- Petronius (oil platform)
Petronius is a deepwater
compliant tower oil platform operated byChevron Corporation andMarathon Oil in theGulf of Mexico , 210 km southeast ofNew Orleans .A compliant piled tower design, it is 609.9 meters (2,001 ft) high, was arguably the tallest free-standing structure in the world, until surpassed by the
Burj Dubai in 2008, although this claim is disputed since only 75 meters of the platform are above water. The multi-deck topsides are 64 meters by 43 meters by 18.3 meters high and hold 21 well slots, and the entire structure weighs around 43,000 tons. Around 8,000 m³ (50,000 barrels) of oil and 2,000,000 m³ (70 million cubic feet) ofnatural gas are extracted daily by the rig.The platform is situated to exploit the
Petronius field , discovered in 1995 in Viosca Knoll (block VK 786) and named afterPetronius , the Roman writer. Theseabed is 535 m (1,754 ft) below the platform. Thecompliant tower design is more flexible than conventional land structures to cope better with sea forces. It can deflect (sway) in excess of 2% of height. Most buildings are kept to within 0.5% of height in order to have occupants not feel uneasy during periods of movement.Construction began in 1997 by
J Ray McDermott with the seabedmooring system. The contract for the platform was budgeted at $200 million with total costs of around $500 million. The 4,000-ton North Module was installed in November 1998, but the attempt to install the slightly lighter South Module in December of that year ended with the unit on the seabed. A replacement module was built and installed bySaipem 7000 in May 2000.ee also
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World's tallest structures
*Oil platform External links
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20061024163318/http://www.chevron.com/news/archive/texaco_press/2000/pr5_4d.asp] (Texaco press release May 4, 2000)
* [http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/06mexico/background/oil/media/types_600.html ] Image comparing Petronius oil platform to other underwater structures
* [http://home.versatel.nl/the_sims/rig/petroniusa.htm ] Article including images of north and south modules.
*cite web
last = Salopek
first = Paul
title = A tank of gas, a world of trouble
publisher =Chicago Tribune
date =2006-07-30
url = http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/shopping/chi-0607300242jul30,1,3546986.story
accessdate = 2006-07-31 Link broken
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