Piper Alpha
Piper oilfield
The Piper platform was the hub of a network of pipelines connecting it to nearby platforms and to shore. The Tartan field fed oil to Claymore, with the co-mingled oil flowing from Claymore through a short pipeline to join the Piper-Flotta line some 20 miles (32 km) to the west of Piper.
Piper oilfield
The inventory of the pipelines was significant, with the main oil line to Flotta containing around 70,000 tonnes of oil and the three gas lines linking Piper to the surrounding platforms close to 2,000 tonnes of high-pressure gas. The pressure in the Tartan–Piper and Piper–MCP-01 pipelines was around 127 bar.
Construction and layout
For safety reasons, the modules were organized so that the most dangerous platform operations took place far from the personnel areas. However, the conversion from oil to gas broke this safety concept, with the result that sensitive areas were brought together; for example, the gas compression module was next to the control room. The close position of these two areas played a significant role in the accident.
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