FIRE SAFETY ASSESSMENT AND OPTIMAL-DESIGN OF PASSIVE FIRE PROTECTION FOR OFFSHORE STRUCTURES

The article presents a unified probabilistic approach to fire safety a ssessment and optimal design of passive fire protection on offshore to pside structures. The methodology was developed by integrating quantit ative risk analysis (QRA) techniques with the modem methods of structu ral system reliability analysis (SRA) and reliability based design opt imisation (RBDO). Reliability analysis methodologies are presented for both plated (e.g. fire and blast walls) and skeletal structures (deck framing), which take into account uncertainties in fire and blast loa ding, thermal and mechanical properties of the steel and insulation. P robability of component and system failure are evaluated using first- and second-order reliability methods (FORM/SORM). The optimisation of passive fire protection is performed such that the total expected cost of the protection system is minimised while satisfying reliability co nstraints. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Limited.