MTBF), which helps reduce defects, minimise leaks and avoid unnecessary trips offshore.

Layout is also an important consideration. Equipment needs to be accessible and easy to maintain during short offshore campaigns. Designs that rely on scaffolding or complex manual handling should be avoided where possible, as they add time and resource requirements once teams are on the asset.

Instead, there is a growing focus on solutions that simplify maintenance, such as modular or ‘plug-and-play’ equipment that can be swapped out quickly offshore and repaired onshore. This reduces both the duration and frequency of visits, which is critical when personnel are only deployed periodically.

Next-generation technology

Newer technology means operators can now use remote monitoring, automatic control and digital twin models combined with condition monitoring and remote diagnostics to understand equipment performance in real time. This allows them to identify issues before travelling offshore and means teams can arrive with the right tools and parts, reducing downtime and avoiding unnecessary work.

At the same time, maintenance strategies are changing. Rather than responding to issues as they arise, work is increasingly planned into campaigns to carry out preventative maintenance activities. This allows teams to carry out not only planned maintenance activities but additional activities to prevent equipment failure, in a single trip.
However, there are trade-offs. Removing systems or reducing redundancy can introduce new risks, so choosing the right design can be a balance between reliability and maintenance. 

For KBR, the greatest value comes from addressing these challenges early in the project lifecycle. Decisions around simplification, equipment selection and operating philosophy have the biggest impact when made at the concept stage, before designs are fixed and any commitments are made.

As offshore development evolves, it’s moving away from building facilities around large, permanent crews. Instead, platforms are being designed to operate with minimal intervention and supported by remote systems and targeted maintenance.

In that sense, NNM platforms are less about removing people entirely, and more about rethinking when and why they are needed offshore in the first place.

Learn more about what else KBR is doing in this space: Sustainable Technology Solutions