National Institute of Standards and Technology

The objective was to conduct an international workshop on the use of composite materials in offshore operations. The initial costs of composites are comparable to ordinary steel. Composites offer cost savings over specialized, i.e. corrosion-resistant metals. The performance benefits of composites include increased reliability because of corrosion resistance and structural superiority through weight savings, higher stiffness and ability to better tailor the structure to the load.

The objective of this project was to develop capabilities for predicting radiative heat flux surrounding oil well blowout and diverter fires and the effects of water suppressant. The two major aspects of this project were:

(1) evaluation of rules for obtaining state relationships for fuel mixtures using those for pure fuels; and

(2) numerical prediction of trajectories of buoyant horizontal turbulent jet flames and evaluation using new experimental data.

This is an adjunct to Project No. 26.

The objective was to assess the feasibility of using synthetic-fiber mooring lines for deepwater floating production facilities. The project was a Joint Industry Project (JIP). The research consisted of a laboratory testing program to look at the engineering characteristics of synthetic-fiber mooring lines and the durability and fatigue resistance of their connections. The project conducted a long-term field program to determine environmental effects.