Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of Deepwater Drilling Risers Subjected to Random Loads

Excited by ocean currents, random wave and vessel motion, deepwater drilling risers exhibit significant dynamic response. In time domain, a method is proposed to calculate the nonlinear dynmnic response of deepwater drilling risers subjected to random wave and dynamic large displacement vessel motion boundary condition. Structural and functional loads, external and intemal pressure, free surfaee effect of irregular wave, hydrodynamic forees induced by current and wave, as well as wave and low frequency （drift） motion of the drilling vessel are all accounted for. An example is presented which illustrates the application of the proposed method. The study shows that long term drift motion of the vessel has profound effect on the envelopes of bending stress and lateral displacement, as well as the range of lower flex joint angle of the deepwater riser. It can also be concluded that vessel motion is the principal dynamic loading of nonlinear dynamic response for the deepwater risers rather than wave force.

Dynamic Analysis of A Deepwater Drilling Riser with A New Hang-off System

The safety of risers in hang-off states is a vital challenge in offshore oil and gas engineering.A new hang-off system installed on top of risers is proposed for improving the security of risers.This approach leads to a challenging problem:coupling the dynamics of risers with a new hang-off system combined with multiple structures and complex constraints.To accurately analyze the dynamic responses of the coupled system,a coupled dynamic model is established based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam-column theory and penalty function method.A comprehensive analysis method is proposed for coupled dynamic analysis by combining the finite element method and the Newmarkβmethod.An analysis program is also developed in MATLAB for dynamic simulation.The simulation results show that the dynamic performances of the risers at the top part are significantly improved by the new hang-off system,especially the novel design,which includes the centralizer and articulation joint.The bending moment and lateral deformation of the risers at the top part decrease,while the hang-off joint experiences a great bending moment at the bottom of the lateral restraint area which requires particular attention in design and application.The platform navigation speed range under the safety limits of risers expands with the new hang-off system in use.

Numerical Characterization of the Annular Flow Behavior and Pressure Loss in Deepwater Drilling Riser

In drilling a deepwater well,the mud density window is narrow,which needs a precise pressure control to drill the well to its designed depth.Therefore,an accurate characterization of annular flow between the drilling riser and drilling string is critical in well control and drilling safety.Many other factors influencing the change of drilling pressure that should be but have not been studied sufficiently.We used numerical method to simulate the process of drill string rotation and vibration in the riser to show that the rotation and transverse vibration of drill string can increase the axial velocity in the annulus,which results in the improvement of the flow field in the annulus,and the effect on pressure loss and its fluctuation amplitude.In addition,there are also multiple secondary flow vortices in the riser annulus under certain eccentricity conditions,which is different from the phenomenon in an ordinary wellbore.The findings of this research are critical in safely controlling well drilling operation in the deepwater environment.