Oil & Gas
Ramboll offers a multidisciplinary service portfolio tailored to cover the full life cycle for oil & gas facilities such as offshore platform complexes including topsides, jackets, pipelines & subsea, FPSO, as well as onshore facilities such as terminals, storage and refinery modifications. Our projects range from early phase studies and detailed designs to modifications, lifetime extensions, complete or partial revamps, tie-ins, maintenance, process improvements and decommissioning.
Early phase studies and detailed design for Brownfield and Greenfield Projects
At the heart of Ramboll’s service offering lies our expertise in early phase studies for both brownfield and greenfield projects. We design long-term feasible solutions and concepts that provide the best decision basis for our clients as they scope their field development plans. Our conceptual and FEED studies consider process simulations, flow assurance, loss prevention strategies, material selection, weight and cost estimation, and business case analysis. We assist with the selection of codes and design standards, always taking the technical health and safety aspects into account.
Platform design
Ramboll has more than three decades of experience in platform design, ranging from entire topsides – including utility and accommodation, process, wellhead topsides and integrated topsides – to modules, bridges and substructures. All our designs are performed with consideration to safety, mechanical handling, commissioning, operation and maintenance to optimise both safety and asset life cycle costs. Moreover, our expertise extends to harsh environments, encompassing high-pressure/high-temperature fields, corrosion and winterisation of equipment for artic areas.
High Pressure and High Temperature (HPHT) consultants
Ramboll is a leading consultant for high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) fields. We have conducted a significant number of early phase studies for HPHT platforms in the North Sea including integrated platforms as well as standalone wellhead platforms. Our experience includes feasibility studies, concept studies and FEED.
Our inhouse multidiscipline expertise caters for the design challenges related to high pressure and temperature and ensures a safe and economical solution to the field development.
Minimum- facility platforms
In more shallow waters, the cost-efficient exploration of smaller and more marginal fields can be done through minimum-facility platforms. They are a simple, smart and reliable alternative to the traditional wellhead platforms or subsea installations. Ramboll has been designing minimum-facility platforms since the 1980s, and we regard the concept development and design as one of our core competences covering both topsides and jacket. Our approach is based on a ‘necessities only’ philosophy combined with the use of simple and robust technology that requires a minimum of manual operation and maintenance.
Through advanced design and calculation tools, Ramboll can optimise the structural design and reduce the weight of the structure without compromising on safety and regulatory requirements. While the robust equipment ensures fewer maintenance campaigns, thus keeping OPEX low, the minimum-facility platform reduces CAPEX as well as the risk to personnel.
The key characteristics of our minimum-facility platforms are:
• Designed for remote control
• Normally unmanned
• Intelligent and simple layout – necessities only
• Simple and reliable equipment solutions with low maintenance requirements
• Replacement rather than repair
• Reducing steel weight
In addition, with our minimalist topsides – or scaled-down topsides – all process facilities that are not required for transfer of well stream to the pipeline are eliminated.
General design approach:
• A minimum of process and utility components
• A minimum of hazardous material
• Hand-held firefighting equipment and self-contained units
• Remotely controlled control/F&G/ESD systems
• A minimum of mechanical equipment requiring statutory periodic inspections/re-certification
• Portable equipment stored on the support vessel
Lifetime extension and modifications expertise
Ramboll carries out a wide variety of modification projects, ranging from partial to complete revamps, including system upgrades and debottlenecking projects to optimise production on mature fields, weight monitoring, 3D scanning and surveys, and maintenance planning. We use some of the most advanced technologies and engineering software to calculate exact fatigue lives as basis for lifetime extension programs. For instance, our True Digital Twins reduce operation and maintenance costs, and the decision on whether to extend their lifetime or not can be based on an authentic understanding of the structures.
Floating production
As the oil & gas industry moves into deeper waters and harsher environments, new technologies and strategies, such as floating production units, are employed to ensure a consistent and robust production capability.
Ramboll’s consultancy services extend to the floating production sector, covering FSO, FPSO types vessels, semi-submersibles and rigs. Based on our vast experience in designing topsides for traditional and cost-effective platforms, we design durable topsides that fit the confined spaces and dynamic movements of a FPSO. We also provide precision weight and cost estimations for topsides of platforms, semi-submersibles and FPSOs, enabling our clients to make informed investment decision and ensuring they achieve a high return on investment.
Terminals, storage and pipelines
Pipelines, ports and terminals, as well as gas storage and treatment facilities are key elements of the global energy infrastructure that make a steady and secure energy supply possible.
Ramboll has provided consultancy services to the midstream sector for years and our solutions have evolved with the needs and challenges facing the industry. Our expertise ranges from onshore terminals to storage facilities – including natural gas storage solutions – pipelines and metering and compressor stations. Moreover, with our expertise in ground engineering, ports & marine structures, road & motorway engineering, and construction and contact management we can assist in connecting terminals and storage facilities with traditional infrastructure.
Technical health and safety
Integrating risk and safety considerations in every project is a top priority and Ramboll’s multidisciplinary approach to health, risk and safety ensures that all industry regulations and requirement are always upheld. To safeguard a timely project execution, we identify legislative and environmental requirements to assist our clients navigating through the often costly, complex and time-consuming process of obtaining permits and guaranteeing compliance with divergent HSE regimes.
Read more about our jacket services
Read more about our pipeline services
Read more about our gas & LNG services