• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.364-370
• /
• 2017

A numerical model based on the mode superposition method is used to study the vortex-induced vibration response characteristics of a deep-sea riser such as steel catenary riser (SCR). A steel catenary riser can be modeled using a flexible cable with simple supports at both ends. The natural frequency, mode shape and mode curvature of the riser are calculated and the vortex-induced vibration response of the riser is obtained using the equilibrium of the input and output power. The mode superposition method is applied to the vibrational stresses for each mode to calculate the overall riser fatigue life.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.247-279
• /
• 2018

This study aims to investigate the behavioral characteristics of the LWSCR (lazy-wave steel catenary riser) for a turret-moored FPSO (Floating Production Storage Offloading) by using fully-coupled hull-mooring-riser dynamic simulation program in time domain. In particular, the effects of initial geometric profile on the global performance and structural behavior are investigated in depth to have an insight for optimal design. In this regard, a systematic parametric study with varying the initial curvature of sag and arch bend and initial position of touch down point (TDP) is conducted for 100-yr wind-wave-current (WWC) hurricane condition. The FPSO motions, riser dynamics, constituent structural stress results, accumulated fatigue damage of the LWSCR are presented and analyzed to draw a general trend of the relationship between the LWSCR geometric parameters and the resulting dynamic/structural performance. According to this study, the initial curvature of the sag and arch bend plays an important role in absorbing transferred platform motions, while the position of TDP mainly affects the change of static-stress level.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.313-327
• /
• 2018

Meeting the touchdown point (TDP) target box is one of the challenges during catenary riser installation, especially for deep water or ultra-deep water riser systems. TDP location mismatch compared to the design can result in variation of riser configuration, additional hang-off misalignment, and extra bending loads going into the hang-off porch. A good understanding of the key installation parameters can help to minimize this mismatch, and ensure that the riser global response meets the design criteria. This paper focuses on investigating the potential factors that may affect the touchdown point location, and addressing the challenges both in the design stage and during installation campaign. Conventionally, the vessel offset and current are the most critical factors which may affect the TDP movement during installation. With the offshore exploration going deeper and deeper in the sea (up to 10,000ft), other sources such as the seabed slope and seabed soil stiffness are playing an important role as well. The impacts of potential sources are quantified through case studies for steel catenary riser (SCR) and lazy wave steel catenary riser (LWSCR) in deep water application. Investigations through both theoretical study and numerical validation are carried out. Furthermore, design recommendations are provided during execution phase for the TDP mismatch condition to ensure the integrity of the riser system.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
• /
• v.4 no.3
• /
• pp.215-241
• /
• 2014

Steel catenary riser (SCR) is a popular/economical solution for the oil/gas production in deep and ultra-deep water. The behavioral characteristics of SCR have a high correlation with the motion of floating production facility at its survival and operational environments. When large motions of surface floaters occur, such as FPSO in 100-yr storm case, they can cause unacceptable negative tension on SCR near TDZ (touch down zone) and the corresponding elastic deflection can be large due to local dynamic buckling. The generation, propagation, and decay of the elastic wave are also affected by SCR and seabed soil interaction effects. The temporary local dynamic buckling vanishes with the recovery of tension on SCR with the upheaval motion of surface floater. Unlike larger-scale, an-order-of-magnitude longer period global buckling driven by heat and pressure variations in subsea pipelines, the sub-critical local dynamic buckling of SCR is motion-driven and short cycled, which, however, can lead to permanent structural damage when the resulting stress is greatly amplified beyond the elastic limit. The phenomenon is extensively investigated in this paper by using the vessel-mooring-riser coupled dynamic analysis program. It is found that the moment of large downward heave motion at the farthest-horizontal-offset position is the most dangerous for the local dynamic buckling.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.111-120
• /
• 2017

It is generally acknowledged that the Steel Catenary Riser (SCR) is the most cost-effective riser type for deep-water offshore fields among various risers, including the SCR, flexible riser, and hybrid riser. However, in West Africa, the SCR type may not be suitable for FPSO systems because the large vertical motion of the floater brings about a considerable riser dynamic response. In this paper, an SCR system is designed for the FPSO in the West African field, where the use of a hybrid riser has been preferred. The proposed SCR configuration fulfills the design criteria of the API, such as the strength check and fatigue life. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is also carried out to improve the certainty in the SCR design of a deep-water FPSO. The parameters affecting the strength and fatigue performance of the SCR are considered.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.61 no.6
• /
• pp.737-746
• /
• 2017

The touch down zone (TDZ) and top connection point of the vessel are most critical part of fatigue damage in the steel catenary riser (SCR). In general, the linear soil model has been used to evaluate fatigue performance of SCRs because it gives conservative results in the TDZ. However, the conservative linear soil model shows the limitation to accommodate real behavior in the TDZ as water depth is increased. Therefore, the riser behavior on soft clay seabed is investigated using a nonlinear soil model through time domain approach in this study. The numerical analysis considering various important parameters of the nonlinear soil model such as shear strength at mudline, shear strength gradient and suction resistance force is conducted to check the adoptability and applicability of nonlinear soil model for SCR design.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
• /
• v.52 no.3
• /
• pp.222-235
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study is to suggest guidelines for riser fatigue analysis in terms of selection of reasonable analysis method. Three analysis methods (spectral, regular wave, rain-flow counting) are introduced and compared. As the riser systems give non-linear response, the time-domain analysis method is more preferred than frequency-domain analysis method. The spectral fatigue analysis method, however, is still useful for identifying fatigue prone areas. Once stress RAO is established, fatigue damage can be calculated very quickly. The regular wave method and the rain-flow counting method are more time consuming but give more exact results compare to spectral method. In case of regular wave method, a set of regular waves which represent random sea states is considered for dynamic analysis. The rain-flow counting method is the most intuitive and exact method because it refers time history stresses containing most of non-linear effects of the riser system. However, it is not common for early design stage to use rain-flow counting method because of its high cost. In this study, it was confirmed that the regular wave method is the most cost effective way in specific cases. However, if the system is highly non-linear, it seems that the regular wave method gives less accurate results than rain-flow counting method. Therefore, it is imperative that the engineers select appropriate analysis method based on design stage and given engineering period. This paper also discusses the theoretical background of each calculation method and hydrodynamic aspects of marine riser systems. A steel catenary riser (SCR) line on FPSO was considered and marine dynamic program (OrcaFlex) was used for static and dynamic analysis.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.403-423
• /
• 2016

The challenges involved with fatigue damage assessment of steel catenary riser (SCR) in the touchdown zone (TDZ) are primarily due to the non-linear behaviour of the SCR-seabed interaction, considerable uncertainty in SCR-seabed interaction modelling and geotechnical parameters. The issue of fatigue damage induced by the cyclic movements of the SCR with the seabed has acquired prominence with the touch down point (TDP) interaction in the TDZ. Therefore, the SCR-seabed response is critical for reliable estimation of fatigue life in the TDZ. Various design approaches pertaining to the lateral pipe-soil resistance model are discussed. These techniques have been applied in the finite element model that can be used to analyse the lateral SCR-seabed interaction under hydrodynamic loading. This study investigates the sensitivity of fatigue performance to geotechnical parameters through a parametric study. In this study, global analyses are performed to assess the influence of vertical linear seabed springs, the lateral seabed model and the non-linear seabed model, including trench evolution into seabed, seabed normalised stiffness, re-penetration offset parameter and soil suction resistance ratio, on the fatigue life of SCRs in the TDZ.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.53 no.5
• /
• pp.881-896
• /
• 2015

In this study, a method for fatigue performance estimation of deepwater steel catenary riser (SCR) under short-term vortex-induced vibration was investigated for selected S-N curves. General tendency between S-N curve capacity and fatigue performance was analysed. SCRs are generally used to transport produced oil and gas or to export separated oil and gas, and are exposed to various environmental loads in terms of current, wave, wind and others. Current is closely related with VIV and it affects fatigue life of riser structures significantly. In this regards, the process of appropriate S-N curve selection was performed in the initial design stage based on the scale of fabrication-related initial imperfections such as welding, hot spot, crack, stress concentration factor, and others. To draw the general tendency, the effects of stress concentration factor (SCF), S-N curve type, current profile, and three different sizes of SCRs were considered, and the relationship between S-N curve capacity and short-term VIV fatigue performance of SCR was derived. In case of S-N curve selection, DNV (2012) guideline was adopted and four different current profiles of the Gulf of Mexico (normal condition and Hurricane condition) and Brazil (Amazon basin and Campos basin) were considered. The obtained results will be useful to select the S-N curve for deepwater SCRs and also to understand the relationship between S-N curve capacity and short-term VIV fatigue performance of deepwater SCRs.

• Journal of Ship and Ocean Technology
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.17-26
• /
• 2006

Spar platforms have been installed as a competitive alternative offshore production structure for deepwater oil field. Since the first spar platform was constructed, its configuration has evolved to the so-called the truss spar and then the cell spar. This paper describes the dynamic analysis and fatigue life assessment of steel catenary riser (SCR) connected to cell spar platform. Two different cell spar platforms are considered herein; the original cell spar and the modified one. The original cell spar was modified by introducing an additional damping plate at its bottom in order to reduce wave-frequency motions. Firstly the wave-frequency motions of cell spar platforms are calculated based on the potential theory. Then, the dynamic responses of SCR induced by platform motions are computed. Finally the fatigue life of SCR is estimated by spectral method and the performance of two spar platforms are compared in terms of the fatigue life. Through the present study, it is found that the fatigue life of the modified cell spar increases only slightly.