Wave-in-deck forces on offshore platforms

The extreme condition storm wave crest heights for many older platforms ind icate that there would be "green water'' in the lower decks. The API guidel ines to determine wave forces acting on the decks of these platforms indica te that most platforms cannot survive such loadings. The decks must either be removed or the decks raised to cleat the specified wave crests. A variet y of laboratory tests have been performed to address this problem. Several approaches have been developed to compute the wave crest loadings and the r esponses of the platforms to the loadings. There have been many instances i n which platforms have experienced significant wave loadings in their lower decks during hurricanes. Some of these platforms have survived and some ha ve failed. This paper summarizes results front a study of laboratory test r esults and the performance of platforms in the Gulf of Mexico that have sur vived and failed during hurricane wave loadings in their decks. Modificatio ns to the API deck wave force guidelines are discussed and validated with l aboratory test data and platform field performance during hurricanes.