Design and Analysis of Typical Buoyancy Tank Riser Tensioner Systems

The method for design and analysis of a buoyancy tank riser tensioner system （BTRTS） was put forward in this paper, taking the free standing hybrid riser＇s top buoyancy tank as an example. The design procedure was discussed and was also illustrated in a flowchart, after a short description of the global arrangement, structure configuration, and the function of different types of buoyancy tanks （BT）. The objective of this paper is to describe a way of developing a BT with minimal hydro force, maximal net lift, and no redundancy of compartments. The method of determining the main dimensions of the BT, namely the length and the outer diameter, was outlined. A series of investigations was conducted for a West Africa FSHR BT design, and the effect of the ratio of the length to the outer diameter （L/D） on the hydrodynamics and the weight of the BT was discussed. The methodology of designing the internal structure of the BT was presented. The effects of the number of compartments and the dimension of the inner stem on the BT weight and strength were compared. The relationship between inner structure and the number one index of the BT as well as the riser＇s top tension factor （TTF） were illustrated for normal operating conditions and conditions with one or more compartments （or inner stem） damaged. A design instance was given in this paper, when L/D is 4-6, the BT weight and the drag force are compromised. When the BT is divided into 10 compartments, the riser TTF will reach the maximum value, and the ratio of the stem OD to shell OD is about 0.3. A global strength analysis method of the BT and the main load case matrix was also included in the paper, together with the local strength analysis of the buoyancy tank＇s pad-eye assembly.

Hydrodynamic Response of A Fully Coupled TLP Hull-TTR System with Detailed Modeling of A Hydraulic Pneumatic Tensioner and Riser Joints

Tension Leg Platform(TLP)in deepwater oil and gas field development usually consists of a hull,tendons,and top tension risers(TTRs).To maintain its top tension,each TTR is connected with a tensioner system to the hull.Owing to the complicated configuration of the tensioners,the hull and TTRs form a strong coupled system.Traditionally,some simplified tensioner models are applied to analyze the TLP structures.There is a large discrepancy between their analysis results and the actual mechanism behaviors of a tensioner.It is very necessary to develop a more detailed tensioner model to consider the coupling effects between TLP and TTRs.In the present study,a fully coupled TLP hull-TTR system for hydrodynamic numerical simulation is established.A specific hydraulic pneumatic tensioner is modeled by considering 4 cylinders.The production TTR model is stacked up by specific riser joints.The simulation is also extended to analyze an array of TTRs.Different regular and irregular waves are considered.The behaviors of different cylinders are presented.The results show that it is important to consider the specific configurations of the tensioner and TTRs,which may lead to obviously different response behaviors,compared with those from a simplified model.

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.

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.

Numerical Prediction of Vortex-Induced Vibrations on Top Tensioned Riser in Consideration of Internal Flow

In consideration of the effect of the internal flowing fluid and the external marine environmental condition on the vortex-induced vibration （VIV） of top tensioned riser （Till）, the differential equation is derived based on work-energy principles and the riser near wake dynamics is modeled by Facchinetti＇ s wake oscillator model. Then Galerkin＇ s finite element approximation is implemented to derive the nonlinear matrix equation of the coupled equations and file corresponding numerical programs are compiled which solve the coupled equations directly in the time domain. The comparison of the predicted results with the recent experimental results and the prediction of SHEAR7 is performed. The results show the validity of the proposed method on the prediction of VIV of deep water risers. The effect of internal flow on the dynamic characteristics and dynmnic response of the riser is analyzed and several valuable conelusions are drawn.

Nonlinear Coupled in-Line and Cross-Flow Vortex-Induced Vibration Analysis of Top Tensioned Riser

The fluctuating furces of the fluid exerted on the top terrsioned riser （＇FIR） in the in-line and cross-flow directions are both modeled by van del Pol wake oscillator model and the nonlinear coupled dynamics of the in-line and cross-flow vortex-induced vibrations （VIV） of the riser are analyzed in time domain in this papar. The numencal shnulation results of the riser＇s in-line and cross-flow displacements and curvatures are compared with experimental measurements and the comparison shows the validity of this method in modeling some main features of the riser＇s VIV. Finally, the effects of the riser＇s top tensions and internal flow velocities on the coupled vibrations of the riser are investigated.

Design and Analysis of Tapered Stress Joint for Top Tensioned Riser System

Stress Joint （SJ） plays a key role in the Top Tensioned Riser （TTR） system for deep water engineering. A preliminary design method of tapered SJ is proposed in the paper, which could help designers obtain accurate design data. After a further sensitive analysis is carried out, the related parameters choice and control methods are recommended in the engineering practice. By taking the extreme environment conditions into consideration, the effects of bending stress reduction and curve control are analyzed, and the 3-D FE models are established by ABQOUS for numerical evaluation to verify the correctness of design results. At last, dynamic analysis and fatigue analysis, based on actual project, are carried out with designed stress joint. The analysis results prove the feasibility and guidance of this method in the practical engineering applications.

Critical Top Tension for Static Equilibrium Configuration of A Steel Catenary Riser

This paper aims to present the critical top tension for static equilibrium configurations of a steel catenary riser（SCR） by using the finite element method. The critical top tension is the minimum top tension that can maintain the equilibrium of the SCR. If the top tension is smaller than the critical value, the equilibrium of the SCR does not exist. If the top tension is larger than the critical value, there are two possible equilibrium configurations. These two configurations exhibit the nonlinear large displacement. The configuration with the smaller displacement is stable, while the one with larger displacement is unstable. The numerical results show that the increases in the riser＇s vertical distances, horizontal offsets, riser＇s weights, internal flow velocities, and current velocities increase the critical top tensions of the SCR. In addition, the parametric studies are also performed in order to investigate the limit states for the analysis and design of the SCR.