American Petroleum Institute

Recommended Practice for Design and Hazards Analysis for Offshore Production Facilities - Second Edition
 N RP 14J

Annotation

This document recommends minimum requirements and guidelines for the design and layout of production facilities on open-type offshore platforms, and it is intended to bring together in one place a brief description of basic hazards analysis procedures for offshore production facilities. This recommended practice discusses several procedures that could be used to perform a hazards analysis, and it presents minimum requirements for process safety information and hazards analysis that can be used for satisfying the requirements of API RP 75.

The concepts contained herein recognize that special hazard considerations exist for offshore production facilities. As a minimum, these include:

1. Spatial limitations that may cause potential ignition sources being installed in or near production equipment.

2. Spatial limitations that may result in quarters being installed near production equipment, pipeline/flow line risers, fuel storage tanks, or other major fuel sources.

3. The inherent fire hazard presented by the release of flammable liquids or vapors, whether during normal operations or as a result of any unusual or abnormal condition.

4. The severe marine environment, including corrosion, remoteness/isolation, and weather (i.e., wind, wave and current, ice).

5. High-temperature and high-pressure fluids, hot surfaces, and rotating equipment located in or near operating areas.

6. The handling of hydrocarbons over water.

7. Large inventories of hydrocarbons from wells/reservoirs and pipelines connected to or crossing a producing platform.