Dynamic responses of top tensioned riser under combined excitation of internal solitary wave, surface wave and vessel motion

An investigation on the dynamic response of a top tensioned riser (TTR) under combined excitation of internal solitary wave, surface wave and vessel motion is presented in this paper. The riser is idealized as a tensioned slender beam with dynamic boundary conditions. The KdV-mKdV equation is chosen to simulate the internal solitary wave, and the vessel motion is analysed by using the method proposed by Sexton. Using finite element method, the governing equation is solved in time domain with Newmark-β method. The computation programs for solving the differential equations in time domain are compiled and numerical results are obtained, including dimensionless displacement and stress. The action of internal solitary wave on the riser is like a slow powerful impact, and is much larger than those of surface wave and vessel motion. When the riser is under combined excitation, it vibrates at frequencies of both surface wave and vessel motion, and the vibration is dominated by internal solitary wave. As the internal solitary wave crest passes by the centre of the riser, the maximum displacement and stress along the riser occur. Compared to the lower part, the displacement and stress of the riser in the upper part are much larger.     

Stress analysis of top tensioned riser under random waves and vessel motions

The bending stresses of top tensioned riser(TTR)under combined excitations of currents, random waves and vessel motions are presented in this paper, and the effect of the internal flowing fluid on the riser stresses is also considered. The computation programs which are used to solve the differential equations in the time domain are compiled and the principal factors of concern including the angular movements at the upper and lower ends of the riser, lateral displacements and bending stresses are presented. Then the effects of current velocity, random wave, top tension, vessel mean offset, low frequency motion and internal flow velocity on the bending stresses of the riser are analyzed in detail.     

An investigation on low frequency fatigue damage of mooring lines applied in a semi-submersible platform

Assessing the fatigue life of mooring systems is important for deep water structures. In this paper, a comprehensive fatigue analysis is conducted on the mooring lines applied in a semi-submersible platform with special focus on the low frequency (LF) fatigue damage. Several influential factors, including water depth, wave spectral parameters, and riser system, are considered. Numerical simulation of a semi-submersible platform with the mooring/riser system is executed under different conditions, and the fatigue damage of mooring lines is assessed by using the time domain analysis method as a benchmark. The effects of these factors on the mooring line tension and the fatigue damage are investigated and discussed in detail. Research results indicate that the LF fatigue damage only accounts for a very small portion of the total damage, although the LF components dominate the global motion response and the mooring line tension of the semi-submersible platform. However, it is demonstrated that the LF fatigue damage is clearly affected by the influential factors. The increase in water depth and spectral peak periods, and the existence of risers can weaken the contribution of the LF components to the mooring line fatigue damage, while the fatigue damage due to the LF components increases with the increase of significant wave height.     

Parametric Stability Analysis of Marine Risers with Multiphase Internal Flows Considering Hydrate Phase Transitions

This study investigates the effects of multiphase internal flows that consider hydrate phase transitions on the parametric stability of marine risers.A numerical model of the multiphase internal flow that considers a hydrate phase transition is established.The model first solves the flow parameters and subsequently obtains the natural frequencies of risers with different gas intake ratios.The stability charts of marine risers with different gas intake ratios are plotted by applying Floquet theory,and the effects of the gas intake ratio on the instability and vibration response of the risers are identified.The natural frequency increases with an increase in the gas intake ratio;thus,instability zones move to higher frequency ranges in the stability charts.As the increasing gas intake ratio reduces the damping effect of the Coriolis force,the critical amplitude of the heave in the unstable region decreases,especially when hydrodynamic damping is not considered.As a result,higher-order unstable regions are excited.When in an unstable region,the vibration response curve of a riser with a high gas intake ratio excited by parametric resonance diverges quickly due to parametric resonance.     

Conceptual design of a deep draft semi-submersible platform with a moveable heave-plate

Based on the principle of turned mass damper(TMD) systems,the conceptual design of semi-submersible platform with a moveable heave-plate(MHS) has been put forward.The heave motion response amplitude operator(RAO) and viscous damping of the MHS platform are calculated by iteration,and the coupling stiffness between the MHS hull and the heave-plate is optimized to decrease the maximum heave motion response of the MHS hull under 10-year survival conditions in the South China Sea.The nu-merical results indicate that the heave motion RAO of the MHS hull can be decreased in the range of predominant wave frequencies,which may provide some reference to the heave motion control of offshore platforms.     

Heave-roll-pitch coupled nonlinear internal resonance response of a spar platform considering wave and vortex exciting loads

Many studies have been done on the heave-pitch unstable coupling response for a spar platform by a 2-DOF model. In fact, in addition to the heave and pitch which are in one plane, the nonlinear unstable motion will also occur in roll. From the results of the experiments, the unstable roll motion plays a dominant role in the motion of a spar platform which is much stronger than that of pitch. The objective of this paper is to study 3-DOF coupling response performance of spar platform under wave and vortex-induced force. The nonlinear coupled equations in heave, roll and pitch are established by considering time-varying wet surface and coupling. The first order steady-state response is solved by multi-scales method when the incident wave frequency approaches the heave natural frequency. Numerical integration of the motion equations has been performed to verify the first-order perturbation solution. The results are confirmed by model test. There is a saturation phenomenon associated with heave mode in 3-DOF systems and all extra energy is transferred to roll and pitch. It is observed that sub-harmonic response occurs in roll and pitch when the wave force exceeds a certain value. The energy distribution in roll and pitch is determined by the initial value and damping characteristics of roll and pitch. The energy transfers from heave to pitch and then transfers from pitch to roll. Due to the influence of the low-frequency vortex-excited force, the response of roll is more complicated than that of pitch.     

Fatigue life assessment of top tensioned risers under vortex-induced vibrations

The fatigue life of top tensioned risers under vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs) with consideration of the effect of internal flowing fluid on the riser is analyzed in the time domain. The long-term stress histories of the riser under VIVs are calculated and the mean stresses, the number of stress cycles and amplitudes are determined by the rainflow counting method. The Palmgren-Miner rule for cumulative damage theory with a specified S-N curve is used to estimate the fatigue life of the riser. The corresponding numerical programs numerical simulation of vortex-induced vibrations (NSVIV) which can be used to calculate the VIV response and fatigue life of the riser are compiled. Finally the influences of the riser’s parameters such as flexural rigidity, top tension and internal flow velocity on the fatigue life of the riser are analyzed in detail and some conclusions are drawn.     

Probabilistic analysis and fatigue damage assessment of offshore mooring system due to non-Gaussian bimodal tension processes

Both wave-frequency (WF) and low-frequency (LF) components of mooring tension are in principle non-Gaussian due to nonlinearities in the dynamic system. This paper conducts a comprehensive investigation of applicable probability density functions (PDFs) of mooring tension amplitudes used to assess mooring-line fatigue damage via the spectral method. Short-term statistical characteristics of mooring-line tension responses are firstly investigated, in which the discrepancy arising from Gaussian approximation is revealed by comparing kurtosis and skewness coefficients. Several distribution functions based on present analytical spectral methods are selected to express the statistical distribution of the mooring-line tension amplitudes. Results indicate that the Gamma-type distribution and a linear combination of Dirlik and Tovo-Benasciutti formulas are suitable for separate WF and LF mooring tension components. A novel parametric method based on nonlinear transformations and stochastic optimization is then proposed to increase the effectiveness of mooring-line fatigue assessment due to non-Gaussian bimodal tension responses. Using time domain simulation as a benchmark, its accuracy is further validated using a numerical case study of a moored semi-submersible platform.     

Static Optimization of a Compliant Vertical Access Riser

The compliant vertical access riser(CVAR) is a new riser concept with good compliance; it can significantly reduce operating costs by eliminating the need for additional machines to operate wells directly on the platform. In this study, we determined the optimal riser parameters in terms of the stress and riser weight by optimizing the CVAR, and we compared the optimization results. A two-dimensional nonlinear static CVAR model was deduced according to the principles of virtual work and variation, and the model was verified using MATLAB. Design of experiments and Kriging method were used to reduce the number of sample calculations and improve the modeling accuracy. An appropriate selection of the multi-objective optimization problem(MOP) and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm helped to optimize the CVAR design. The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II was used to solve the Pareto frontier of the optimization model in order to provide decision makers with more choices for the optimization results. After optimizing the riser parameters, the geometry of the riser was smoother, and the stress and stress differences were greatly reduced; the maximum equivalent stresses at the top and bottom were reduced by 36.6% and 44%, respectively. In addition, the stress difference in the buoyancy block area was reduced by 20.9%, and the weight of the riser was increased significantly by 28.1%.     

鄂尔多斯的逆时针旋转与动力学

根据鄂尔多斯块体及周围地区的GPS数据。计算了鄂尔多斯相对于蒙古地台和欧亚板块的旋转参数,表明鄂尔多斯相对于蒙古地台和欧亚板块存在逆时针旋转。用GPS方法与地质学方法得到的鄂尔多斯相对于蒙古地台的旋转参数相同,证明鄂尔多斯自晚新生代以来的运动是稳定的。分析周围地区相对于鄂尔多斯的运动以及鄂尔多斯周围边界断裂带两侧的相对运动,发现鄂尔多斯主要受两对力作用：鄂尔多斯北部北西向拉张与南部北东向推挤形成的力矩作用,以及燕山块体对鄂尔多斯的NW向拉张作用力与华南块体对鄂尔多斯SE向拉张作用力。这两对作用力是促使鄂尔多斯发生逆时针旋转的驱动力。     

基于活塞作用下的管内气流脉动特性

【目的】研究气流管路中活塞运动对气流的扰动机理,探讨机械能转化成脉动能的转化规律及效率。【方法】建立活塞对管内气流作用的物理与数学模型,运用数值模拟方法研究不同工况下的活塞运动对匀速气流的扰动特性,分析不同进口气流速度、活塞运动振幅及频率对匀速气流的扰动规律。【结果与结论】活塞往复运动能有效使管路内匀速气流产生脉动。管路内气流脉动振幅及频率不受其进口速度的影响。活塞运动振幅与气流脉动振幅呈线性关系,随着活塞振幅的增加脉动传导效率逐渐下降,脉动传导效率均在80%以上,效率最高可达99.20%。气流脉动与活塞运动同频率变化。     

Active earth pressure acting on retaining wall considering anisotropic seepage effect

This paper presents a general solution for active earth pressure acting on a vertical retaining wall with a drainage system along the soil-structure interface. The backfill has a horizontal surface and is composed of cohesionless and fully saturated sand with anisotropic permeability along the vertical and horizontal directions. The extremely unfavourable seepage flow on the back of the retaining wall due to heavy rainfall or other causes will dramatically increase the active earth pressure acting on the retaining walls, increasing the probability of instability. In this paper, an analytical solution to the Laplace differential governing equation is presented for seepage problems considering anisotropic permeability based on Fourier series expansion method. A good correlation is observed between this and the seepage forces along a planar surface generated via finite element analysis. The active earth pressure is calculated using Coulomb’s earth pressure theory based on the calculated pore water pressures. The obtained solutions can be degenerated into Coulomb’s formula when no seepage exists in the backfill. A parametric study on the influence of the degree of anisotropy in seepage flow on the distribution of active earth pressure behind the wall is conducted by varying ratios of permeability coefficients in the vertical and horizontal directions, showing that anisotropic seepage flow has a prominent impact on active earth pressure distribution. Other factors such as effective internal friction angle of soils and soil/wall friction conditions are also considered.     

Experimental Study on the Influencing Factors of Motion Responses on an Air-Floating Caisson with Multiple Compartments

The structure of an air-floating caisson is suitable for the major structure of caisson-type artificial islands.Thus,it has been rapidly developed and widely used in the exploration and development of oil and gas fields in shallow sea and intertidal zones.Air-floating transportation technology is one of the key technologies employed in this structure.In this paper,the factors influencing the dynamic response characteristics of air-floating caisson with multi-compartments(AFCMC)were studied using model tests.The length and the height of each air-floating structure in the model were 1.0 and 0.1 m,respectively.In addition,the 1:100 models with 6,8,and 10 compartments under regular waves were tested in the wave flume,respectively.In the experiments,the respective water depths were set at 0.2,0.3,and 0.4 m,and the corresponding drafts were 0.05,0.06,and 0.07 m.Results show that with the increase of draft,the heave natural period increased and the maximum amplitude of the heave motion decreased.Meanwhile,the pitch motion decreased at 6 and 8 compartments and increased at 10 compartments.As the water depth increased,the maximum amplitude and amplitude change of heave and pitch motions first increased and then decreased.However,several amplitudes close to the maximum amplitude appeared in the measured period at shallower water depth,thereby indicating the vertical movements of the structure enhanced under shallow water.The increase in the number of compartments reduced the vertical movements under 6.0 m draft,but it increased the vertical movements under 5.0 and 7.0 m draft.Thus,increasing the number of compartments has a limited capacity to improve the motion performance of the structure.     

Synergetic Analysis and Possible Control of Vortex-Induced Vibrations in a Fluid-Conveying Steel Catenary Riser

This work aimed to demonstrate possibilities for both active and passive control of the vortex-induced vibration and fatigue life of steel catenary risers via an analysis of the self-organization and evolution of the structural vibration based on synergetic theory. An analysis of the complex interrelated and synergistic relationship between the order parameter and the fast variable was performed, and the master equation of the nodal displacements was established as the order parameter for the evolution of the riser’s structural vibration. Passive control methods include modifying the structure’s elastic modulus, the internal fluid velocity, the top tension and the structural damping ratio, while an active control involves adjusting the external flow rate. Optimized parameters were obtained by analyzing the non-steady state solution of the master equation. The results show that the fatigue life greatly increases as the riser’s elastic modulus decreases. In contrast, the fatigue life decreases with an increase of the internal fluid velocity. With an increase of the top tension, the vibration amplitudes and the number of modes may decrease, resulting in fewer bending stress cycles and a longer fatigue life. Furthermore, the structural damping ratio should be as large as possible. Finally, an active and passive control of the riser structure’s response to vortex-induced vibration and its fatigue life can be achieved by carefully modifying the parameters mentioned above. The results may provide a theoretical framework for engineering practice concerning the design and control of steel catenary riser structures which are affected by vortex-induced vibration.     

Effect of tidal currents on the transport of saline water from the North Branch in the Changjiang River estuary

Based on the MIKE 21 numerical model combined with measured data, a numerical model for the coupling of water and salinity in the Changjiang(Yangtze) River estuary was established, and based on good verification, the influence of the tidal current intensity on the transport and variations of salinity concentrations in saline water from the North Branch to the South Branch was numerically evaluated. The time and space mean root mean square of the tidal current velocity can be expressed as a parabolic function of an adjustment coefficient for the amplitude of the M2 tidal constituent along the open boundaries of the model. Under the advection of runof f and tidal currents, the saline pool is transported downstream in an oscillatory pattern. With the enhancement of tidal current intensity, the oscillatory motion of the saltwater pool is increasingly significant in a tidal cycle forced by rising and falling tides. Along four set paths, the daily average concentrations of the saline core were generally similar, and in the process of transportation downstream, the concentrations of saltwater declined. The decay of the tidal-period-averaged salinity of the saltwater was linearly related to the square of the tidal current. Thus, the tidal current has a significant and direct impact on saltwater transport and diffusion in the Changjiang River estuary.     

Deep-water riser fatigue monitoring systems based on acoustic telemetry

Marine risers play a key role in the deep and ultra-deep water oil and gas production. The vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of marine risers constitutes an important problem in deep water oil exploration and production. VIV will result in high rates of structural failure of marine riser due to fatigue damage accumulation and diminishes the riser fatigue life. In-service monitoring or full scale testing is essential to improve our understanding of VIV response and enhance our ability to predict fatigue damage. One marine riser fatigue acoustic telemetry scheme is proposed and an engineering prototype machine has been developed to monitor deep and ultra-deep water risers’ fatigue and failure that can diminish the riser fatigue life and lead to economic losses and eco-catastrophe. Many breakthroughs and innovation have been achieved in the process of developing an engineering prototype machine. Sea trials were done on the 6th generation deep-water drilling platform HYSY-981 in the South China Sea. The inclination monitoring results show that the marine riser fatigue acoustic telemetry scheme is feasible and reliable and the engineering prototype machine meets the design criterion and can match the requirements of deep and ultra-deep water riser fatigue monitoring. The rich experience and field data gained in the sea trial which provide much technical support for optimization in the engineering prototype machine in the future.     

Numerical analysis of wellbore instability in gas hydrate formation during deep-water drilling

Gas hydrate formation may be encountered during deep-water drilling because of the large amount and wide distribution of gas hydrates under the shallow seabed of the South China Sea. Hydrates are extremely sensitive to temperature and pressure changes, and drilling through gas hydrate formation may cause dissociation of hydrates, accompanied by changes in wellbore temperatures, pore pressures, and stress states, thereby leading to wellbore plastic yield and wellbore instability. Considering the coupling effect of seepage of drilling fluid into gas hydrate formation, heat conduction between drilling fluid and formation, hydrate dissociation, and transformation of the formation framework, this study established a multi-field coupling mathematical model of the wellbore in the hydrate formation. Furthermore, the influences of drilling fluid temperatures, densities, and soaking time on the instability of hydrate formation were calculated and analyzed. Results show that the greater the temperature difference between the drilling fluid and hydrate formation is, the faster the hydrate dissociates, the wider the plastic dissociation range is, and the greater the failure width becomes. When the temperature difference is greater than 7℃, the maximum rate of plastic deformation around the wellbore is more than 10%, which is along the direction of the minimum horizontal in-situ stress and associated with instability and damage on the surrounding rock. The hydrate dissociation is insensitive to the variation of drilling fluid density, thereby implying that the change of the density of drilling fluids has a minimal effect on the hydrate dissociation. Drilling fluids that are absorbed into the hydrate formation result in fast dissociation at the initial stage. As time elapses, the hydrate dissociation slows down, but the risk of wellbore instability is aggravated due to the prolonged submersion in drilling fluids. For the sake of the stability of the wellbore in deep-water drilling through hydrate formation, the drilling fluid with low temperatures should be given priority. The drilling process should be kept under balanced pressures, and the drilling time should be shortened.     

On the nonlinear waves in a developing process

Based on the discrete form of the main governing equation derived, a single wave as the main motion of the instability analysis was found. This solution gives the whole process from the initial stage to the nonlinear equilibrium state. Next we examined the instability of the main motion above-mentioned in the initial stage and showed the instability properties of a developing process. Contribution No. 987 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica.     

孕震断层的形变模型及其失稳判据

提出了孕震断层的形变模型，讨论了该模型的形变特征，给出了其失稳的临界条件。通过对失稳过程的分析，对孕震期作了新的划分，并给出了失稳临界条件的形变判据。指出：综合使用ＧＰＳ测量、跨断层短基线测量和固体潮观测，可以对孕震的时间进程实施追踪，并可对孕震的危险程度作出判定。     

Study on the performance of the micropile-mechanically stabilized earth wall

The Micropile-Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) wall, specially designed for mountain roads, is proposed to improve the MSE wall local stability, global stability and impact resistance of roadside barriers. Model tests and the corresponding numerical modeling were conducted to validate the serviceability of the Micropile-MSE wall and the reliability of the numerical method. Then, a parametric study of the stress and deformation of Micropile-MSE wall based on the backfill strength and interfacial friction angle between backfill and backslope is conducted to evaluate its performance. The test results indicate that the surcharge-induced horizontal earth pressure, base pressure and lateral displacement of the wall panel of Micropile-MSE wall decrease. The corresponding numerical results are nearly equal to the measured values. The basic failure mode of MSE wall in steep terrain is the sliding of backfill along the backslope, while A-frame style micropiles are capable of preventing the sliding trend. The maximum resultant displacement can be decreased by 6.25% to 46.9% based on different interfacial friction angles, and the displacement can be reduced by 6% ~ 56.1% based on different backfill strengths. Furthermore, the reduction increases when the interfacial friction angle and internal friction angle of backfill decrease. In addition, the lateral displacement of wall panel, the deformation of backfill decrease and the tension strain of geogrid obviously, which guarantees the MSE wall functions and provides good conditions for mountain roads.