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The Piper Alpha was a North Sea oil production platform operated by Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd.[1] It accounted for around ten per cent of the oil and gas production from the North Sea at the time. The platform began production in 1976[2], first as an oil platform and then later converted to gas production. An explosion and resulting fire destroyed it on July 6, 1988, killing 167 men. Total insured loss was US$ 3.4 billion [3]. To date it is the world's worst offshore oil disaster in terms of lives lost and impact to industry. The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ...
The Hibernia platform is the worlds largest oil platform. ...
Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Oxy) (NYSE: OXY) is an international petroleum exploration and development company headquartered in the Westwood district of Los Angeles. ...
The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ...
is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...
Piper Oilfield
Four companies that later transformed into the OPCAL joint venture obtained an oil exploration license in 1972 and discovered the Piper Field located at 58°28′N 0°15′E / 58.467, 0.25 in early 1973 and commenced fabrication of the platform, pipelines and onshore support structures. Oil production started in 1976 with about 250,000 barrels of oil per day increasing to 300,000 barrels, and a gas recovery module was installed by 1980. Production declined to 125,000 barrels by 1988. OPCAL built the Flotta oil terminal in the Orkney Islands to receive and process oil from the fields Piper, Claymore and Tartan, each with its own platform. One thirty inch (0.762 metres) diameter main oil pipeline ran 128 miles (206 kilometres) from Piper Alpha to Flotta, with a short oil pipeline from the Claymore platform joining it some twenty miles to the west. The Tartan field also fed oil to Claymore and then onto the main line to Flotta.[4] Separate 46 cm diameter gas pipelines run from Piper to the Tartan platform, and from Piper to the gas compressing platform MCP-01 some 30 miles to the Northwest. Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
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Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...
Flotta shown within Orkney Islands Flotta is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, lying in Scapa Flow. ...
Flottas refinary was constructed during the 1970s to receive and process oil and Gas from the Piper Oilfield in the North Sea. ...
The Orkney Islands, usually called simply Orkney, are one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. ...
An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...
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Construction A large fixed platform, Piper Alpha was situated on the Piper Oilfield, approximately 120 miles (193 km) northeast of Aberdeen in 474 feet (144 m) of water, and comprised four modules separated by firewalls.[5] For safety reasons the modules were organised so that the most dangerous operations were distant from the personnel areas. The conversion from oil to gas broke this safety concept, with the result that sensitive areas were brought together, for example the gas compression next to the control room, which played a role in the accident. It produced crude oil and natural gas from twenty four wells for delivery to the Flotta oil terminal on Orkney and to other installations by three separate pipelines. It hosted a complement of about 240 personnel. “Miles†redirects here. ...
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For other uses, see Aberdeen (disambiguation). ...
Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and elaion – oil or Latin oleum – oil ) or crude oil is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ...
For other uses, see Natural gas (disambiguation). ...
An oil well is seen in Texas. ...
Explosion On 6 July 1988, a leakage of natural gas condensate, which had built up beneath the platform, ignited, causing a massive explosion. The explosion ignited secondary oil fires, melting the riser of an upstream gas pipeline. The released gas caused a second, larger explosion which engulfed the entire platform. Only 62 crewmembers survived out of 229 on board that day; 167 perished.[6] is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...
Natural Gas Condensate is a natural gas by-product. ...
In sand casting, a riser prevents shrinkage in metal cast parts during the solidification process. ...
Timeline of the incident A new gas pipeline was built in the weeks before the 6 July explosion, and while this work disrupted the normal routine, the platform was operated as normal. The discovery of a small gas leak was normal and no cause for concern. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...
Two large compressors on the platform, designated A and B, compressed the gas for transport to the coast. On the morning of July 6, compressor A's pressure relief valve was removed for overhaul. The compressor's fortnightly overhaul was planned but had not started. The now open pressure tube was temporarily sealed with a plate. Because the work could not be completed by 18:00, the plate remained in place. The on-duty engineer filled out a form which stated that compressor A was not ready and must not be switched on under any circumstances.
- 1800 hours
As he found the on-duty custodian busy, the engineer neglects to inform him of the condition of compressor A. Instead he places the worksheet in the control center and leaves. This sheet disappeared and was not found. Coincidentally there was another worksheet for the general overhaul of compressor A that had not yet begun. - 1900
Like many other offshore platforms, Piper Alpha had an automatic fire-fighting system, driven by both diesel and electric pumps (the latter of which were disabled by the initial explosions). The diesel pumps sucked in large amounts of sea water in order to extinguish any fires. These pumps should automatically switch themselves on in case of fire. However, when divers were working in the water below the platform (approximately 12 hours per day during summer), the pumps were switched to manual and could be started only from one place. Fire pumps on other platforms were switched to manual only if the divers were close to the inlet, to prevent them being sucked in with the sea water. However, Piper Alpha procedures dictated that the pumps be manual whenever divers were in the water, regardless of their location. This meant that the fire-fighting system was on manual on the evening of July 6. - 2145
Compressor B stops suddenly and can not be restarted.
The entire power supply of the offshore construction work depended on this compressor. The manager had only a few minutes to bring the compressor back online, otherwise the power supply would fail completely. A search was made through the documents to determine whether compressor A could be started.
- 2152
The worksheet for the overhaul is found, but not the other sheet stating that the compressor must not be started under any circumstances due to the missing relief valve. The valve was in a different location from the compressor and therefore the worksheets were also kept in different folders, as they were sorted by location. None of those present were aware that a vital part of the machine had been removed. The manager assumed from the existing documents that it would be safe to start compressor A. The missing valve was not noticed by anyone, particularly since the metal plate replacing the valve was located several metres high and obscured by machine parts. - 2157
Compressor A is switched on. Gas flowed into the compressor, and due to the missing relief valve produced an overpressure which the blanking plate did not withstand.[7]
Gas audibly leaks out at high pressure, drawing the attention of several men, but before anyone can act, the gas ignites and explodes, probably killing two men immediately and blowing through the firewalls, which were not designed to withstand explosions. The custodian presses the emergency stop button; closing huge valves in the sea lines and ceasing all oil and gas production.
Theoretically, the platform would now have been isolated from the flow of oil and gas and the fire relatively contained. However, since the platform was originally built for oil, the firewalls were not designed to suppress explosions. The fire spreads through damaged firewalls and destroys some oil lines.
- 2204
The control room is abandoned. Piper Alpha's design did not anticipate the possibility of the destruction of the control room and the platform's organisation disintegrates. No attempt was made to use loudspeakers or to order an evacuation.
Personnel were trained to collect at lifeboat stations, but the fire prevented them from doing so. Instead men muster in the fireproofed accommodation block beneath the helicopter deck and await further instructions. Wind, fire and smoke prevented landings. No further instructions are given and smoke slowly begins to fill the personnel block.
As the crisis mounts, two brave men don protective gear and try to reach the diesel pumping machinery below decks and activate the firefighting system. They do not make it and are never seen again.
The fire would have burnt out were it not being fed new oil from both the Tartan and Claymore platforms, the resulting backpressure forcing fresh fuel out of ruptured pipework on Piper, directly into the heart of the fire. Claymore continued pumping until the second explosion, because the manager had no permission from the Occidental control centre to shut down. Also the Tartan continued to pump, as its manager had received this directive from his superior. The reason for this procedure was the exorbitant cost of such a shut down. It takes several days to restart production after a stop, with substantial financial consequences.
Gas lines of 40 to 46 cm in diameter ran close to Piper Alpha. Two years earlier Occidental management ordered a study, which warned of the dangers of these gas lines. Due to their length and diameter it would take several hours to reduce their pressure, so that it would not be possible to fight a fire fueled by them. Although the management admitted how devastating a gas explosion would be, Claymore and Tartan were not switched off with the first emergency call.
- 2220
Tartan's gas line melts and bursts. From this moment on, the platform's destruction is assured. Three tonnes of gas pump out each second and immediately ignite. Huge fireballs roll into the sky from Piper's deck. - 2230
The Tharos, a large fire fighting and rescue platform, draws alongside Piper Alpha. Attempts are made to extend its rescue walkway the 30 metres to the deck. A woeful design flaw in Tharos becomes apparent as the walkway extends too slowly to be able to reach the platform before 2250. - 2250
The second gas line ruptures, spilling millions of litres of gas into the conflagration. Huge flames shoot over three hundred feet in the air. The Tharos is driven off due to the fearsome heat, which begins to melt the surrounding machinery and steelwork. It was after this second explosion that the Claymore stopped pumping oil. Personnel still left alive are either desperately sheltering in the scorched, smoke-filled accommodation block or leaping from the deck some 200ft into the rough, undulating North Sea. - 2350
The generation and utilities Module (D), which includes the fireproofed accommodation block, slips into the sea. The largest part of the platform follows it.
Aftermath There is controversy about whether there was sufficient time for more effective emergency evacuation. People were still getting off the platform several hours after the initial fires and explosions. The main problem was that most of the personnel who had the authority to order evacuation had been killed when the first explosion destroyed the control room. This was a consequence of design of the platform, including the absence of blast walls. Another contributing factor was that a nearby platform (the Tartan) continued to pump gas into the heart of the fire until its pipeline ruptured in the heat. The operations crew on the Tartan did not have authority to shut off production even though they could see that Piper Alpha was burning. Emergency evacuation is the movement of persons from a dangerous place due to the threat or occurrence of a disastrous event. ...
The nearby support vessel Lowland Cavalier reported the initial explosion just before 22:00, and the second explosion occurred just twenty two minutes later. By the time civil and military rescue helicopters reached the scene, flames over one hundred metres in height and visible as far as one hundred km (120 km from the Maersk Highlander) away prevented safe approach. Tharos, a specialist firefighting vessel, was able to approach the platform, but could not prevent its destruction. A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more large horizontal rotors (propellers). ...
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Firefighter with an axe A firefighter, sometimes still called a fireman though women have increasingly joined firefighting units, is a person who is trained and equipped to put out fires, rescue people and in some areas provide emergency medical services. ...
Two crewmen from the Lowland Cavalier were killed when an explosion on the platform destroyed their "Fast Rescue Craft", which had recovered several survivors from the water. Tharos could not pump sufficient water to approach the burning platform until after the rupture of the Tartan pipeline, about two hours after the start of the disaster. Only once Tartan stopped pumping gas into the fire could Tharos come alongside. Tharos recovered no one that night.
The fire was eventually put out by a team led by famed firefighter Red Adair in which he claims he had to battle 80 mph winds and 70-foot waves.[8] Paul Neal Red Adair (June 18, 1915 – August 7, 2004) was a renowned American oil field firefighter. ...
Legacy of Piper Alpha The Cullen Enquiry was set up in November 1988 to establish the cause of the disaster. In November 1990, it concluded that the initial condensate leak was the result of maintenance work being carried out simultaneously on a pump and related safety valve. Piper Alpha's operator, Occidental, was found guilty of having inadequate maintenance procedures. A second phase of the enquiry made far-reaching safety recommendations, all of which were accepted by industry. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 79 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source Originally from en. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 79 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source Originally from en. ...
The parks golf course overlooking Aberdeen city. ...
Lord Cullen has conducted inquiries into three major British disasters, all of which are known as the Cullen Inquiry or Cullen Enquiry: The Piper Alpha oil platform disaster, 6 July 1988. ...
Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
The wreck buoy marking the remains of the Piper is approximately 120 metres from the south-east corner of the replacement Piper Bravo platform. A lasting effect of the Piper Alpha disaster was the establishment of Britain's first "post-Margaret Thatcher" trade union, the Offshore Industry Liaison Committee. ‹ The template below (Unit of length) is being considered for deletion. ...
The Piper Bravo is a North Sea oil production platform operated by Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd. ...
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC (née Roberts; born 13 October 1925) served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990, being the first (and, to date, only) woman to hold either post. ...
Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Organization stubs ...
A memorial sculpture, showing three oil workers, can be found in the Rose Garden within Hazlehead Park in Aberdeen. The sculptor is Sue Jane Taylor. Conversely, even on the company history page, the Occidental Petroleum website contains no reference to the Piper Alpha disaster.
References - ^ OPCAL’s share 36.5%, Texaco’s share 23.5%, Union Texas Petroleum’s share 20%, and Thomson’s share 20%. CAPLAN, section 1.2
- ^ by the end of 1976 and Claymore by the end of 1977, CAPLAN 1.2
- ^ See The 40 most costly insurance losses - 1970-2005.
- ^ 167 lives lost, 159 were British, 1 American. 61 aboard the platform survived, CAPLAN section 1.1. 167 people died, 62 people survived according to UKOOA
- ^ were not designed as blast protection walls and their function was to localise fire CAPLAN 2.6.1
- ^ leakage of condensate from a blind flange assembly at the site of a pressure safety valve CAPLAN volume 2 chapter 5 Causation 1
- ^ see dti's Brown Book 1998 pipeline dimensions and map of oil fields
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