Lessons Learned about Offshore Production Facilities in Recent Hurricanes

Robert B. Gilbert, PhD, PE
Brunswick-Abernathy Professor in Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin

Friday, May 27, 2011 - 10:30-11:30 am
Room 410 Hitchcock Hall

Lessons Learned about Offshore Production Facilities in Recent Hurricanes

Four of the strongest hurricanes on record recently passed through the offshore oil and gas facilities in the Gulf of Mexico: Hurricane Ivan in August, 2004, Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Hurricane Rita in September 2005 and Hurricane Ike in 2008. The cumulative impact of these storms was significant, with hundreds of platforms destroyed, tens of billions of dollars in property loss, and several hundred million barrels of oil production removed from the U.S. oil supply. Remarkably, however, there were no fatalities or injuries to offshore workers because they were successfully evacuated in advance of each storm. This talk will address what happened and what we have learned from these intense hurricanes. Topics will include hurricane forces, the response of structures and foundations, wave-induced mudslides, and the overall performance of facilities such as temporary drill rigs, permanent production facilities and pipelines.

Dr. Gilbert is the Brunswick-Abernathy Professor in Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He joined the faculty in 1993. Prior to that, he earned B.S. (1987), M.S. (1988) and Ph.D. (1993) degrees in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also practiced with Golder Associates Inc. as a geotechnical engineer from 1988 to 1993. His expertise is the assessment, evaluation and management of risk in civil engineering. Applications include building foundations, slopes, pipelines, dams and levees, landfills, and groundwater and soil remediation systems. He teaches undergraduate, graduate and professional level courses. He conducts research supported by federal and state agencies and private industry. Recent activities include analyzing the performance of offshore platforms and pipelines in hurricanes; managing earthquake and flooding risks for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California; and performing a forensic analysis of the New Orleans levee failures.

The lecture is free. One (1) PDH credit will be offered for attending the lecture and a certificate will be provided. Please RSVP to Carol Scott at scott.30@osu.edu - 614-292-3533.