Cost of Abrasive Cutting in Decommissioning Operations in the Gulf of Mexico
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 131, Issue 1
Abstract
Mechanisms that inject cutting materials into a water jet and abrasively wear away steel/concrete are called abrasive cutters. The purpose of this paper is to model the cost of abrasive cutting operations associated with decommissioning offshore structures in the Gulf of Mexico. The elements of a standard abrasive cutting contract are presented and the total cost of a job is derived based on the parameters of the contract. The total cost to perform a severance operation is aggregated according to job type and normalized according to the number, size, and length of cut performed. Descriptive statistics are provided based on data collected over a three-year period from 2000–2002, and relations are derived that estimate the time and cost of a cutting operation based on various descriptor variables. A major conclusion of the analysis is that abrasive cutting is a structure-independent operation, or in other words, the total cost of performing the service does not depend on the characteristics of the structure and can only be predicted after the job is finished and the on-site time of the cutting crew is known. This is in sharp contrast to explosive cutting, where structural characteristics are very good indicators of job cost.
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Acknowledgments
Many industry and government personnel generously provided their time and expertise for this study. The writers would especially like to thank Sim Courville and Jeff Cole of Hydrodynamic Cutting Services; and Aly Hakam of ChevronTexaco. Nick Jones of Oil States MCS; Svein Solversen of Norse Cutting and Abandonment; Michael Leska of Superior Energy Services; Jeff Steele of Rodrigue Consultants, Inc.; Tommy Broussard, Jeff Childs, and Vicki Zatarian of Minerals Management Service, also provided critical information and useful feedback for this study. This paper was prepared on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS region, and has not been technically reviewed by the MMS. The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Minerals Management Service. Funding for this research was provided through the U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 131 • Issue 1 • January 2005
Pages: 137 - 148
Copyright
© ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 16, 2003
Accepted: Nov 25, 2003
Published online: Jan 1, 2005
Published in print: Jan 2005
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