Abstract
This chapter focuses on the expansion of Brown & Root Marine and the different innovations and technical advancements.The chapter mentions that 1960s was an exhilarating period of expansion for Brown & Root Marine. The company improved its capabilities for analyzing the behavior of marine structures and laying pipeline in deeper waters. New engineering teams brought higher mathematics and computer-assisted innovations to structural design and pipelining. These innovations, in turn, led to the design and building of new equipment and vessels. Brown & Root diversified andimproved its ability to conduct preliminary feasibility studies, prepare detailed proposals for prospective projects, complete detailed engineering plans, and manage the resulting work. Brown & Root's leadership in platform analysis during the 1960s was complemented by the strides it took in pipelining technology. It is mentioned that Frank Motley had contributed a lot and the company had developed improvements to pipelaying such as the pipe ramp and stinger device. But as pipelines were laid into deeper water, Brown & Root's engineers and management realized that the company could not maintain a leading position in this realm through minor adaptations to conventional practices. The first step involved increasing the speed and scale of pipelining. The following year, Brown & Root built the L.E. Minor, the industry's first purpose-built lay barge. The microwave survey system added technical precision to the art of pipelaying, while larger and better bury barges improved efficiency. Brown & Root Marine's growing engineering expertise in platforms and pipelines helped expand offshore construction during the years before the first energy crisis. Technological innovations facilitated this expansion by allowing for production in deeper and harsher waters, economies of scale, and aggressive international expansion to bring new sources of offshore oil to market. During the 1960s, Brown & Root helped revolutionize marine design by developing sophisticated computer programs to produce three-dimensional perspectives capable of analyzing data more rigorously than had been possible earlier.