1b_RealEstate

What has Real Estate to do with Codes and Standards.
Codes and Standards are one of the major reasons conditioning Modularisation. They give us reasons why we should Modularise e.g, containing a Hazard in a specific reserved area. They also cause major impacts e.g. if we group equipment together then the most safe may also have to comply with the requirements of the most hazardous. If there is plenty of Real Estate then the necessity and complication of a compact layout is removed. but there will still be a requirement to be compliant to a series of Codes and Standards . The Codes and Standards have heirarcial and family structures. The Project National Location is one of the Major of these e.g. some typical examples are; if it USA located (ASME, NFPA), European Union (EN), Russian Federation (GOST), International (ISO) etc. This condition of National Approach shows in many distinctive routes,. the use of the Safety Case for Project assessment is an example.

Hazardous Areas Probably one of the most significant impacts for modularisation is the analysis of Hazardous Areas in which a piece of equipment is placed. The three element approach to the hazards of fire and explosion depend on the assessment of the fuel, gas, liquid, chemical and the source of ignition, the most common source being electrical. Depending on the National Codes selected, the analysis concerns the assessment of the media and the the area in which it may exist. Concerning an Explosive media the Areas are Classed Zone 0, 1 and 2 where it is likely to exist, occaisionally exist or not very likely to exist. The Codes used for the selection of Hazard may also influence design, systems for establishing the suitability of electrical equipment must comply with the National requirement unless an exception is obtained. Since 2016 ther has been an ongoing Development of definition, Codes and Standards often politically prompted.

The Diagramme shows how these sort of things can impact Module design, Modularisation has advantages but can also see cost escalation. If you dont have the Real Estate e.g. restricted Deck space of an FPSO, a sufficiently sized plot to space items out then you might not have a choice other than to combine items into a Module.
All of these comments emphasise the generality of this subject, the essential thing is that any Project wherever located must be rigorously assessed to ensure it meets all the requirements both local , national and International to be operated in that location, "the Devil being in the Detail".