Review of Wire and Cable Applications, Practices and Installations on Offshore Floating Oil and Gas Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico

On today's modern offshore oil and gas platforms there are many issues that need to be considered when applying and installing wire and cable such as type of circuit required (i.e. normal, emergency, UPS, DC, etc.), the electrical and mechanical performance, installation parameters, fire properties and regulatory compliance. This paper discusses these issues as they relate to the electrical, instrument, and process and safety systems found on the floating platform. Specifically, 1) medium voltage power, 2) low voltage power and control including DC and UPS circuits, 3) paging and alarm, 4) instrumentation, 5) distributive control and safety, 5) fire alarm, 6) navigational aid including radar, 7) obstruction lighting, and 8) communication including both internal and ship to shore. In the discussion, emphasis is given to the different regulatory requirements (i.e. U.S. Coast Guard, American Bureau of Shipping, etc.), any industry standards that apply and any new wire and cable types that are available