Analytical and Numerical Models to Predict the Behavior of Unbonded Flexible Risers Under Torsion

This paper presents analytical and numerical models to predict the behavior of unbonded flexible risers under torsion. The analytical model takes local bending and torsion of tensile armor wires into consideration, and equilibrium equations of forces and displacements of layers are deduced. The numerical model includes lay angle, cross-sectional profiles of carcass, pressure armor layer and contact between layers. Abaqus/Explicit quasi-static simulation and mass scaling are adopted to avoid convergence problem and excessive computation time caused by geometric and contact nonlinearities. Results show that local bending and torsion of helical strips may have great influence on torsional stiffness, but stress related to bending and torsion is negligible; the presentation of anti-friction tapes may have great influence both on torsional stiffness and stress; hysteresis of torsion-twist relationship under cyclic loading is obtained by numerical model, which cannot be predicted by analytical model because of the ignorance of friction between layers.     

On the response of flexible risers to loads imposed by hydraulic collars

Even though hydraulic collars are largely used to install flexible risers, neither the loads imposed by this equipment nor the response of the risers to these loads have been previously studied. Hence, this paper presents a three-dimensional nonlinear finite element (FE) model to predict the response of flexible risers to loads imposed by hydraulic collars and also provides a set of equations to predict these loads. The FE model relies on an analogy between helical tendons and orthotropic shells to simulate the inner carcass and the pressure armour of flexible risers. Shell elements are used to represent the polymeric layers and three-dimensional beam elements simulate the wires of the tensile armours. Material, geometric and contact nonlinearities are addressed. Contact interactions between the layers of the riser are handled by surface to surface contact elements with a contact detection algorithm based on the pinball technique and contact forces evaluated with the augmented Lagrangian method. A 9.5″ flexible riser is analyzed and the numerical results are compared to those from the experimental tests. The agreement between all results indicates that the proposed FE model is an efficient approach to predict the response of flexible risers to loads imposed by hydraulic collars and, moreover, may be used to analyze the response of such structures to other types of loads.     

Analytical and numerical modeling for flexible pipes

The unbonded flexible pipe of eight layers,in which all the layers except the carcass layer are assumed to have isotropic properties,has been analyzed.Specifically,the carcass layer shows the orthotropic characteristics.The effective elastic moduli of the carcass layer have been developed in terms of the influence of deformation to stiffness.With consideration of the effective elastic moduli,the structure can be properly analyzed.Also the relative movements of tendons and relative displacements of wires in helical armour layer have been investigated.A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model has been presented to predict the response of flexible pipes under axial force and torque.Further,the friction and contact of interlayer have been considered.Comparison between the finite element model and experimental results obtained in literature has been given and discussed,which might provide practical and technical support for the application of unbonded flexible pipes.     

Non-symmetric cyclic bending of helical wires in flexible pipes

Unbonded flexible pipes have superior fatigue performance as the internal armor layers are allowed to move relative to each other, leading to reduced structural loading. The main interactions between the internal layers are the contact forces and the frictional forces. Frictional interaction leads to a complex non-linear response of unbonded flexible pipes making prediction of cyclic bending fatigue a demanding task. Nevertheless, detailed understanding of local armor wire stresses and the related fatigue phenomena is of paramount importance as unbonded flexible risers are often operated close to their mechanical limits. This paper presents a method for calculating the tensile armor wire loading and the hysteresis effect on flexible pipes when subjected to tension, and non-symmetric cyclic bending. The effect of non-symmetric cyclic bending with different tensile armor lay angles, and frictional conditions are studied. The analysis uses an efficient repeated unit cell finite element model, allowing the analysis to be performed on a desktop computer. The study shows that the tensile armor wires gradually translate towards the compression side of the pipe bending plane, when the unbonded flexible pipe is subjected to combined tension and non-symmetric cyclic bending. In the analysis, cyclic bending is applied until steady-state in the bending response is achieved over a full bending cycle. The global bending response of the flexible pipe and the tensile armor wire loading conditions for fully stabilized non-symmetric cyclic bending become symmetric around the frictionless state for the mean cyclic bending curvature. An approximate analytic model for the tensile armor in the stabilized cycle, based on symmetric bending about the geodesic curve corresponding to the mean pipe curvature, is proposed.     

Enhanced multi-layer fatigue-analysis approach for unbonded flexible risers

This paper proposes an enhanced approach for evaluating the fatigue life of each metallic layer of unbonded flexible risers. Owing to the complex structure of unbonded flexible risers and the nonlinearity of the system, particularly in the critical touchdown zone, the traditional method is insufficient for accurately evaluating the fatigue life of these risers. The main challenge lies in the transposition from global to local analyses, which is a key stage for the fatigue analysis of flexible pipes owing to their complex structure. The new enhanced approach derives a multi-layer stress-decomposition method to meet this challenge. In this study, a numerical model validated experimentally is used to demonstrate the accuracy of the stress-decomposition method. And a numerical case is studied to validate the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that the multi-layer stress-decomposition method is accurate, and the fatigue lives of the metallic layers predicted by the enhanced multi-layer analysis approach are rational. The proposed fatigue-analysis approach provides a practical and reasonable method for predicting fatigue life in the design of unbonded flexible risers.     

Enhanced Multi-Layer Fatigue-Analysis Approach for Unbonded Flexible Risers

This paper proposes an enhanced approach for evaluating the fatigue life of each metallic layer of unbonded flexible risers. Owing to the complex structure of unbonded flexible risers and the nonlinearity of the system, particularly in the critical touchdown zone, the traditional method is insufficient for accurately evaluating the fatigue life of these risers. The main challenge lies in the transposition from global to local analyses, which is a key stage for the fatigue analysis of flexible pipes owing to their complex structure. The new enhanced approach derives a multi-layer stress-decomposition method to meet this challenge. In this study, a numerical model validated experimentally is used to demonstrate the accuracy of the stress-decomposition method. And a numerical case is studied to validate the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that the multi-layer stress-decomposition method is accurate, and the fatigue lives of the metallic layers predicted by the enhanced multi-layer analysis approach are rational. The proposed fatigue-analysis approach provides a practical and reasonable method for predicting fatigue life in the design of unbonded flexible risers.     

考虑浮体升沉及张紧环运动深海立管固有振动特性研究

研究深海顶张力立管(TTR)的固有振动特性。通过考虑两种不同的分析模型,研究沿水深变化的轴力以及张紧环运动对于立管固有振动频率和振型的影响。考虑立管顶端动边界条件及立管轴力随水深变化,提出了计算深水顶张力立管固有振动频率的方法,给出考虑浮体升沉及张紧环运动时顶张力立管的固有振动特性。结果表明,考虑变轴力和张紧环的影响是计算立管固有频率需要考虑的;立管浮体的运动,导致立管频率显著变化,从而改变立管的共振特性。     

Analytical solution of mean top tension of long flexible riser in modeling vortex-induced vibrations

The vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of flexible long riser with combined in-line and cross-flow motion has been studied using a wake oscillator in this paper. The analytical solution of mean top tension of long flexible riser is evaluated and compared with experimental results, and good agreement is observed to verify its validity. Then the nonlinear coupled dynamics of the in-line and cross-flow VIV of a long tension-dominated riser were analyzed through wake oscillator model with the consideration of variation of the mean top tension. The in-line and cross-flow resonant frequencies, lift and drag coefficients, dominant mode numbers, amplitudes and instantaneous deflections are reported and compared with experimental results, and excellent agreements are observed. The comparison of mode numbers between the calculation with and without consideration of variation of mean top tension shows that the proposed analytical solution of the mean top tension can produce a better prediction of multi-mode VIV.     

Axisymmetric viscoelastic response of flexible pipes in time domain

The challenges for determining the mechanical behavior of flexible pipes mainly arise from highly non-linear geometrical and material properties and complex contact interaction conditions between and within layers components. This paper develops an innovative model to investigate the linear viscoelastic behavior of flexible pipes under axisymmetric loads in time domain. The model is derived from an equivalent linear elastic axisymmetric model by invoking the elastic-viscoelastic correspondence principle. Analytical formulations that describe the behavior of the metallic helical layers based on a combination of differential geometry concepts and Clebsch–Kirchhoff equilibrium equations for initially curved slender elastic rods are presented. The elastic response of the homogenous polymeric cylindrical layers is also presented. The assemblage of both types of governing algebraic equations that approximate analytical solutions for force and moment distributions, deformations in each layer, as well as contact pressure between near layers, taking time-dependent characteristics of polymeric layers into account are provided and it is clear that the relationship between axial force and elongation is non-linear and encompasses a hysteretic response. Besides, the creep behavior in axial direction can also be found. Some insights into the differences in the behavior for several loading conditions are discussed by considering variable frequencies.     

Experimental study and numerical simulation on vortex-induced vibration of flexible riser

In order to study the effect of internal flow on vortex-induced vibration of flexible riser, the experiment on the vortex-induced vibration of flexible riser transporting fluid in the current was conducted in the physical oceanography laboratory of Ocean University of China. Considering the internal flowing fluid and external marine environment, the dynamic response of the flexible riser was measured. The corresponding numerical simulation was performed using the wake oscillatory model considering the extensibility of the riser system. Both the experiment and the numerical simulation indicated that with the increase of internal flow speed, the response amplitude increases, while the response frequency decreases.     

Hydrodynamics of A Flexible Riser Undergoing the Vortex-Induced Vibration at High Reynolds Number

This study proposed a method to obtain hydrodynamic forces and coefficients for a flexible riser undergoing the vortex-induced vibration (VIV), based on the measured strains collected from the scale-model testing with the Reynolds numbers ranging from 1.34E5 to 2.35E5. The riser is approximated as a tensioned spatial beam, and an inverse method based on the FEM of spatial beam is adopted for the calculation of hydrodynamic forces in the cross flow (CF) and inline (IL) directions. The drag coefficients and vortex-induced force coefficients are obtained through the Fourier Series Theory. Finally, the hydrodynamic characteristics of a flexible riser model undergoing the VIV in a uniform flow are carefully investigated. The results indicate that the VIV amplifies the drag coefficient, and the drag coefficient does not change with time when the CF VIV is stable. Only when the VIVs in the CF and IL directions are all steady vibrations, the vortex-induced force coefficients keep as a constant with time, and under “lock-in” condition, whether the added-mass coefficient changes with time or not, the oscillation frequency of the VIV keeps unchanged. It further shows that the CF excitation coefficients at high frequency are much smaller than those at the dominant frequency, while, the IL excitation coefficients are in the same range. The axial distributions of the excitation and damping region at the dominant frequency and high frequency are approximately consistent in the CF direction, while, in the IL direction, there exists a great difference.     

An inverse problem methodology for multiple parameter estimation in bend stiffeners

The flexible riser top connection is a critical region for lifetime assessment due to large tension/curvature variations and modeling uncertainties. The bend stiffener polyurethane mechanical response not only presents a nonlinear loading rate and temperature dependency but is also subjected to weather ageing during operation, which may affect its mechanical behavior over time. The top tension, employed for riser local cross-section stress calculation, is usually obtained from global dynamic analyses performed under selected environmental conditions, if direct measurement is not available. As a consequence, both the bend stiffener effect on the curvature distribution and the top tension time series present inherent uncertainties for riser lifetime (re)assessment. In the present work, a proposed monitoring approach composed by gyrometers installed along flexible riser/bend stiffener top connection system length combined with an inverse problem methodology is numerically investigated to estimate the following parameters: (i) polyurethane hyperelastic response and (ii) effective top tension. The top connection system is modeled using a large deflection beam bending model and the parameters are estimated using a damped least-square minimization approach with the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm. For the preliminary feasibility investigation, the gyrometer experimental data is numerically estimated through Monte Carlo simulations. A case study is carried out to investigate the influence that the number of sensors, sensors arrangement, loading conditions and top connection model have on the inverse parameters estimation. The results indicate that the proposed monitoring approach and inverse parameter estimation methodology may effectively reduce flexible riser lifetime calculation uncertainties.     

A nonlinear viscoelastic bend stiffener steady-state formulation

Bend stiffeners are essential components of a flexible riser system, employed to ensure a smooth transition at the upper connection and to protect the riser against over bending and from accumulation of fatigue damage. The highly nonlinear rate dependent behavior of these structures directly affects the integrity assessment of the riser in one of its most critical regions, the top connection. A steady-state formulation (disregarding inertial forces) and numerical solution procedure is developed in this work employing the perturbation method for a nonlinear viscoelastic bend stiffener large deflection beam model subjected to harmonic loading conditions. For stochastic loading conditions, the response is calculated employing the superposition principle by summing up the steady-state result of a number of individual frequency components. A time domain formulation is also derived employing the state-variable approach for the numerical solution of the resulting hereditary integral in the governing equations. A case study is presented for the top connection system of a 4″ ID flexible riser using relaxation and tensile experimental data obtained from a typical class of bend stiffener polyurethane. Harmonic and stochastic input loading conditions are employed for time and frequency domain model comparison/validation and to assess loading history and frequency influence in the curvature response.     

Nonlinear Static Finite Element Stress Analysis of Pipe-in-Pipe Risers

Owing to the complexity of the pipe-in-pipe (PIP) riser system in structure, load and restraint, many problems arise in the structural analysis of the system. This paper presents a new method for nonlinear static finite element stress analysis of the PIP riser system. The finite element (FE) model of the PIP riser system is built via software AutoPIPE 6.1. According to the specialties of a variety of components in the PIP riser system, different elements are used so as to model the system accurately. Allowing for the complication in modeling the effects of seabed restraint, a technique based on the bilinear spring concept is developed to calculate the soil properties. Then, based on a pipeline project, the entire procedure of stress analysis is discussed in detail, including creation of an FE model, processing of input data and analysis of results. A wide range of loading schemes is investigated to ascertain that the stresses remain within the acceptable range of the pipe material strength. Finally, the effects of the location of flanges, the thermal expansion of submarine pipelines and the seabed restraint on stress distribution in the riser and expansion loop are studied, which are valuable for pipeline designers.     

柔性管卷管式铺管上卷有限元模拟

采用卷管法进行海底管道铺设过程中,管道首先通过牵引作用上卷于卷筒进行储存。管道与卷筒发生非线性接触,可能会产生复杂的塑性变形和局部屈曲。通过全尺寸柔性管力学性能试验获得柔性管轴力—应变以及弯曲—曲率等非线性力学性能关系,将试验所得的非线性材料性能参数导入建立的两种柔性管上卷ABAQUS有限元模型（梁—实体单元模型与壳和桁架—实体单元模型）,实现柔性管较大轴向抗拉刚度和较小抗弯刚度的同步模拟以及管道与卷筒的非线性接触响应特征。通过对比分析两种有限元模型数值模拟得到的管道弯矩、弯曲曲率、管道轴力、管道与卷筒的接触压强等数据,发现在管道上卷过程中管道沿副法线方向的SM3弯矩占据其弯曲变形主导地位;管道与卷筒之间的摩擦效应对于管道轴力的影响较为显著;管道与卷筒的最大接触压强主要发生在卷管过渡段区域。     

Nonlinear Behaviour of Coflexip Risers

A modified Newton-Raphson iterative technique is formulated for obtaining the static configuration of the Lazy "S" flexible marine riser between the floater and mid-arch buoy under its submerged self weight and the applied top tension. The geometrically non-linear problem is solved by finite difference with the above technique. The problem is formulated as a regular boundary value problem with specified moments and deflections at both ends. Usually the bending stiffness of the flexible riser made of Coflexip pipe is very low. By use of the above analysis, several flexible riser configurations are analyzed and their characteristic behaviors are investigated. Also, changes in the riser characteristics due to quasi-static motion of the floater end are estimated for the safety of the riser layout.     

Experiments with a steel catenary riser model in a towing tank

A model test with a steel catenary riser (SCR) was conducted in a towing tank. The main purpose of the experiment was to gain further understanding of the global SCR dynamic behavior with vortex-induced vibration (VIV). To this end, a large model scale factor (250) was considered. The mass and stiffness of the riser model are very low, and the Reynolds number in the experiment ranged from 400 to 600. The experimental results demonstrated the influence of traveling waves on the cross-flow response of the riser model, which was verified by several analytical methods. This study provided important indications that the sources of the traveling waves (power-in regions) seem to change position along the riser length over time. Finally, the experimental design, data processing procedure, experimental set-up, and results are described in detail.     

A practical approach to predicting cross-flow and in-line VIV response for deepwater risers

In this study, a practical model is proposed to predict cross-flow (CF) and in-line (IL) vortex-induced vibrations of a flexible riser in time domain. The hydrodynamic force as a function of non-dimensional amplitude and frequency is obtained from the forced vibration experimental data of a two-dimensional cylinder. An empirical nonlinear damping model is used to simulate the hydrodynamic damping outside the experiment's range. Coupling effect of CF and IL-VIV is taken into account by implanting a magnification model for the IL hydrodynamic force associated with CF amplitude, and by increasing the non-dimensional amplitude corresponding to the IL hydrodynamic coefficient in the second excitation region. The experimental models of flexible riser under the uniform and sheared current are simulated to validate the proposed model. The predicted displacement, curvatures, excited modes and fatigue damage show reasonable agreement with the measured data.     

A variational formulation for three-dimensional analysis of extensible marine riser transporting fluid

This paper presents a model formulation for static and dynamic analysis of three-dimensional extensible marine riser transporting fluid. A variational model formulation is developed based on the principle of virtual work-energy and the extensible elastica theory. The virtual work-energy functional is composed of the virtual strain energy due to axial stretching, bending, and torsion and the virtual work done by the external and internal fluid. The governing dynamic equilibrium equations are derived in the Cartesian coordinate. The finite element method is used to obtain the numerical solutions. The numerical examples are provided to demonstrate interesting effects of fluid transportation and axial deformation on large displacements and dynamic properties of the three-dimensional extensible marine riser.