Title: A cost minimisation approach to offshore operations scheduling

Authors: S.A. Oke, A.B. Ayoola, O.S. Momodu, K.O. Lawal

Addresses: Room 10, Mezzanine Complex, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos, Akoka-Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. ' Room 10, Mezzanine Complex, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos, Akoka-Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. ' Intercontinental Bank Plc., E-Banking Unit, 1st Floor, Etiebet's Place, Abule Bus Stop, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, GRA, Lagos, Nigeria. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ado-Ekiti, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti, Nigeria

Abstract: There is a huge literature on scheduling problems most of which has been concerned with specifying networks that teams have to travel with the objective of minimising completion time and duration uncertainty, among others. However, the problem of determining the team to be scheduled for an assignment when the shortest distance between origin and destination is not a straight line and at the same time minimising the team|s idle period has not been addressed in the available literature. This paper analytically solves an offshore scheduling problem by optimising work time and cost of keeping engineering teams. Two approaches for solving the problem are presented. The first approach involves the computation of expected value (cost) using decision trees approach. The second approach involves the use of Prandtl boundary layer idealisation and Von-Karman|s integral relation in a hydrodynamic environment. A case illustration is considered from an offshore area of an oil producing company with several reservoirs and engineering teams in different locations.

Keywords: cost minimisation; offshore scheduling; day rate; minimisation; offshore operations; travel distance; networks; engineering teams; time; drilling environment; oil production; oil reservoirs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJADS.2009.026552

International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences, 2009 Vol.2 No.2, pp.189 - 208

Published online: 19 Jun 2009 *

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