Using decommissioned offshore oil/gas platforms for nuclear/RO desalination: the ONDP (Offshore Nuclear Desalination Platform)

Oil platforms are manmade concrete and steel giant structures standing high on ocean floor weighing anywhere between 10,000 tonnes and 150,000 tonnes or more and designed to withstand cruel forces of nature, having an average life of 70 years. With the declining petrol reserves within next 30 years, hundreds of platforms will be scheduled for decommissioning. This issue is a hot topic as oil companies tussle with environmentalists and state lawmakers over the future. The cash strapped oil companies have a legal obligation to remove each rig entirely, returning the ocean floor to its original condition. Lean times in oil industry mean a tight cash flow. Safely removing massive structures from deep waters and shipping the pile to the shores for reuse and recycling presents a technological challenge for operators. Some conceptual applications investigated to reuse them are the conversion of offshore structures into fish farms, prisons, military outposts, hotels, for Search and Rescue operations or Centers for Waste Processing and Disposal. Decommissioning oil and gas installation is exorbitantly expensive. On an average, removing a complete platform with or without pipeline in sea waters with 'clean sea approach' costs $15 million to $ 6 billion depending on location. Global warming has adversely affected world climate. Water levels in ground and reservoirs have shown drastic decrement. In future there will be need for more and more water all over the world. Fossil fuel energy based desalination is expensive and not eco-friendly so is dismantling of oil platform with its pipeline. The oil platforms are far located from population, have sufficient tank capacity and pipeline structure to store and pump water to shore. When found economically unviable these mammoth structures with modifications can be installed with 02 or more small or medium sized nuclear reactors such as KLT 40S with required module to desalinate water and co generate electricity which can be sent to shore by cables alongside the pipeline as additional bounty. The nuclear submarines and ships have been sailing the oceans of the world with these reactors and have proven safe. The other non-conventional energy sources like windmills and wave energy generation have also been tried on oil platforms but the magnitude of energy generation and desalination is incomparable with nuclear energy. The KLT 40S reactors are compact easy to transport and ship, built with excellent safety mechanisms, efficient and are made with 'plug and play' philosophy. The use of non weapon grade uranium makes them ideal for installing them offshore with existing security. They have a proven safety record as well and are cost effective in long run. These 'to be decommissioned' oil platforms are also ideal for DEMWAX (Reverse Osmosis) plants which instead of floats can be anchored at the base of the platform where they meet the required gravity, current and pressure. The location of oil platforms minimizes biofouling and reduces power requirement. Brine plume is also taken care with the available wide ocean floor and strong currents. The challenge is to integrate ready oil platform infrastructure with proven safe nuclear technology and water-management measures, to put them to practice with modification in an Offshore Nuclear Desalination Platform (ONDP). (author)