Abstract

Simulation is a sophisticated concept that has influenced the construction industry for more than three decades. Sectors within the construction industry utilize new innovative theories, methods and applications such as simulation modeling. Research in productivity analysis of oilrig and offshore steel structure fabrication has not been adequately studied in comparison to other sectors of the construction industry. Therefore, current research addresses the shortcomings of productivity analysis for offshore fabrications using a combination of concepts from three major areas: offshore engineering, steel fabrication and process modeling. The primary objective of this research consists of modeling fixed steel jacket platform fabrication. In accordance with this objective, a detailed analysis of results for the simulation model will be performed for three different jacket platforms. This thesis presents a new approach that assesses the influence of configuration complexity on total fabrication productivity; as a result, it introduces the Factor of Fabrication Complexity (FFC) in offshore industry. The secondary objective of this research is the assessment of inspection impact on total productivity based on the simulation technique. This research begins with the classification of the oil development process and the application of different platforms in the oil field. Secondly, the full fabrication and installation of steel jacket platforms are described. In this dissertation, three different cases of steel jacket modeling, using MicroCYCLONE as the simulation program, are exercised. Data used in these simulations are based on real conditions from three case studies. In conclusion, results are interpreted to produce insightful graphs and tables based on the industries' requirements and needs to assess the fabrication productivity. Sensitivity analyses are performed to provide engineers and managers with different alternatives for the assessment of inspection on total productivity. Finally, the system output is evaluated where the fabrication model's results closely depict real world practical data