The concrete tip

When Dan-Evert studied construction at the then NTH in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he found programming to be the most boring subject.

“Back then, we used punched cards, and every time we wrote a line we had to run the card through a punched card machine. I chose as many theory subjects as possible to avoid data,” he says.

In 1978, Multiconsult, together with two other consulting engineering companies, formed Norwegian Offshore Consultants (NOC), which participated in the design of the concrete foundations for most of the Condeep platforms for the contractor Norwegian Contractors. The crowning glory of the project was the giant Troll A, which began production in 1996. Troll A has a total height of 472 meters, and in 1999 was voted the engineering feat of the century by Teknisk ukeblad readers.

When Dan-Evert joined Multiconsult in 1984, he was asked to develop some calculation models related to NOC's offshore concrete projects. Despite his fear of computers:

– I didn't really think it was that difficult. Afterwards, I realized that I had done something wrong, he says.

Revolutionary simplification

For two years, Dan-Evert worked as a project engineer for the Oseberg platform, using other types of programs to dimension the enormous structural parts.

– When a group was established to develop dimensioning programs for concrete structures, I was asked to participate, since I had encountered something similar before. The recession at the end of the 1980s led to several layoffs, and eventually I was the only one left working on the program, he says.

While Dan-Evert was happy to keep his job, he felt pressure to deliver a usable result.

“It turned out that the system I had developed worked well, so well that the software system was chosen as the main tool in connection with the design of the concrete substructure for Troll A. I was only 32 years old, and I thought it was incredibly exciting to be part of that project,” he recalls.

Inside Troll A is the equivalent of 16 Eiffel Towers in steel.

“MultiCon made it possible to calculate this amount of reinforcement to ensure that a structure standing at a depth of 300 meters is strong enough to withstand the wave forces in the North Sea,” he explains.

Although using software is the most natural thing in the world today, in the 1990s it was a revolutionary way to simplify design work.

“In the beginning, it was about visualizing the mathematics through spreadsheets, and gradually we started creating plotting programs. We were concerned that all data should be traceable, so that the user could check their results themselves,” he explains.

Perfectionist

MultiCon is still a leading dimensioning tool for concrete platforms, and was used in connection with the design of the Hebron platform, which was installed off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada as recently as 2017. In all of his almost 40 years at Multiconsult, Dan-Evert has worked on further development and support of the program.
– I have largely developed the system based on the needs of the users. This has also allowed me to contribute to projects where I myself am not directly involved in the design. The connection to the program became so strong for me that I have never considered changing jobs. I am probably an above-average perfectionist, and thoroughly familiarizing myself with one thing suits me well, he says.

Fantastic achievement

Dan-Evert grew up in Ullensvang in Hardanger and dreamed of becoming a footballer. During his studies, he played for Rosenborg with Nils Arne Eggen as coach, until an injury put an end to his football career.
– When I turned 50, my wife surprised me with a video greeting from Nils Arne and Ola By Rise, where Ola said “I wonder what Dan-Evert is doing now – no matter what he does, it’s guaranteed to be something that requires precision, and he’s probably become a master at it”. I probably didn’t become a football striker, but instead a striker in the concrete trade, he laughs.

When he turned 60, Dan-Evert made a photo cavalcade of his most important memories from each decade.

– From the first decade, it was the moon landing in 1969 that had left its mark. At the age of 10, I was glued to the TV screen and thought it was a fantastic achievement. The engineering dream probably started then. It’s incredible what you can achieve with technique and courage! he says.

On his office door, Dan-Evert has a notice informing all visitors that Troll A pumps up gas worth around NOK 200 million every single day.

“The Norwegian oil and gas adventure must not be underestimated, and the way the assets have been managed is exemplary. I am proud to have had the opportunity to be part of this adventure,” he concludes.