Experimental and Computational Investigations on Severe Slugging in A Catenary Riser

Severe slugging can occur in a pipeline-riser system at relatively low liquid and gas flow rates during gas-oil transportation, possibly causing unexpected damage to the production facilities. Experiments with air and water are conducted in a horizontal and downward inclined pipeline followed by a catenary riser in order to investigate the mechanism and characteristics of severe slugging. A theoretical model is introduced to compare with the experiments. The results show that the formation mechanism of severe slugging in a catenary riser is different from that in a vertical riser due to the riser geometry and five flow patterns are obtained and analyzed. A gas-liquid mixture slug stage is observed at the beginning of one cycle of severe slugging, which is seldom noticed in previous studies. Based on both experiments and computations, the time period and variation of pressure amplitude of severe slugging are found closely related to the superficial gas velocity, implying that the gas velocity significantly influences the flow patterns in our experiments. Moreover, good agreements between the experimental data and the numerical results are shown in the stability curve and flow regime map, which can be a possible reference for design in an offshore oil-production system.     

Experimental Investigation of Vibration Response of A Free-Hanging Flexible Riser Induced by Internal Gas-Liquid Slug Flow

The vibration response of a free-hanging flexible riser induced by internal gas-liquid slug flow was studied experimentally in a small-diameter tube model based on Froude number criterion. The flow regime in a curved riser model and the response displacements of the riser were simultaneously recorded by high speed cameras. The gas superficial velocity ranges from 0.1 m/s to 0.6 m/s while the liquid superficial velocity from 0.06 m/s to 0.3 m/s. Severe slugging type 3, unstable oscillation flow and relatively stable slug flow were observed in the considered flow rates. Severe slugging type 3 characterized by premature gas penetration occurs at relatively low flow rates. Both the cycle time and slug length become shorter as the gas flow rate increases. The pressure at the riser base undergoes a longer period and larger amplitude of fluctuation as compared with the other two flow regimes. Additionally, severe slugging leads to the most vigorous in-plane vibration. However, the responses in the vertical and horizontal directions are not synchronized. The vertical vibration is dominated by the second mode while the horizontal vibration is dominated by the first mode. Similar to the vortex-induced vibration, three branches are identified as initial branch, build-up branch and descending branch for the response versus the mixture velocity of gas-liquid flow.     

海底混输管线严重段塞流动的预测与控制

随着海洋油气田开发向深水海域发展,海底混输管线距离过长,且存在立管系统,容易形成严重段塞流动的现象日益严重.在严重段塞流工况下,管线的流动参数,如压降、段塞长度、段塞频率、持液率都随时间变化,并且表现为周期性变换的压力波动以及间歇出现的液塞.严重段塞流的不稳定性给油气田集输系统的设计及运行管理造成了巨大的困难.本文介绍了海底混输管线中严重段塞流动预测与控制的实验与理论研究进展,同时,对于节流、气举、分离等8类15种控制严重段塞的方法分别进行了评述,旨在为进一步开展海底油气混输管线严重段塞流动的研究提供借鉴,为工程实践提供参考.     

深海悬垂取水管振动特性研究

深海悬垂取水管的设计趋向于大直径、高内流流速,内流对取水管振动特性的影响不可忽略,分析内部流动引起的管道动态失稳行为以及评估失稳临界流速具有重要工程意义。基于小尺度模型试验,研究内流对深海悬垂取水管道振动特性的影响规律,结果表明：随着内流流速增加,取水管模型会发生动态失稳行为,表现为一种间歇性的近周期运动,该运动主要由管道一阶弯曲模态引起的不稳定性诱导。管道材料、顶端连接方式及底部配重块均影响其动态稳定性,顶端固定连接时质量比小的管道更易发生动态失稳;顶端变为铰接时,质量比大的管道失稳临界流速变小,质量比小的管道失稳临界流速变大。相比顶端边界条件,底部配重块对管道失稳临界流速影响不显著但可以减小其振动幅值。     

The influence of nonlinear hysteretic seabed interaction on slug-induced stress oscillations in steel catenary risers

Steel catenary risers (SCRs) are usually cost-effective solutions in the development of offshore fields and the transferring of the hydrocarbons from the seabed to the floating facilities. These elements are subjected to the fatigue loads particularly in the touchdown zone (TDZ), where the oscillating SCR is exposed to cyclic contact with the seabed. The slug-induced oscillation is a significant contributor to the fatigue loads in the TDZ. The cyclic seabed soil softening under the wave-induced riser oscillations and the gradual penetration of the SCR into the seabed are widely accepted to have a significant influence on SCR fatigue performance. However, this has never been investigated for slug-induced oscillations due to the lack of integrated access to comprehensive numerical models enabling the simulation of the riser slugging and nonlinear hysteretic riser-seabed interaction at the same time. In this paper, an advanced interface was developed and verified using the multi-point moving tie constraint in order to examine the influence of cyclic seabed soil softening on slug-induced oscillations of SCR. The interface was integrated with a pre-developed user subroutine for modeling of the nonlinear hysteretic riser-seabed interaction and incorporated into a global SCR model in ABAQUS. A comprehensive parametric study was conducted to investigate the influence of slug characteristics and nonlinear seabed soil model on slug-induced, wave-induced, and combined wave/slug induced oscillations of SCR in the TDZ. It was observed that the nonlinear seabed model could significantly affect the embedment of the SCR into the seabed under the slug-induced oscillations and consequently improve the fatigue life. The developed user interface was found to be a strong framework for modeling riser slugging.     

Experimental Investigation of Disturbing the Flow Field on the Vortex-Induced Vibration of Deepwater Riser Fitted with Gas Jetting Active Vibration Suppression Device

An experimental investigation on the disturbance effect of jet-type active vibration suppression device on vortexinduced vibration of deep-sea riser was carried out in the wave-flow combined flume. The vibration suppression device was designed in which the jet pipe was horizontally fixed to the front end of the riser. By varying three different excitation spacings and multi-stage outflow velocities, the influence law of the dominant frequency,dimensionless displacement and other dynamic response parameters was studied under different excitation spacings,and the mechanism and sensitive characteristics of the disturbance suppression were explored. The results indicate that the variation of excitation spacing makes gas curtain enter the strong disturbed flow region at different velocities and angles, and the coupling relationship between excitation spacing and reduced velocity is the key factor to enter the strong disturbed flow region to achieve the optimal disturbance suppression. In the strong disturbed flow region,the influence of gas curtain on the dominant frequency is obviously affected by the flow velocity, while the vibration displacement is stable at the same amplitude and is weakly affected by the flow velocity. Gas curtain can effectively disturb the formation of vortex shedding, destroy the strong nonlinear coupled vibration of the riser, and achieve better vibration suppression effect. In the weak disturbed flow region, the vortex length of the riser tail is prolonged,the strong nonlinear coupled vibration of the riser is gradually restored, and the vibration suppression effect of the device gradually decreases.     

海洋立管复模态动力特性分析

考虑阻尼的影响,研究海洋立管的动力特性。通过分析管内流体及管外海洋环境荷载的共同作用,建立海洋立管涡激振动偏微分方程,进而得到立管动力特性方程,用复模态分析法求解动力特性方程得到立管考虑阻尼的自振频率。算例计算表明:考虑阻尼的立管自振频率略小于不考虑阻尼的立管自振频率;立管的自振频率随着内流流速的增加而减小,但内流流速不大时,影响较小;管道长度对立管的自振频率影响较大。     

海洋环境荷载下输液立管的静、动力特性研究

考虑管内流动流体和管外海洋环境荷载共同作用 ,建立海洋立管侧向运动微分方程。用Hermite插值函数离散 ,在微机上编写海洋立管静、动力分析程序 ,通过计算分析研究管内流体对立管侧向变形和应力的作用 ;另外 ,探讨管内流体的流动速度和立管顶端的预张力对立管动力特性的影响。结果表明 ,立管变形和应力均随管内流体流动速度增加而增大 ,同时内流速度的增大会降低立管的固有频率 ,但适当增大立管顶端预张力会抵消内流流速增加引起的固有频率下降。     

Effect of upward internal flow on dynamics of riser model subject to shear current

Numerical study about vortex-induced vibration(VIV) related to a flexible riser model in consideration of internal flow progressing inside has been performed.The main objective of this work is to investigate the coupled fluid-structure interaction(FSI) taking place between tensioned riser model,external shear current and upward-progressing internal flow(from ocean bottom to surface).A CAE technology behind the current research which combines structural software with the CFD technology has been proposed.According to the result from dynamic analysis,it has been found that the existence of upward-progressing internal flow does play an important role in determining the vibration mode(/dominant frequency),vibration intensity and the magnitude of instantaneous vibration amplitude,when the velocity ratio of internal flow against external current is relatively high.As a rule,the larger the velocity of internal flow is,the more it contributes to the dynamic vibration response of the flexible riser model.In addition,multi-modal vibration phenomenon has been widely observed,for asymmetric curvature along the riser span emerges in the case of external shear current being imposed.     

Dynamic Response Study of Steel Catenary Riser Based on Slender Rod Model

A numerical model of the steel catenary riser(SCR) is built based on the slender rod model. The slender rod model,which describes the behavior of the slender riser in terms of the center line position, can solve the geometrical nonlinearity effectively. In a marine environment, the SCR is under the combined internal flow and external loads,such as wave and current. A general analysis considers only the inertial force and the drag force caused by the wave and current. However, the internal flow has an effect on the SCR; it is essential to explore the dynamic response of the SCR with the internal flow. The SCR also suffers the lift force and the fluctuating drag force because of the current. Finite element method is utilized to solve the motion equations. The effects of the internal flow, wave and current on the dynamic response of the SCR are considered. The results indicate that the increase of the internal flow density leads to the decrease of the displacement of the SCR, while the internal flow velocity has little effect on the SCR. The displacement of the SCR increases with the increase of the wave height and period. And the increasing wave period results in an increase in the vibration period of the SCR. The current velocity changes the displacements of the SCR in x-and z-directions. The vibration frequency of the SCR in y-direction increases with the increase of the current velocity.     

Three-dimensional velocity measurements around bridge piers in gravel bed

The experimental results of time average velocity components measured around circular pier models during transient scour stage using acoustic Doppler velocimeter are shown for flow pattern and turbulence characteristics. Totally, four experiments were performed under clear water scour conditions in a model of gravel bed stream. Four circular pier models of diameter 6.6, 8.4, 11.5, and 13.5?cm were used for this study. Detailed controlled measurements on velocity components, and turbulence intensities near the pier and in scour hole at 0° and 180° plane are shown. Flow structure around a pier model in the presence of a scoured region was compared with the flow structure similarly noticed around all pier model runs by utilizing the observations taken at 0° and 180° plane from flow axis. Size of the primary vortex at 0° plane with largest diameter pier model in place (R4 run) is found to be maximum and was approximately 61% larger than that for smallest diameter pier model in place (R1 run). The time-averaged velocity components of turbulence intensities plots at 0° and 180° planes are also presented around each pier.     

An Experimental Study on Dynamics Features of Three Side-by-Side Flexible Risers Undergoing Vortex-Induced Vibrations in A Uniform Flow

A vortex-induced vibration(VIV) experiment on three side-by-side risers subjected to a uniform flow was carried out in a combined wave-current flume. The dynamic features of interference effect on three side-by-side risers were investigated by varying fluid velocity and inter-riser spacing. The distributions of dimensionless displacement,dominant frequency, and displacement trajectory of the model risers were measured using mode decomposition and wavelet transform techniques. The coupled interference of inter-riser fluid to adjacent risers at different spacings was disclosed by introducing the "interference ratio" concept. The results show that at spacings smaller than 6.0 D, the three model risers display appreciable deviations in their displacement responses in cross-flow or in-line direction,attributable to the strong proximity disturbance and wake interference between the risers. When the spacing is increased to 8.0 D, wake interference still makes great difference to the dynamic response of the risers in both directions. As reduced velocity increases, the three risers show higher agreement with an isolated riser in overall dominant vibration frequency in CF direction than that in IL direction at all spacings and the side risers, although symmetrically placed, do not vibrate symmetrically, as a result of the steady deflection of clearance flow within the riser group. Interference effect results in a remarkable unsteady mode competition within the risers; quantitation of the interference levels for the three risers at different spacings with interference ratio revealed that under low flow velocities and large spacing ratios, clearance flow constitutes a non-neglectable interferer for three side-by-side risers.     

指数剪切流作用下海洋立管振动特性研究

细长海洋立管在复杂来流作用下的涡激振动（VIV）是海洋工程领域备受关注的热点问题。采用双向流—固耦合方法,对立管在指数剪切来流作用下的涡激振动实施了数值仿真研究。基于均方根振幅包络图的显性模态分析发现,与线性剪切流工况相比,当流速较小时,立管模型在指数剪切流作用下振幅最大值相对较小;流速较大时,指数剪切流的非线性分布致使立管的振动响应增强。通过对立管模型均方根振幅包络峰、谷处的振动响应频率分析发现,在波峰位置处振动频率单一且较为稳定,而在相邻波谷位置处多频共存现象显著,两者有显著差异。沿管的轴向波形主要表现为驻波主导和驻波—行波混合模式,行波一般间歇发生,流速越大发生频次愈高,其在横流向的传播方向通常由高流速区段传递至低流速区段。指数剪切流作用下,沿管体轴向各截面位置处的旋涡脱落模式差异显著,高流速段尾流区的旋涡发放具有较强的周期性,涡管完整且与管轴存在一定偏离角度,低流速段蜂窝状离散涡旋较多。     

Dynamic Characteristics of Marine Risers Conveying Fluid

The lateral vibration differential equation for a marine riser conveying fluid is derived by useof the small deflection theory.and the effect of internal flow velocity and top tension on the natural fre-quency of the riser is studied by use of FEM.At the same time,the preliminary relationship between thenatural frequency and riser span under different internal flow velocities is obtained,the effect of riser sup-ports on the vibration frequency is computed.It is found that the natural frequency of the marine riser in-creases with the increase of top tension.however decreases with the increase of internal flow velocity.In ad-dition,the frequency decreases drastically with the increase of riser span.     

基于OLGA的海底管道水合物的生成和影响因素分析

海底管道是海洋油气输送的重要纽带。为解决海底管道面临的水合物生成和堵塞问题,文章结合海底多相流管道水合物生成的数学模型,采用OLGA对海底管道不同含水率、气油比和流量下水合物的生成情况进行数值模拟。研究结果表明：在某海底管道的工艺参数条件下,水合物生成风险随着含水率和流量的增大而降低,随着气油比的增大而增加;海底水平管路和立管都有可能生成水合物,尤其立管常是水合物最大生成量的位置;模拟结果可为海底管道水合物的防治和保障海底管道的安全运行提供参考。     

陡波形立管涡激振动疲劳损伤参数敏感性分析

基于柔性杆理论和尾流振子模型计算陡波形立管的涡激振动响应;综合使用S-N曲线法、雨流计数法、Palmgren-Miner线性累积疲劳理论对立管涡激振动导致的疲劳损伤进行计算分析。并以MATLAB为平台编写相应计算程序,将本文计算得到的静力分析结果、固有频率和疲劳损伤分别与专业海工计算软件OrcaFlex和已发表文献进行对比验证。进一步对陡波形立管在涡激振动下的疲劳损伤进行参数敏感性分析,结果表明:浮子段长度、浮力因子、弹性模量、海流速度、波浪高度对陡波形立管疲劳损伤均有较大影响,有望为陡波形立管的实际工程设计提供参考。     

减阻技术对海洋油气管线中多相流动与传热的影响

在海洋环境中多相流条件下应用减阻技术,可以在相同的管线压力下,有效提高油气输送量。减阻技术影响多相流的摩擦阻力、持液率和界面现象,可使多相流的的减阻率最高达到60%以上,可减少多相流体与管壁间的传热;某些情况下,减阻技术还能够改变多相流的流型、抑制剧烈弹状流,改善油气输送系统的运行工况。     

Numerical Simulation of the Vortex-Induced Vibration of A Curved Flexible Riser in Shear Flow

A series of fully three-dimensional(3 D) numerical simulations of flow past a free-to-oscillate curved flexible riser in shear flow were conducted at Reynolds number of 185–1015. The numerical results obtained by the two-way fluid–structure interaction(FSI) simulations are in good agreement with the experimental results reported in the earlier study. It is further found that the frequency transition is out of phase not only in the inline(IL) and crossflow(CF) directions but also along the span direction. The mode competition leads to the non-zero nodes of the rootmean-square(RMS) amplitude and the relatively chaotic trajectories. The fluid–structure interaction is to some extent reflected by the transverse velocity of the ambient fluid, which reaches the maximum value when the riser reaches the equilibrium position. Moreover, the local maximum transverse velocities occur at the peak CF amplitudes, and the values are relatively large when the vibration is in the resonance regions. The 3 D vortex columns are shed nearly parallel to the axis of the curved flexible riser. As the local Reynolds number increases from 0 at the bottom of the riser to the maximum value at the top, the wake undergoes a transition from a two-dimensional structure to a 3 D one. More irregular small-scale vortices appeared at the wake region of the riser, undergoing large amplitude responses.     

非均匀流中立管涡激振动模型预测分析

文中分析了非均匀流中,张紧式海洋立管的涡激振动,采用新的加速度耦合尾流振子模型作为预测细长海洋工程柔性结构的计算工具,将预测结果中的横向位移包络线及最大幅值与实验观测值、shear7软件计算值进行了对比,可以发现模型的计算结果与实验观测结果吻合得很好.     

Analysis of loads,motions and cavity dynamics during freefall wedges vertically entering the water surface

In this paper, theoretical models are developed and numerical methods are used to analyze the loads, motions and cavity dynamics for freefall wedges with different deadrise angles vertically entering the water surface at Froude numbers: 1 ≤ Fn < 9. The time evolutions of the penetration depth, the velocity and the acceleration are analyzed and expressed explicitly. The maximum and average accelerations are predicted. The theoretical results are compared with numerical data obtained through a single-fluid BEM model with globally satisfactory agreement. The evolution of the pressures on the impact side is investigated. Before flow separation, gravity and the acceleration of the wedge have negligible influence on the pressure on the impact side for large Froude numbers or small deadrise angles; with increasing the deadrise angle or decreasing Froude number, the effects of gravity and the acceleration of the wedge tend to become more important. Global loads, with the main emphasis on the drag coefficient, are also studied. It is found that for the light wedge, the transient drag coefficient has slow variation in the first half of the collapse stage and rapid variation in the last half of the collapse stage. For the heavy wedge, the transient drag coefficients vary slowly during the whole collapse stage and can be treated as constant. The characteristics of the transient cavity during its formation are investigated. The non-dimensional pinch-off time, pinch-off depth and submergence depth at pinch-off scale roughly linearly as the Froude number.