Reliability Based Assessment of Deck Elevations for Offshore Jacket Platforms

Structural reliability analyses of fixed marine platforms subjected to storm wave loading are performed to assess deck elevations. Platforms are modeled as a series system consisting of the deck and jacket bays. The structural reliability analyses are carried out assuming dominant failure modes for the system components. Upper and lower bounds of the probability of failure are computed. The variation of the reliability index per bay component as a function of wave height, with a focus on those wave heights that generate forces on the deck, is analyzed. A comparison is given for the deck probability of failure and the lower bound probability of failure of the jacket in order to assess how the deck or the jacket controls the probability of failure of the system. Results are also given for reliability analyses considering different deck elevations. Finally, an analysis of the total probabilities of failure, unconditioned on wave heights, is given.