Safety
Exploration
Before deciding where to set up a petroleum rig subsea petroleum companies must observe the site, the area around the site and the marine life in these areas for many years. This is for the environmental safety of the marine life in the ocean. The petroleum companies want to affect the marine life as little as possible for the safety of all the marine life and the environment. By observing the site the companies marine scientists can decide where the best place to put the plant is with the least affect on marine life. The scientists can also decide whether a site is not suitable to put an oilrig, if it would negatively affect too much marine life around that area.
Transport
Pipeline Safety -
To ensure the safe and efficient operation of both sea and land pipelines pieces of equipment called Pigs, which stands for Pipe Inspection Gauges, are pumped through them. Pigs are long cylindrical shaped devices. Intelligent pigs have sensors that detect and record corrosion and cracks in the pipe walls and can also measure wall thickness. Cleaning pigs remove debris from the pipeline by scraping the sides of the pipe to get all of the dirt and build up of materials off the walls, pushing it ahead of itself so when the pipe is opened at the other end all the dirt is pushed out of the pipe before the Pig and the pipe is left clean. Pipelines can be protected from corrosion by putting low-voltage DC electrical currents into them or chemicals can be injected into them with the oil.
In case of a crack or leak in a pipe where oil begins to leak out block valve stations are placed along a pipeline at regular intervals. If a leak does occur the valves on either side of the leak can be closed so that the section of the pipe that is leaking is contained and no more oil can flow through the pipe or back into the crack and out of the pipe. The valves can also be used to isolate a section of the pipe for maintenance by closing the valves on either side of the section.
When pipes are laid underwater people are watching for any marine animals underwater that may be hurt or affected by the laying of the pipes. If an animal is spotted that may be affected by the operation it is stopped immediately until they can make sure the operation will not hurt the animal.
Oil Tanker Safety -
Modern sea tankers are built with double hulls separated by a large space that is normally about three metres thick. This gives the tanker a very large crumple zone in case it runs aground and the outer hull is ruptured. If this happens then the crude oil is contained in the inner hull and will not leak out as the large space between the outer and inner hull crumples in and is enough to stop the tanker from moving before it gets to the inner hull where the oil would leak out of.
Subsea
In the underwater system of pipelines in a subsea rig it can be from 400 to 100 metres deep under the surface. Pipes from underneath the ocean floor that are pumping up the oil are connected to trees on top of the ocean floor. The pipes, called jumpers, travel through these trees, which are like taps that control the flow of the oil. They contain many valves that can be opened or shut to start or stop the flow of oil and send it in different directions. This can be useful in case a section of the pipe breaks and oil begins to leak out the pipe can be shut down at the two sides of the leak to stop anymore leaking out. By stopping or preventing an oil leak in the ocean the petroleum companies are protecting the marine wildlife, as animals that live in the ocean would be badly affected by an underwater oil spill.
Offshore Platforms Safety Training and IFAP
Any worker who is sent to an offshore platform has to complete safety-training courses in different areas depending on the type of job they are doing and where they are going to be sent to work. Workers from many Petroleum companies in Perth are sent to IFAP Offshore and Maritime Centre, which stands for Industrial Foundation for Accident Prevention, in Fremantle, Western Australia to undergo occupational health and workplace safety courses. IFAP have courses and specialise in the following areas; occupational safety and health, workers’ compensation and injury management, construction and equipment skills, offshore and maritime training and fire and emergency response. In these courses workers can learn about the safety procedures on offshore platforms, what to do in case of a fire, how to put a fire out, how to survive a helicopter crash into water, lifeboat and life raft training and workplace safety training in many more areas. For more information about IFAP visit http://www.ifap.asn.au/IFAP/About_IFAP/About.aspx Workers sent to any Petroleum rig offshore or on land also have to complete set training and safety courses that vary according to the type of rig they are sent to and where it is. All workers in the Petroleum industry are trained to understand and manage the hazards and risks of the job they are doing in the industry.
Before deciding where to set up a petroleum rig subsea petroleum companies must observe the site, the area around the site and the marine life in these areas for many years. This is for the environmental safety of the marine life in the ocean. The petroleum companies want to affect the marine life as little as possible for the safety of all the marine life and the environment. By observing the site the companies marine scientists can decide where the best place to put the plant is with the least affect on marine life. The scientists can also decide whether a site is not suitable to put an oilrig, if it would negatively affect too much marine life around that area.
Transport
Pipeline Safety -
To ensure the safe and efficient operation of both sea and land pipelines pieces of equipment called Pigs, which stands for Pipe Inspection Gauges, are pumped through them. Pigs are long cylindrical shaped devices. Intelligent pigs have sensors that detect and record corrosion and cracks in the pipe walls and can also measure wall thickness. Cleaning pigs remove debris from the pipeline by scraping the sides of the pipe to get all of the dirt and build up of materials off the walls, pushing it ahead of itself so when the pipe is opened at the other end all the dirt is pushed out of the pipe before the Pig and the pipe is left clean. Pipelines can be protected from corrosion by putting low-voltage DC electrical currents into them or chemicals can be injected into them with the oil.
In case of a crack or leak in a pipe where oil begins to leak out block valve stations are placed along a pipeline at regular intervals. If a leak does occur the valves on either side of the leak can be closed so that the section of the pipe that is leaking is contained and no more oil can flow through the pipe or back into the crack and out of the pipe. The valves can also be used to isolate a section of the pipe for maintenance by closing the valves on either side of the section.
When pipes are laid underwater people are watching for any marine animals underwater that may be hurt or affected by the laying of the pipes. If an animal is spotted that may be affected by the operation it is stopped immediately until they can make sure the operation will not hurt the animal.
Oil Tanker Safety -
Modern sea tankers are built with double hulls separated by a large space that is normally about three metres thick. This gives the tanker a very large crumple zone in case it runs aground and the outer hull is ruptured. If this happens then the crude oil is contained in the inner hull and will not leak out as the large space between the outer and inner hull crumples in and is enough to stop the tanker from moving before it gets to the inner hull where the oil would leak out of.
Subsea
In the underwater system of pipelines in a subsea rig it can be from 400 to 100 metres deep under the surface. Pipes from underneath the ocean floor that are pumping up the oil are connected to trees on top of the ocean floor. The pipes, called jumpers, travel through these trees, which are like taps that control the flow of the oil. They contain many valves that can be opened or shut to start or stop the flow of oil and send it in different directions. This can be useful in case a section of the pipe breaks and oil begins to leak out the pipe can be shut down at the two sides of the leak to stop anymore leaking out. By stopping or preventing an oil leak in the ocean the petroleum companies are protecting the marine wildlife, as animals that live in the ocean would be badly affected by an underwater oil spill.
Offshore Platforms Safety Training and IFAP
Any worker who is sent to an offshore platform has to complete safety-training courses in different areas depending on the type of job they are doing and where they are going to be sent to work. Workers from many Petroleum companies in Perth are sent to IFAP Offshore and Maritime Centre, which stands for Industrial Foundation for Accident Prevention, in Fremantle, Western Australia to undergo occupational health and workplace safety courses. IFAP have courses and specialise in the following areas; occupational safety and health, workers’ compensation and injury management, construction and equipment skills, offshore and maritime training and fire and emergency response. In these courses workers can learn about the safety procedures on offshore platforms, what to do in case of a fire, how to put a fire out, how to survive a helicopter crash into water, lifeboat and life raft training and workplace safety training in many more areas. For more information about IFAP visit http://www.ifap.asn.au/IFAP/About_IFAP/About.aspx Workers sent to any Petroleum rig offshore or on land also have to complete set training and safety courses that vary according to the type of rig they are sent to and where it is. All workers in the Petroleum industry are trained to understand and manage the hazards and risks of the job they are doing in the industry.