Offshore Engineering MSc

• Dr Joy Sumner

To enable the student to understand the structure and properties of materials, their possible corrosion responses, and to apply this knowledge to the offshore environment.

• Introduction to materials: atomic structure, crystal structure, imperfections, diffusion, mechanical properties, dislocations and strengthening mechanisms, phase diagrams, phase transformations, solidification, corrosion
• Introduction to materials in offshore structures: to materials usage in offshore engineering including C-Mn ferrite-pearlite steels; stainless steels; composites; concrete; etc.  This sill include discussion of heat treatment effects on microstructure and hence mechanical properties
• Thermodynamics of Corrosion: Electrode reactions, potential.  Simple cells, electrochemical series, galvanic, series, Nernst equation, Common cathodic reactions, general corrosion, Pourbaix diagram.
• Corrosion Kinetics: Polarisation diagrams, practical measurements, passivity.
• Corrosion Mechanisms: Effects of oxygen and carbon dioxide, galvanic corrosion, pitting and crevice corrosion, mechanical interactions, microbial corrosion, corrosion of welds, stress corrosion cracking, hydrogen embrittlement and effects of H₂S, High temperature corrosion.
• Corrosion Control: Paints, cathodic protection, corrosion resistant alloys, corrosion monitoring, control by design.

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Apply the basic principles of material structures on a micro and macro scale, to propose expected microstructures and discuss the impact on mechanical performance and hence link processing of materials to their applications
• Justify the selection of specific materials for different applications offshore (steels, stainless steels, non-ferrous alloys, polymers, composites, corrosion resistant alloys and concrete)
• Apply the knowledge of the principles of corrosion to example problems and then evaluate the factors that affect the corrosion rate.
• Distinguish between the main types of corrosion and assess the conditions under which they can occur.
• Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the principal methods of corrosion protection to select appropriate methods of corrosion control.

• Dr Mahmood Shafiee

To enable the student to apply the basic concepts of risk and reliability analysis in the offshore environment and understand the role of inspection.

• Introduction: concept of RAM, risk management and reliability engineering.  
• Failure distributions: how to analysis and interpret failure data, introduce the most commonly used discrete and continuous failure distributions (e.g. Poisson, Exponential, Weibull and Normal).
• Reliability and availability analysis: system breakdown, MTTF/MTBF/MTTR, survival, failure/hazard rate.
• Risk management process: hazard identification, assessment, evaluation and mitigation (risk acceptance, reduction, ignorance, transfer).
• Risk assessment techniques for offshore energy systems: risk matrix, Pareto analysis, fault tree analysis, event tree analysis, failure mode and effects analysis, hazard and operability studies. 
• Reliability analysis techniques for offshore energy systems: reliability block diagram, minimal cut-sets, series and parallel configurations, k-out-of-n systems, redundancies.
• Identification of the role of inspection in risk reduction and reliability improvement.
• Introduction to maintainability and its various measures
• Introduction to structural reliability analysis: stress strength interference and limit state function, first-order / second-order reliability method (FORM/SORM), Damage accumulation and modelling of time-dependent reliability.
• Workshops and case studies: Work in groups to determine the risk and reliability of subsea production systems using various tools and techniques.

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Identify and analyse the concept of RAM (Reliability, Availability & Maintainability) and its application in the offshore energy industry.
• Distinguish reliability analysis techniques and the mathematical basis of risk and reliability.
• Apply various tools (e.g. fault tree and event tree analysis, FMEA/FMECA, HAZOP, reliability block diagram) in risk and reliability assessment of offshore energy systems.
• Evaluate and analyse the role of inspection in improvement of reliability.

• Dr Ali Mehmanparast

This module brings together theoretical and computational stress analysis through Finite Element simulations, allowing students to appreciate how the two disciplines interact in practice and what their strengths and limitations are. The examination of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for various practical applications (e.g. engineering components, composite structures, rotating disks, cracked geometries) in conjunction with relevant case studies will allow students to combine theoretical understanding with practical experience in order to develop their skills to model and analyse complex engineering problems.

• Stress Analysis: Introduction to stress analysis of components and structures, Ductile and brittle materials, Tensile data analysis, Material properties, Isotropic/kinematic hardening, Dynamic strain aging, Complex stress and strain, Stress and strain transformation, Principal stresses, Maximum shear stress, Mohr’s circle, Constitutive stress-strain equations, Fracture and yield criteria, Constraint and triaxiality effects, Plane stress and plane strain conditions, Thin walled cylinder theory, Thick walled cylinder theory (Lame Equations), Compound cylinders, Plastic deformation of cylinders, Introduction to computational stress analysis.
• Finite Element Analysis: Introduction to FEA, Types of elements, Integration points, Meshing, Mesh convergence, Visualisation, Results interpretation, Beam structures under static and dynamic loading, stress concentration in steel and composite plates, tubular assemblies, 2D and 3D modelling of solid structures, axisymmetry and symmetry boundary conditions, CS1: Stress and strain variation in a pressure vessel subjected to different loading conditions, CS2: Prediction and validation of the stress and strain fields ahead of the crack tip. (case studies are indicative).

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Develop a strong foundation on stress analysis and demonstrate the ability to analyse a range of structural problems.
• Understand the fundamentals of Finite Element Analysis, be able to evaluate methodologies applied to the analysis of structural members (beams, plates, shells, struts), and critically evaluate the applicability and limitations of the methods and the ability to make use of original thought and judgement when approaching structural analysis.
• Demonstrate an in-depth awareness of current practice through case studies of engineering problems.
• Develop skills in using the most widely applied commercial finite element software package (ABAQUS) and some of its advanced functionalities.
• Evaluate the importance of mesh sensitivity in finite element simulations.

• Dr Maurizio Collu

To provide an understanding of the advanced approaches and techniques adopted for the inspection of, monitoring of, and intervention on offshore assets, and how these are integrated in an overall life-cycle design philosophy and risk and reliability centred maintenance strategy.

• Life-cycle design philosophies
• Risk and reliability centred maintenance
• Inspection performance reliability
• Objective measurement and reporting of inspection performance based on Probability of Detection (POD) and Probability of Sizing (POS); mathematical statistical methods behind these performance indicators, how trials can be conducted and how the information can be analysed and used for remaining life assessment.
• Risk assessment, with safety and environment considerations
• Design for maintenance
• Remote and autonomous intervention
• Overview of the capabilities and limitations of commercially available aerial and underwater remote and autonomous systems, and how these systems are integrated in the overall maintenance strategy.
• Life extension and decommissioning
•  Inspection and monitoring

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Compare and contrast the different life-cycle design philosophies adopted
• Differentiate between conventional maintenance strategies and a risk/reliability centred maintenance strategy, evaluating their main advantages and limitations
• Assess and discuss the reliability of key inspection operations, using the relevant statistical tools
• Evaluate the capabilities and limitations of available remote and autonomous systems, and outline the future trends and impacts on the maintenance strategy
• Design an appropriate maintenance strategy for a particular offshore asset, detailing how the strategy is embedded throughout the asset life-cycle.

• Stephen Carver

The importance of technology leadership in driving the technical aspects of an organisations products, innovation, programmes, operations and strategy is paramount, especially in today’s turbulent commercial environment with its unprecedented pace of technological development.  Demand for ever more complex products and services has become the norm.  The challenge for today’s manager is to deal with uncertainty, to allow technological innovation and change to flourish but also to remain within planned parameters of performance.  Many organisations engaged with technological innovation struggle to find engineers with the right skills.  Specifically, engineers have extensive subject/discipline knowledge but do not understand management processes in organisational context.  In addition, STEM graduates often lack interpersonal skills.

• Engineers and Technologists in organisations: The role of organisations and the challenges facing engineers and technologies.
• People management: Understanding you. Understanding other people. Working in teams. Dealing with conflicts.
• The Business Environment: Understanding the business environment; identifying key trends and their implications for the organisation.
• Strategy and Marketing: Developing effective strategies; Focusing on the customer; building competitive advantage; The role of strategic assets.
• Finance: Profit and loss accounts. Balance sheets. Cash flow forecasting.Project appraisal.
• New product development: Commercialising technology. Market drivers. Time to market. Focusing technology. Concerns.
• Business game: Working in teams (companies), students will set up and run a technology company and make decisions on investment, R&D funding, operations, marketing and sales strategy.
• Negotiation: Preparation for Negotiations. Negotiation process. Win-Win solutions.
• Presentation skills: Understanding your audience. Focusing your message. Successful presentations. Getting your message across.

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Recognise the importance of teamwork in the performance and success of organisations with particular reference to commercialising technological innovation.
• Operate as an effective team member, recognising the contribution of individuals within the team, and capable of developing team working skills in themselves and others to improve overall performance of a team.
• Compare and evaluate the impact of the key functional areas (strategy, marketing and finance) on the commercial performance of an organisation, relevant to the manufacture of a product or provision of a technical service.
• Design and deliver an effective presentation that justifies and supports any decisions or recommendations made.
• Argue and defend their judgements through constructive communication and negotiating skills.

• Dr Stuart Wagland

The module aims to provide the students with a deep understanding of the truly multidisciplinary nature of a real industrial project. Using a relevant case study, the scientific and technical concepts learned during the previous modules will be brought together and used to execute the analysis of the case study.

• Work flow definition: setting up the single aspects to be considered, the logical order, and the interfaces.
• Design of an appropriate analysis toolkit specific to the case study
• Development of a management or maintenance framework for the case study
• Multi-criteria decision analysis [MDCA] applied to energy technologies to identify the best available technology. 
• Energy technologies and systems: understanding the development and scaling/design of the technologies by applying an understanding of the available resources in the assigned location;
• Public engagement strategies and the planning process involved in developing energy technologies.

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Critically evaluate available technological options, and select the most appropriate method for determining the best available technology [BAT] for the specific case study;
• Demonstrate the ability to work as part of a group to achieve the stated requirements of the module brief;
• Demonstrate the ability to organise the single-discipline activities in a logical workflow, and to define the interfaces between them, designing an overall multidisciplinary approach for the specific case study.
  

• Dr Maurizio Collu

Assessing the dynamics of an offshore structure is one of the fundamental steps in the design process. In order to do so, it is necessary not only to be able to correctly modelling the main external loads (wind, waves, currents), but also to quantify the dynamic response of the structure to these external loads. Furthermore, it is necessary to know how to determine the metocean characteristics in a given return period, in the short (1-3 hours) and long (years) term.

This module aims at providing the students with all the necessary tools to conduct such an analysis. 

• Environmental modelling: wind, wave, currents.
• Environmental loading prediction (short and long term): wind, wave, currents.
• Offshore structure dynamic response: single and multiple degrees of freedom models
• Dynamic analysis of offshore floating structures: barges, semisub, TLPs.

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Evaluate the most suitable approach to model the wind, waves, and current conditions for a given site, including the main factors influencing their distribution & predictability;
• Select the relevant approach to estimate the environmental loads on offshore structures, comparing the available techniques;
• Propose the most appropriate model to evaluate the dynamic response, to the environmental loads, of the main offshore structure configurations.

• Dr Ali Mehmanparast

To provide an understanding of pertinent issues concerning the use of engineering materials and practical tools for solving structural integrity and structural fitness-for-service problems.

• Introduction & Structural Design Philosophies
• Fatigue Crack Initiation
• Fracture Mechanics (1) – Derivation of G and K
• Fracture Mechanics (2) – LEFM and EPFM
• Fracture Mechanics (3) – Evaluation of Fracture Mechanics Parameters; K and J
• Fracture Toughness Testing and Analysis; KIC and JIC
• Creep Deformation and Crack Growth
• Non Destructive Testing Methods
• Inspection Reliability
• Defect Assessment, Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics of Welded Components
• Fracture of Composites
• Corrosion Engineering

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Assess fitness-for-service issues and propose appropriate structural integrity solutions.
• Judge the current component life assessment procedures and distinguish their limitations in aspects of structural integrity.
• Develop a critical and analytical approach towards the engineering aspects of structural integrity.
• Be able to confidently assess the applicability of the tools of structural integrity to new problems and apply them appropriately.

• Dr Gill Drew

Health, safety, security and the environment are all key considerations when working in the offshore and renewable energy sectors.  These 4 topics are also broad and cover many aspects.  Within the scope of a single module, it is not possible to cover all 4 aspects in depth.  The module is therefore designed to provide students with the competencies to assess and evaluate the relevant international standards as well as the legislation and regulatory requirements.  There is a strong focus on the use of case studies to provide examples of how standards and legislation are implemented in practice.

• Introduction to the International Standards associated with HSSE, including the ISO 14000 family 
• Environmental legislation and voluntary standards
• Environmental impacts and prevention
• Occupational health and safety legislation and duty of care
• Human reliability analysis and accident causation: Major accident sequences, risk perception and control of risk human reliability assessment tools, HEART and THERP.
• Offshore safety case and formal safety assessments: regulatory regime,  safety case requirements, types of study, scenario development, examples of use of QRA methods, consequence analysis, vulnerability of essential systems, smoke and gas ingress, evacuation escape and rescue and typical output.
• Review of major offshore accidents: Sea Gem, Alexander Keilland, Star Canopus and Piper Alpha disaster. 
 

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Critique the ISO standards relevant to occupational health, safety and the environment, within the context of offshore and renewable energy.
• Differentiate between voluntary requirements and legal or regulatory requirements for health and safety, and the environment
• Evaluate the likely environmental impacts resulting from offshore and renewable energy industries
• Design an appropriate health and safety policy for a particular offshore environment or renewable energy technology.

• Dr Mahmood Shafiee

To provide the knowledge and skills necessary to calculate values of reliability and risk of components, systems and processes used in variety of industries.

• Introduction: Asset management, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), asset productivity.
• Asset integrity: Asset integrity management, Risk-based integrity, through-life engineering.
• Maintenance engineering: Maintenance regimes, reactive vs. proactive maintenance; Age and block maintenance, reliability-centred maintenance (RCM), risk-based maintenance (RBM).
• Fault prognosis and diagnosis: Fault detection and failure location; root-cause analysis (RCA), Common-cause analysis (CCA), Condition-based maintenance (CBM), predictive maintenance (PdM).
• Introduction to Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), world-class maintenance (WCMain).
• Maintenance modelling, planning, scheduling, and optimization
• Reliability data analysis: types and sources of reliability data, data collection, data cleansing, data accuracy and precision, model fitting, big-data, incomplete data, redundant data, not-detailed data.
• Applications of Monte-Carlo simulation in system reliability and availability modelling.
• Probability of failure, Cost of failure, and risk of failure in offshore energy systems.
• System’s life-cycle: Life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis, whole-life costing, how to identify key cost drivers
• Warranty and service contracts analysis: guarantees, warranties, extended warranties, service contracts, and maintenance outsourcing with several examples from the oil and gas, marine renewable, railway and manufacturing industries.
• Workshops and case studies: Work in groups to analyse the reliability, availability and maintainability of various offshore systems and components.

 

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Identify and recognise the asset risk management techniques and maintenance strategies used in different industries.
• Apply various proactive maintenance policies (Age and block, RCM, RBM, CBM, PdM, TPM).
• Determine the concept and utilise applications of Monte-Carlo simulation in system reliability and availability modelling.
• Analyse key and fundamental aspects of system’s life-cycle and understand the financial implications involved with assessing the maintenance and risk factors of offshore projects.