In 2002 Saipem and Tekla joined on a technical project to get Saipem’s Offshore division started in using the Tekla Structures software. The technical team at Harpaceas (Tekla’s reseller in Italy) first worked with Saipem’s design teams in San Donato Milanese to determine the relevant technical issues in this critical design sector. They then cooperated directly with Tekla’s development teams to develop a customized application and also used their own development resources based in Italy.
The Halfdan platform
Halfdan BB is an unmanned platform situated in the North Sea at a location where the depth reaches 50 m. The platform’s substructure consists of traditional tubular cable profiles which are welded together to form a tower lattice with three arms joined below to the foundation pylons. The deck is supported by the jacket’s three pillars which are spaced apart at a distance of 18 m. All of the technical equipment is situated on the deck along with the platform’s auxiliary services. The platform also supports a bridge to the other two platforms installed in the same area.
The design of the deck structure was done with Tekla Structures right from the early stages of the project. Modeling began with the main steel structure as soon as the calculations were completed on the computer. The model encompassed all of the reinforcements and minor elements such as the connecting joints welded between the main beams. As soon as information about the equipment was available, the designers moved on successively to the secondary structures with all of the required detailing.
