Explosion Safety Drivers for Arctic Platform Designs

The unique and harsh environment of the arctic region requires specialized process area designs and safety solutions. One main process safety issue in the arctic is the need for more enclosed modules. Enclosed modules are used for two reasons; to prevent ice and snow to expose the process equipment; and to prevent the cold climate to impose an unduly harsh working environment for operators. The enclosed mechanically ventilated process modules are different from the open naturally ventilated process modules that are normally used in offshore facilities. The explosion safety performance of the non-standard mechanically ventilated process modules has therefore been studied in detail through several extensive programs of CFD simulations; see [1], [2] and [3]. It is seen that confined and mechanically ventilated modules has explosion risk drivers that are distinctly different from open and naturally ventilated modules. The following is seen to have significant impact on the explosion risk levels on confined process modules; the module size; the HVAC philosophy; the ignition source isolation efficiency; and the use of pressure release panels. These factors, and their impact on the explosion risk, are discussed in this paper. The presented conclusions are of high importance in future developments in arctic climate.