Strategies of Chinese Offshore Oil Engineering Companies to Go Global

Alang with big drop of oil prices, offshore oil engineering market demand is witnessing profound changes. This brings rare opportunities while huge challenges for Chinese offshore oil engineering enterprises. Chinese offshore oil engineering enterprises have made rapid development in recent years, but they still have a certain gap with European and American competitors. Only by answering the time＇s call for developmentof international market and having the courage to participate in international competition could Chinese offshore oil engineering enterprises gnaw strong unceasingly.

Dynamic Coupling Analysis of Semisubmersible Platform Float-over Method for Docking Case

In this paper,the multi-body coupled dynamic characteristics of a semisubmersible platform and an HYSY 229 barge were investigated.First,coupled hydrodynamic analysis of the HYSY 229 barge and the semisubmersible platform was performed.Relevant hydrodynamic parameters were obtained using the retardation function method of three-dimensional frequency-domain potential flow theory.The results of the hydrodynamic analysis were highly consistent with the test findings,verifying the accuracy of the multifloating hydrodynamic coupling analysis,and key hydrodynamic parameters were solved for different water depths and the coupling effect.According to the obtained results,the hydrodynamic influence was the largest in shallow waters when the coupling effect was considered.Furthermore,the coupled motion equation combined with viscous damping,fender system,and mooring system was established,and the hydrodynamics,floating body motion,and dynamic response of the fender system were analyzed.Motion analysis revealed good agreement among the surge,sway,and yaw motions of the two floating bodies.However,when the wave period reached 10 s,the motion of the two floating bodies showed severe shock,and a relative motion was also observed.Therefore,excessive constraints should be added between the two floating bodies during construction to ensure construction safety.The numerical analysis and model test results of the semisubmersible platform and HYSY 229 barge at a water depth of 42 m and sea conditions of 0°,45°,and 90° were in good agreement,and the error was less than 5%.The maximum movement of the HYSY 229 barge reached 2.61 m in the sway direction,whereas that of the semisubmersible platform was 2.11 m.During construction,excessive constraints should be added between the two floating bodies to limit their relative movement and ensure construction safety.

考虑轴向大拉伸下弹性模量对聚酯系泊动态响应的影响

Owing to the particularity of a polyester fiber material,the polyester mooring undergoes large axial tensile deformation over long-term use.Large axial tensile deformation significantly impacts the dynamic response of the mooring system.In addition,the degrees of large axial tension caused by different elastic moduli are also different,and the force on the mooring line is also different.Therefore,it is of great significance to study the influence of elastic modulus on the dynamic results of the mooring systems under large axial tension.Conventional numerical software fails to consider the axial tension deformation of the mooring.Based on the theory of slender rods,this paper derives the formula for large axial tension using the method of overall coordinates and overall slope coordinates and provides the calculation programs.Considering a polyester mooring system as an example,the calculation program and numerical software are used to calculate and compare the static and dynamic analyses to verify the reliability of the calculation program.To make the force change of the mooring obvious,the elastic moduli of three different orders of magnitude are compared and analyzed,and the dynamic response results after large axial tension are compared.This study concludes that the change in the elastic modulus of the polyester mooring changes the result of the vertex tension by generating an axial tension.The smaller the elastic modulus,the larger the forced oscillation motion amplitude of the top point of the mooring line,the more obvious the axial tension phenomenon,and the smaller the force on the top of the polyester mooring.

Moment Redistribution Effect of the Continuous Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer-Concrete Composite Slabs Based on Static Loading Experiment

This study aimed to investigate the moment redistribution in continuous glass fiber reinforced polymer(GFRP)-concrete composite slabs caused by concrete cracking and steel bar yielding in the negative bending moment zone.An experimental bending moment redistribution test was conducted on continuous GFRP-concrete composite slabs,and a calculation method based on the conjugate beam method was proposed.The composite slabs were formed by combining GFRP profiles with a concrete layer and supported on steel beams to create two-span continuous composite slab specimens.Two methods,epoxy resin bonding,and stud connection,were used to connect the composite slabs with the steel beams.The experimental findings showed that the specimen connected with epoxy resin exhibited two moments redistribution phenomena during the loading process:concrete cracking and steel bar yielding at the internal support.In contrast,the composite slab connected with steel beams by studs exhibited only one-moment redistribution phenomenon throughout the loading process.As the concrete at the internal support cracked,the bending moment decreased in the internal support section and increased in the midspan section.When the steel bars yielded,the bending moment further decreased in the internal support section and increased in the mid-span section.Since GFRP profiles do not experience cracking,there was no significant decrease in the bending moment of the mid-span section.All test specimens experienced compressive failure of concrete at the mid-span section.Calculation results showed good agreement between the calculated and experimental values of bending moments in the mid-span section and internal support section.The proposed model can effectively predict the moment redistribution behavior of continuous GFRP-concrete composite slabs.

Fuzzy Fatigue Reliability Analysis of Offshore Platforms in Ice-Infested Waters

The calculation of fatigue stress ranges due to random waves and ice loads on offshore structures is discussed, and the corresponding accumulative fatigue damages of the structural members are evaluated. To evaluate the fatigue damage to the structures more accurately, the Miner rule is modified considering the fuzziness of the concerned parameters, and a new model for fuzzy fatigue reliability analysis of offshore structures members is developed. Furthermore, an assessment method for predicting the dynamics of the fuzzy fatigue reliability of structural members is provided.

Design Code Calibration of Offshore Platform Against Typhoon/Hurricane Attacks

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita resulted in the largest number of platforms destroyed and damaged in the history of Gulf of Mexico operations. With the trend of global warming, sea level rising and the frequency and intensity of typhoon increase. How to determine a reasonable deck elevation against the largest hurricane waves has become a key issue in offshore platforms design and construction for the unification of economy and safety. In this paper, the multivariate compound extreme value distribution （MCEVD） model is used to predict the deck elevation with different combination of tide, surge height, and crest height. Compared with practice recommended by American Petroleum Institute （API）, the prediction by MCEVD has probabilistic meaning and universality.

Application of computational fluid dynamics simulation for submarine oil spill

Computational fluid dynamics （CFD） codes are being increasingly used in the simulation of submarine oil spills. This study focuses on the process of oil spills, from damaged submarine pipes, to the sea surface, using numerical models. The underwater oil spill model is developed, and a description of the governing equations is proposed, along with modifications required for the particalization of the control volume. Available experimental data were introduced to evaluate the validity of the CFD predictions, the results of which proved to be in good agreement with the experimental data. The effects of oil leak rate, leak diameter, current velocity, and oil density are investigated, by the validated CFD model, to estimate the undersea leakage time, the lateral migration distance, and surface diffusion range when the oil reaches the sea surface. Results indicate that the leakage time and lateral migration distance increase with decreasing leak rates and leak diameter, and increase with increasing current velocity and oil density. On the other hand, a large leak diameter, high density, high leak rate, or fast currents result in a greater surface diffusion range. The findings and analysis presented here will provide practical predictions of oil spills, and guidance for emergency rescues.

Laboratory investigation into the oil diffusion from submarine pipeline under water flow

A physical model test has been conducted to study the oil diffusion from the submarine pipeline under water flow.The crude oil in the flume is spilled from a leakage point of the pipeline and diffused from the seabed to the surface. By the non-contact optical measuring technology, an image acquisition and data analysis system is designed to explore the spilled mechanism and characteristic. The oil trajectory, velocity and the rising time to the surface are obtained through this system. The influence of the water flow and the spilled discharge on the behavior of the spilled oil are analyzed from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. The sensitivity study of the characteristic physical quantities to various factors are presented afterward. The spilled oil under water is mainly distributed in the form of the scattered particles with different sizes. The rising process of the oil can be divided into three stages: full, dispersion and aggregation period. The spilled discharge is the primary factor affecting the rising time of the oil particles. In the rising process of the oil particles, the vertical velocity of the oil is mainly affected by the spilled discharge, and the transverse velocity is more dependent on the water velocity. The deviation of the transverse oil velocity is much larger than that of the rising time and the vertical oil velocity. The study can provide a theoretical reference for the prediction system of oil spill emergency.

Numerical Simulation of Float-Over Installation for Offshore Platform

In this paper,a numerical investigation of a float-over installation for an offshore platform is presented to verify the feasibility of the actual installation.The hydrodynamic performance of a T-barge is investigated in the frequency domain,and the coupled motions are analyzed in the time domain.We then compare with those of the model test and determine that the response amplitude operator and the time series agree quite well.The barge exhibits favorable hydrodynamic behavior in the considered sea state,and the equipment loads are allowable.Themooring systemand sway fender forces are within the permissible range.Based on these results,we can verify that the actual installation of the offshore platform is feasible.We accurately simulated many important factors and effectively reduced the risk associated with the offshore installation,which is of great importance.As such,we demonstrate that the numerical simulation of the float-over installation for offshore platforms has practical engineering significance.

Parametric effect of large impulse current excited coil on electromagnetic force in coil-sheet system

Based on the method of controlling welding stress with trailing, the electromagnetic force in coil-sheet system was simulated with finite element software ANSYS. The effect of parameters of coil on the electromagnetic force density fy was analyzed. The results show that the maximum electromagnetic force density fy, max in sheet appears in the position near the inner radius of single-turn coil. The position is independent of section shape of coil. fy, max for flat coil is larger than that for long coil and the coil with wedge shape section, while section areas of all coils are equal to each other. The effect of turn number of multiple-turn coil on fy is dependent on the loop resistance in circuit. The kind of coil with more turns and larger inductance is commended while there is larger loop resistance in circuit. fy increases in a certain magnitude while a magnetic core is located in coil. However, the magnitude of fy is limited by saturating magnetic flux of the core.

Splash Zone Dynamic Analysis of A Suspended Semi-Submerged Subsea Module for Irregular Waves

Experimental and numerical studies on the dynamic cable tension of a subsea module during semi-submerged hoisting tests are performed. The experiments are carried out in irregular waves and the time-domain numerical simulations are conducted using the software “Simulation of Marine Operations”. The numerical formulation is validated through a comparison with experimental test measurements. The effects of the significant wave height, spectral peak period,and wave direction on the dynamic effect in the main sling and sub-slings are then investigated numerically. The relationship between the wave parameters and the dynamic effect is identified in the time and frequency domains,enabling the allowable sea states to be partially specified. The extreme dynamic effects in all slings under different wave conditions are estimated by using cumulative distribution functions of the Gumbel distribution. The results show that it is reasonable to model a complex subsea module via slender elements and depth-dependent coefficients in simulations of offshore operations. Lowering operations are safer if the wave height is 1 m and the wave period is larger than 8 s because the wave steepness is sufficient for the maximum possible dynamic effect to remain below 0.9. The dynamic tension may decrease when the wave direction is approximately 150°. It is dangerous for subsea modules to encounter lateral waves while entering the water because large overloads and underloads in the extreme dynamic tension may cause snap loads to occur and the slings to become slack.

Experimental Investigation of Regular or Wavy Two-Phase Flow in a Manifold

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the properties of stratified regular or wavy two-phase flow in two parallel separators located after a manifold.A total of 103 experiments with various gas and liquid velocity combinations in three inlet pipes were conducted,including 77 groups of outlet pipe resistance symmetry and 26 groups of outlet pipe resistance asymmetry trials.The experimental results have revealed that when the gas-liquid flow rate is low,the degree of uneven splitting is high,and“extreme”conditions are attained.When the superficial gas velocity is greater than that established in the extreme case,the direction of the liquid-phase displacement is reversed,while that of the gas remains unchanged.Thus,the degree of gas phase bias tends to be mitigated with an increase in the gas velocity,while the uneven splitting degree of liquid approaches 10%.Finally,varying the gas-phase outlet pipe resistance is shown to effectively change the gas-liquid two-phase flow distribution.

Numerical investigation of the coupled aero-hydrodynamic performances of a semi-submersible floating offshore wind turbine with inclined columns

Numerical investigations of floating platforms with different outer column inclined angles under two operating conditions of regular wave and irregular wave are presented in this paper.A coupled aero-hydrodynamic computational fluid dynamics in-house solver FOWT-UALM-SJTU is applied for the calculation.First,the validation for wave and wind generation are conducted to determine mesh distribution strategy.Based on these,the hydrodynamic motion response,aerodynamic performance and wake flow are analyzed to explore the impact of inclined angle.Conduct spectral analysis on the motion response under wave action,discuss the aerodynamic attack angle and inflow wind velocity along the blade spanwise direction in detail,reveal different trends in wake development and recovery.The results show that for the regular wave condition with the increase of inclined angles,the equilibrium position of surge motion is constantly rising,while pitch is decreasing.The maximum root mean square(rms)value occurs at angle=30°,compared with the original OC4 FOWT,the rms in power and thrust increase 0.35%,0.71%.And there are two low regions of attack angle and high regions of axial inflow velocity,corresponding to aerodynamic loads.The spectral analysis indicates that the natural frequency of pitch motion will increase with inclined angle.Besides,from the middle to far region of wake flow,the velocity recovery of FOWT with inclined angle will become faster,which is beneficial for downstream turbines to enhance more wind energy.

An Overview of Deepwater Pipeline Laying Technology

The technology and methods involved in pipeline laying in shallow water have evolved to the level of routine and commonplace. However, regarding the unexpected deepwater complexity, the traditional pipeline laying techniques have to confront many new challenges arisen from the increase of the water depth, diameter of the pipe and the welding difficuhy, all of which should be modified and/or innovated based on the existed mature experiences. The purpose of this investigation is to outline the existing and new engineering laying techniques and the associated facilities, which can provide some significant information to the related research. In the context, the latest deepwater pipeline laying technology and pipe laying barges of the renowned companies from Switzerland, Norway, Italy etc., are introduced and the corresponding comparison and discussion are presented as well.

Analysis on Buckling Performance of Submarine Pipelines During Deepwater Pipe-Laying Operation

Pipes inevitably encounter high ambient pressure and bending moment during the deepwater pipe-laying process,which can lead to elliptical buckling and even deterioration failure.For the safety of pipe-laying operation,available formulas for the pipe stability are established on the basis of the assumption of uniform deformation along the tube length and symmetrical buckling.This method can predict the nonlinear response of elliptical collapse of steel circular tubes for different ratios of diameter to thickness（D/t）under pure bending or combined bending and external pressure.In these formulas,the strain-displacement relationship is deduced from the nonlinear ring theory,and the Ramberg-Osgood constitutive model is applied to simulate the inelastic material behavior.Meanwhile,the principle of virtual work is adopted to derive the equilibrium equations.A set of equations is solved by the Newton-Raphson method,and the iterative scheme contains nested iteration for the constitutive relation.In order to check the effectiveness of this theoretical method,illustrative examples are presented in this paper.Besides,the numerical simulation is carried out by use of ANSYS.A comparison of the results shows that the theoretical method can provide reasonable prediction for engineering practice.

Configuration Analysis of Deepwater S-Lay Pipeline

The safety of offshore pipeline has drawn a great deal of attention during deepwater installation due to the combined actions of high external pressure, axial tension, and bending moment. Meanwhile, the pipeline configuration has a remarkable effect on the structural behaviour of the tube. The special studies focus on the deepwater S-lay technique in the present paper. The stiffened catenary theory is applied to establish the static equilibrium governing differential equation of a pipe element, and the solution equations of the total pipeline configuration from a lay-barge over a stinger to the seabed are derived, The numerical iteration method for solving pipeline configuration is described in detail, and the corresponding program is developed to conduct the analysis of effects of various parameters such as laying water depth, pipe diameter, thickness of concrete weighted coating layer, stinger length, control strain, and axial tension on pipeline configuration. The results show that the laying water depth, the submerged weight of the pipe, and the axial tension are the critical factors influencing pipeline configuration. In addition, geometrical parameters of the stinger such as length, radius, and shape have an important effect on the pipe-laying capacity of the vessel. The validity of the program is further verified by means of a comparison with results obtained from the commercial finite element software OFFPIPE.

Runout prediction and dynamic characteristic analysis of a potential submarine landslide in Liwan 3-1 gas field

A large number of submarine landslides with different scales have been identified in the canyon area of the submarine pipeline route of Liwan 3-1 gas field. There is still much chance that submarine slope failures would happen, and the following mass movement would present great risk to the submarine pipeline. In view of this, a numerical prediction method based on Eulerian-Eulerian two-phase flow model is introduced to simulate the mass movement of potential submarine landslides. The sliding soil and ambient water are respectively simulated by Herschel-Bulkley rheology model and Newtonian fluid model. The turbulence is simulated using the k-e model. Compared with both the experiment data and Bing result, the two-phase flow model shows a good accuracy, and its result is more close to the actual situation; the dynamic coupling between soil and ambient water can be effectively simulated and the phenomena of hydroplaning and head detachment can be obtained. Finally, the soil movement of a potential submarine landslide is simulated as an example, according to the seismic profile in the canyon area. The result shows that the hydroplaning occurs during the movement process. The runout distance calculated by the two-phase flow model is 877 m, which is 27.1% larger than the Bing result. However, the peak front velocity of soil is relative small, with a maximum value of 8.32 m/s. The Bing program with a simple and rapid process can be used for a preliminary evaluation, while the two-phase flow model is more appropriate for an accurate assessment.

Model test investigation on an innovative lifting system for deepwater riser installation

An S-lay crane barge,named CNOOC 201,has been built for pipe laying in deepwater oil/gas fields in the South China Sea.It is due to be commissioned by the end of the year 2010.A special lifting system is developed to meet the challenge that installing deepwater risers from an S-lay barge is difficult and has not been achieved.The purpose of this paper was to investigate the model test on such an innovative system,which has to be done before field application.By applying the similarity theory,the movement of the S-lay barge is simulated through a six degrees-of-freedom motion platform,and a truncated model riser is utilized for the model testing.The displacement and force boundary conditions at the truncated position of the riser are obtained from the catenary governing equation and become realized by a slideway cart and a loading system designed to control the configuration of the model riser,which presents a similar configuration to a real riser in deepwater.The test results are in very good agreement with theoretical calculations,showing that the active truncated test is applicable for controlling the configuration of the deepwater riser in model testing investigation.

Lateral buckling of non-trenched high temperature pipelines with pipelay imperfections

An analysis method for the buckling process of a pipe section with a random pipelay imperfection is proposed. Four basic lateral modes, acquired by finite-element （FE） eigenvalue buckling analysis, are combined to provide the needed grid configurations for describing a real pipelay imperfection and an arc-length algorithm is used to analyze the snap-through process of the shell-element-grid model under nonlinear frictional boundary conditions. This paper also presents evaluation methods for the lateral buckling of two types of pipe-in-pipe systems that are used in the offshore oil and gas industry. For evaluating the buckling and postbuckling of compliant pipe-in-pipe systems FE analyses were carried out to judge the occurrence of the system buckling and furthermore to check postbuckling stresses induced in the buckles. The calculated results of the modified Riks algorithm indicate that only when high temperature would not trigger an abrupt short-wavelength buckle and when no yielding has been induced in the unavoidable long-wavelength buckles, the thermal stability and safety of compliant pipe-in-pipe systems can be proved. In the non-compliant pipe-in-pipe systems, firstly small-amplitude buckles of the carrier pipe may occur in the annulus between carrier pipe and casing pipe and the contact forces between the spacers and the casing pipe may drive the buckle of the pipe-in-pipe systems on the seabed. Based on the classical analytical solution of pipe buckling, four potential buckling modes corresponding to finite- element models are developed to evaluate the stability and the postbuckling strength of such pipe-in-pipe systems.

Structural Design and Performance Analysis of a Deep-Water Ball Joint Seal

To overcome the current difficulties of high-precision machining and the high manufacturing and maintenance costs of spherical seals for deep-water drilling ball joints,a new spherical seal technique is proposed in this paper.The spherical seal is mainly composed of silicone rubber and polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE).Rational structural design makes the seal independent from the ball and other components,making it easy to replace if leakage occurs at its surface.PTFE can elastically deform over a certain deformation range,which guarantees that two sealing surfaces fit tightly together.O-Ring and PTFE elasticity makes up for any lack of accuracy during spherical machining and decreases the machining precision requirements for spherical surfaces.Using a finite element technique and nonlinear theory,the performance of the spherical seal under the influence of various factors is determined.The results show that the spherical seal designed in this paper exhibits excellent sealing performance under lowtemperature and high-pressure conditions.The spherical seal,a combination of an O-ring and PTFE,has the advantages of cheap manufacturing and maintenance costs and excellent sealing performance.