Piper AlphaFire & Explosion

July 6th , 1988

Offshore Safety Training pack

pillai_sreejith@hotmail.com

Piper Field Location

North sea 120 miles

Source Courtesy: Internet

Booster station Manifold Compression Platform

Gas import lift / export line

80 T Hydrocarbon

160 T MDO

1280 T

Onshore storage terminal

Onshore storage terminal

260 T

70,000 T

Sea depth: 140 m

Piper was the hub for onshore telecommunication

Source Courtesy: Internet

Piper Alpha Platform

Helideck

Accommodation

Drilling derrick

Risers

Source courtesy: Internet

Source courtesy: Internet

Piper Alpha Oil Producing Platform

•Was a North Sea oil production platform operated by Occidental Petroleum Ltd.;

•Platform began production in 1976;

•For safety reasons the modules were organized so that the most dangerous operations were distant from the personnel areas;

•First as an oil platform and then later converted to gas production.

•.

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Module A: 38 Wellheads

Module B: Production separators

Module C: Gas compressors + 18” gas line to MCP01

Module D: Electrical S/G room, Control room, EDGs

Accommodation was located below helideck

• An explosion and resulting fire destroyed it on July 6, 1988, killing 167 men

• Total insured loss was about £1.7 billion (US$ 3.4 billion).

• The platform accounted for around ten per cent of the oil and gas production from the North Sea.

Piper Alpha Fire & Explosion

Source courtesy: Internet

The next morning

Source courtesy: Internet

Source courtesy: Internet

Sequence of Events

•On 6 July 1988, PSV maintenance was ongoing for gas compressor A.• 2 work permits were taken•The shift supervisor was not able to complete the maintenance work in the shift and so he wrote handover notes and gave them to the contractor. •The contractor did not read them and signed off the permit for the work.

Sequence of Events

•The next shift personnel came and started operation of Compressor A when compressor B tripped and could not be re-started

•They didn't know that the valve was replaced by a blind flange and that there was no pressure release valve.

• There was a steady release of gas condensate into the air, after initial pressure built up, and finally there was an explosion.

Piper Alpha -Facts

• Piper Alpha had also been audited and passed by the regulator 7 days earlier to the explosion!!

• Many people died because they followed procedures blindly!

Which all safety systems/Barriers did not work at Piper Alpha?

• Permit to work system

• Platform layout

• Delayed decision making

• Evacuation facilities

• Fire protection system

• Passive Fire Protection

• Communication

Piper & your Offshore complexAny Commonalities?

Piper Alpha Offshore Complex

Offshore complex consisting of inter-connected platforms

Pumps gas offshore

Taros, MSV

Oil to gas conversion

Existence of fire walls

Existence of fie water deluge

Existence of gas compressors

Questions

• Can this happen in your offshore complex?– Are there Proper means of evacuation?– Is there a safe distance from the hazardous

Process Areas and the Living quarters?– Are there proper procedures to ensure

Maintenance has been performed?– How reliable is your PTW system?– Availability of blast walls?

Learning• The importance of maintaining safety systems / barriers in order to

manage / control risks;

• Major accident management should be part of Business Continuity Planning (by 1990, Occidental Petroleum was out of business in the UK!);

• Piper Alpha disaster paved way for the Offshore Safety Case regime and FSA studies based on Lord Cullen’s report; and

• 20 years later, UK Oil & Gas industry is aiming for being the safest industry by 2010 (‘Step Change in Safety’ campaign).

pillai_sreejith@hotmail.com