Sleeved Stress Joint for Steel Catenary Riser Application

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.-H. Mark Chang ◽  
Paul Stanton ◽  
Sunil Kuriakose ◽  
Hugh Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Bending Moment ◽  
Variable Stiffness ◽  
Floating Platform ◽  
Steel Catenary Riser ◽  
High Fatigue ◽  
Steel Catenary Risers ◽  
Design Requirements ◽  
Floating Platforms ◽  
Oil Gas ◽  
Economical Alternative

Steel catenary risers (SCRs) have been widely used for oil/gas/water transport on floating platforms for the last fifteen years. Flex joints and tapered stress joints are often used for interface between the SCR and platform. Flex joints and tapered stress joints need to be designed to meet both the stiffness and flexibility requirements. A stress joint requires high stiffness to withstand the bending moment induced by the SCR and at the same time needs to be sufficiently flexible so as not to overstress the SCR. To achieve these complex requirements, a sleeved stress joint (SSJ) provides a sound technical and economical alternative for the interface between the SCR and platform. A sleeved stress joint utilizes multiple pipes to provide variable stiffness and to meet the strength and flexibility requirements. In the design of a SSJ, the number of sleeves, and the outer diameters and wall thicknesses of the sleeved pipes can be adjusted to achieve the design requirements. In addition, the locations of welds in the sleeved pipes can be placed to achieve the high fatigue performance that is important in stress joint design. Feasibility of the SSJ design is verified through state-of-the-art computer modeling. Generic cases of SSJ design applied to the porch and pull tube of a floating platform are presented. The design concept is compared with traditional flex joint and tapered stress joint designs. The technical and economic advantages of such a design are discussed.

Development and Qualification of Alternative Solutions for Improved Fatigue Performance of Deepwater Steel Catenary Risers

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajiv K. Aggarwal ◽  
Marcio M. Mourelle ◽  
Steinar Kristoffersen ◽  
Henri Godinot ◽  
Pedro Vargas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Testing ◽  
Fatigue Testing ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Fatigue Performance ◽  
Steel Catenary Riser ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
Steel Catenary Risers ◽  
Floating Platforms ◽  
Floating Systems

Several initiatives have been undertaken by the operators, engineering companies, product manufacturers, and regulatory bodies to enable increased use of steel catenary riser (SCR) design in development of deepwater and ultra-deepwater fields. Some of these efforts focus on improvement in understanding of soil-structure interaction at SCR touch down zone (TDZ) and its impact on fatigue damage estimates through analytical studies, laboratory testing, or in-field monitoring of SCR behavior. Through recent studies and laboratory testing work for floating platforms with SCR, the need for significant enhancement of SCR design at TDZ through implementation of alternate solutions has been identified. This paper presents a summary of the work undertaken in a Joint Industry Project (JIP) during 2004 to 2007 [1, 2] to develop solutions and undertake qualification tasks for four alternatives with potential to improve fatigue performance at TDZ by factor of up to 10 or more. The solutions considered at SCR TDZ include: thick light-weight coating over steel riser sections; steel riser sections with upset ends; high strength steel riser sections with integral connectors; and a titanium segment. The major qualification tasks undertaken for each solution will be identified and discussed. The qualification program undertaken for each solution varied and in some cases, it also included manufacturing of samples, laboratory and full-scale fatigue testing, and post-failure evaluation. Through significant qualification activities undertaken in this JIP, progress has been made to bring these solutions to project ready state for their consideration at the frond end engineering design (FEED) stage. Such design enhancements would enable increase in selection of SCR design for production and export riser applications under severe operating conditions, harsh environment, and floating systems with high motions.

Dynamic Optimization of Steel Catenary Risers Based on Reliability Using Metamodel

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenqing Zheng ◽  
Hezhen Yang
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Optimization ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Minimum Cost ◽  
Probabilistic Constraints ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Steel Catenary Riser ◽  
Reliability Based Design ◽  
Minimum Cost Design ◽  
Steel Catenary Risers

Reliability based design optimization (RBDO) of a steel catenary riser (SCR) using metamodel is investigated. The purpose of the optimization is to find the minimum-cost design subjecting to probabilistic constraints. To reduce the computational cost of the traditional double-loop RBDO, a single-loop RBDO approach is employed. The performance function is approximated by using metamodel to avoid time consuming finite element analysis during the dynamic optimization. The metamodel is constructed though design of experiments (DOE) sampling. In addition, the reliability assessment is carried out by Monte Carlo simulations. The result shows that the RBDO of SCR is a more rational optimization approach compared with traditional deterministic optimization, and using metamodel technique during the dynamic optimization process can significantly decrease the computational expense without sacrificing accuracy.

Ratcheting assessment of corroded elbow pipes subjected to internal pressure and cyclic bending moment

2021 ◽  
pp. 030932472198989
Author(s):  
Ali Salehi ◽  
Armin Rahmatfam ◽  
Mohammad Zehsaz
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Internal Pressure ◽  
Bending Moment ◽  
Axial Direction ◽  
Hoop Strain ◽  
Cyclic Bending ◽  
High Fatigue ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cyclic Bending Moment

The present study aimed to study ratcheting strains of corroded stainless steel 304LN elbow pipes subjected to internal pressure and cyclic bending moment. To this aim, spherical and cubical shapes corrosion are applied at two depths of 1 mm and 2 mm in the critical points of elbow pipe such as symmetry sites at intrados, extrados, and crown positions. Then, a Duplex 2205 stainless steel elbow pipe is considered as an alternative to studying the impact of the pipe materials, due to its high corrosion resistance and strength, toughness, and most importantly, the high fatigue strength and other mechanical properties than stainless steel 304LN. In order to perform numerical analyzes, the hardening coefficients of the materials were calculated. The results highlight a significant relationship between the destructive effects of corrosion and the depth and shape of corrosion, so that as corrosion increases, the resulting destructive effects increases as well, also, the ratcheting strains in cubic corrosions have a higher growth rate than spherical corrosions. In addition, the growth rate of the ratcheting strains in the hoop direction is much higher across the studied sample than the axial direction. The highest growth rate of hoop strain was observed at crown and the highest growth rate of axial strains occurred at intrados position. Altogether, Duplex 2205 material has a better performance than SS 304LN.

Strength Performance of Steel Catenary Riser Using Short Term and Long Term Analysis Methodologies

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Wang ◽  
Roger Burke ◽  
Anil Sablok ◽  
Kristoffer H. Aronsen ◽  
Oddgeir Dalane
Keyword(s):  
Bending Moment ◽  
Current Profile ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Sea State ◽  
Strength Performance ◽  
Steel Catenary Riser ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
Riser Design ◽  
Term Analysis

Strength performance of a steel catenary riser tied back to a Spar is presented based on long term and short term analysis methodologies. The focus of the study is on response in the riser touch down zone, which is found to be the critical region based on short term analysis results. Short term riser response in design storms is computed based on multiple realizations of computed vessel motions with various return periods. Long term riser response is based on vessel motions for a set of 45,000 sea states, each lasting three hours. The metocean criteria for each sea state is computed based on fifty six years of hindcast wind and wave data. A randomly selected current profile is used in the long term riser analysis for each sea state. Weibull fitting is used to compute the extreme riser response from the response of the 45,000 sea states. Long term analysis results in the touch down zone, including maximum bending moment, minimum effective tension, and maximum utilization using DNV-OS-F201, are compared against those from the short term analysis. The comparison indicates that the short term analysis methodology normally followed in riser design is conservative compared to the more accurate, but computationally more expensive, long term analysis methods. The study also investigates the important role that current plays in the strength performance of the riser in the touch down zone.

Sensitivity Study of Critical Parameters Influencing the Uncertainty of Fatigue Damage in Steel Catenary Risers

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Zi Li ◽  
Ying Min Low
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Damage ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
Structural Safety ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Steel Catenary Riser ◽  
Bending Stresses ◽  
Steel Catenary Risers ◽  
Touchdown Point

The most challenging aspect of a deepwater development is the riser system, and a cost-effective choice is the Steel Catenary Riser (SCR). Fatigue is often a governing design consideration, and it is usually most critical at the touchdown point (TDP) where static and dynamic bending stresses are highest. Unfortunately, it is also at this region that uncertainty is the maximum. The increased uncertainty casts doubt on the applicability of generic safety factors recommended by design codes, and the most consistent way of ensuring the structural safety of the SCR is to employ a reliability-based approach, which has so far not received attention in SCR design. As the number of basic random variables affects the complexity of a reliability analysis, these variables should be selected with caution. To this end, the aim of this paper is to draw up a comprehensive list of design parameters that may contribute meaningfully to the uncertainty of the fatigue damage. From this list, several parameters are selected for sensitivity studies using the commercial package Orcaflex. It is found that variations in seabed parameters such as soil stiffness, soil suction and seabed trench can have a pronounced influence on the uncertainty of the fatigue damage at the touchdown point.

scholarly journals A New Semisubmersible Design for Improved Heave Motion, Vortex-Induced Motion and Quayside Stability

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Xu
Keyword(s):  
Floating Platform ◽  
Natural Period ◽  
Suppression Effect ◽  
Structural Rigidity ◽  
Hull Design ◽  
Induced Motion ◽  
Steel Catenary Risers ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Touchdown Point ◽  
Heave Motion

Recently the semisubmersible has become a favorable choice as a wet-tree floating platform supporting steel catenary risers (SCRs), mainly due to its capability of quayside topside integration and cost-effectiveness. However, it is still a challenge for a conventional semisubmersible to support SCRs, particularly large ones, in harsh environment and relatively shallow water due to its large heave motion. To answer this challenge, a new semisubmersible design has been developed at Technip as a wet-tree floater which achieves significantly improved heave motion and vortex-induced-motion (VIM) performance through hull form optimization while maintaining the simplicity of a conventional semisubmersible design. The difference between the NexGen semi-submersible design and a conventional semi-submersible design is in the blisters attached to the columns, distribution of pontoon volume, and pontoon cross section shape. In the NexGen semi-submersible design, the pontoon volume is re-distributed to minimize heave loading while maintaining sufficient structural rigidity, a long heave natural period and adequate quayside buoyancy. The blisters attached to the columns effectively break the vortex shedding coherence along the column length and therefore suppresses VIM. The blisters also provide much needed stability at quayside and during the hull deployment process, making the hull design less sensitive to topside weight increase. In the present paper the hydrodynamic aspects of this new design are discussed in detail. A benchmark case is presented in which the new design is compared against a more conventional design with the same principal dimensions. It is shown that the heave response in extreme sea states (100-yr hurricane) at the platform center of gravity is reduced by about 30–40%, and at the SCR hang-off locations by about 25–30%. Due to the reduced heave motion, SCRs experience about one third less stress at the touchdown point. A qualitative VIM analytical model is used to predict the VIM suppression effect of the new design. A highlight of a VIM model test for the proposed design is also presented. The reduced heave and VIM significantly improve the riser stress and fatigue near the touchdown point. This new design makes the semisubmersible a more robust wet-tree floater concept, and even a potentially good candidate as a dry-tree host concept in relatively benign environment.

Vortex Induced Motion of TLP With Consideration of Appurtenances

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Hui Choo Tan ◽  
Yih Jeng Teng ◽  
Allan Magee ◽  
Benedict Toong Heng Ly ◽  
Shankar Bhat Aramanadka
Keyword(s):  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Scale Effects ◽  
Floating Platform ◽  
Steel Catenary Riser ◽  
Aspect Ratios ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Helical Strakes ◽  
Induced Motion ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Comparison Of The Results

Offshore floating platform configurations often consist of geometrically simple and symmetrical shapes which are made complicated by the presence of appurtenances such as helical strakes, tendon porches, steel catenary riser (SCR) porches, pipes, chains, fairleads and anodes on the surface of the hull. Previous studies mainly on spars show that these hull external features affect the Vortex Induced Motion (VIM) performance of the platform significantly. This is to be expected since VIM is controlled by the flow separation on the hull surface and the resulting vortex shedding patterns. Scale effects may also play a role in model tests for bare cylinders or hulls with bare cylindrical columns, whereas previous studies have shown less Reynolds dependence when appurtenances are modelled. This study investigates the effect of hull appurtenances on VIM of a multi-column floating platform, i.e. a Tension Leg Platform (TLP) designed for Southeast Asian environment. Significant difference in VIM behaviors is expected between spars and TLPs since the column aspect ratios are very different and TLPs do not have helical strakes that are commonly fitted on spars. Model testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation are used in this VIM study, with the former being the emphasis of this paper. Descriptions of the respective experimental and numerical methodologies are presented and the comparison of the results is made. Further work required to improve the model test set-up and the CFD simulation are suggested. From this study, it is shown that the effect of appurtenances on TLP VIM simulation is important and must be taken into account to obtain realistic results.

A Parametric Study for the Design of Steel Catenary Riser System in Deepwater Harsh Environments

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Xia ◽  
Purnendu K. Das ◽  
Daniel Karunakaran
Keyword(s):  
Parametric Study ◽  
Computer Time ◽  
Harsh Environments ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Primary Analysis ◽  
Steel Catenary Riser ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Steel Catenary Risers ◽  
Northern North Sea

In recent years, offshore reservoirs have been developed in deeper and deeper water environments, where floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO), semi-submersibles, spars and TLPs are considered to be the most economically viable platforms. Steel catenary risers (SCRs) are being considered for these production units in deepwater development such as Northern North Sea. A variety of uncertainties are associated with material behaviour, environmental loading, hydromechanics modelling, structural modelling, and fatigue / corrosion / wear characteristics, especially around hang-off and touch down areas. SCRs used in conjunction with a semi-submersible or a FPSO in deepwater harsh environments present significant design challenges. The large vertical motions at the FPSO or semi induce severe riser response, which results in difficulty meeting strength and fatigue criteria at the hang-off and touch down point locations. To improve the understanding of SCR behaviour and increase the confidence in the design of such systems in deepwater harsh environments, a parametric study was carried out in this paper to deal with the factors that mainly influence the loading condition and fatigue life of the riser. Two cases, one steel catenary riser connected to a semi-submersible and one steel catenary riser connected to a FPSO, were studied and compared. And weight-optimized configurations were applied for both risers. Riflex combined with DeepC was the primary analysis tool used for the long-term response of the nonlinear structure SCR’s simulations, which is high computer time consuming. Hence, the parameters affecting the efficiency and accuracy of the simulations have also been studied during the analysis process.

Impact of Soil Modeling on Fatigue Design of Lazy Wave Riser Systems

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupak Ghosh ◽  
Haydar Arslan
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Field Testing ◽  
Vertical Displacement ◽  
Soil Response ◽  
Fatigue Design ◽  
Steel Catenary Risers ◽  
Design Requirements ◽  
Seabed Stiffness

Abstract The Liza risers comprise production risers, water injection risers and gas injection risers, and a lazy wave configuration is selected considering FPSO motion, reservoir fluid and overall project execution requirements. During operation, the risers are expected to move cyclically with small vertical displacement amplitudes (e.g. 0.1% to 1% of the riser diameter), and a key design issue is the fatigue life of these risers at critical locations including the touch-down zone which will be governed by the seabed stiffness. The role of soil response on fatigue life of riser with buoyancy has been investigated through nonlinear finite element and comprehensive lab and field testing program. Published methodologies for determining seabed stiffness values for risers concentrate more on larger amplitude motions based on the design requirements of steel catenary risers. The paper presents the sensitivity of the fatigue life at TDP to various soil model and provides insight in the results. Also included is the importance of site specific soil investigation in the context of design of riser.

Process-Structure-Property Fatigue Characterisation for Welding of X100 Steel Catenary Risers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronan J. Devaney ◽  
Adrian Connaire ◽  
Padraic E. O’Donoghue ◽  
Sean B. Leen
Keyword(s):  
Weld Metal ◽  
Fatigue Testing ◽  
Weld Zone ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Strain History ◽  
Structure Property ◽  
Steel Catenary Riser ◽  
Thermomechanical Simulation ◽  
Steel Catenary Risers ◽  
Process Structure

Abstract Welded connections are a fatigue sensitive location for offshore steel catenary risers. The susceptibility to fatigue is due to the notch effect of the weld and the gradient in microstructure and material properties across the weld which result from welding thermal cycles and differences in the composition of the parent material and weld metal. In this work, a representative full-scale steel catenary riser girth weld is conducted using X100Q steel. The thermal and strain history in the weld zone are captured using a thermocouple and strain gauge array. A parallel programme of Gleeble thermomechanical simulation is implemented to develop microstructurally uniform heat affected zone (HAZ) test specimens. The parent material, weld metal, simulated HAZ and a cross-weld sample are characterised using a programme of nanoindentation, tensile and fatigue testing. A softened region with microstructure corresponding to intercritical HAZ (ICHAZ) is identified in the girth weld. Tensile and fatigue failures are shown to occur in a representative microstructural region for simulated HAZ specimens, indicating a susceptibility to failure in the ICHAZ for matched or over-matched X100Q welds.

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