Bend stiffener linear viscoelastic thermo-mechanical analysis. Part I — Experimental characterization and mathematical formulation

Bend stiffeners are subjected to cyclic loading during offshore operation or when subjected to a controlled full-scale qualification test. Due to the viscoelastic nature of the polyurethane, energy is dissipated within the material volume and the structure may experience a temperature increase, a phenomenon known as self-heating. The top connection is a flexible riser critical region in terms of fatigue, being the bend stiffener the main responsible for curvature control. As the curvature distribution is highly affected by the nonlinear time–temperature bend stiffener response, a detailed thermo-mechanical assessment may become relevant for riser lifetime and polyurethane material failure assessment, specially during accelerated full-scale tests. In the present paper (Part I), the polyurethane experimental characterization and steady-state thermo-mechanical mathematical formulation are presented for the bend stiffener self-heating assessment. A steady-state formulation is derived for a temperature dependent linear viscoelastic large deflection beam model to estimate the heat generation during harmonic tip loading. The temperature field distribution is calculated through a three-dimensional steady-state thermal model considering the viscoelastic heat calculated from the mechanical model with an iterative scheme. Stress relaxation tests are performed at different temperatures to determine the viscoelastic properties followed by thermal properties characterization through differential scanning calorimetry and by the Flash method to determine the specific heat, thermal conductivity and diffusivity, respectively. In a companion paper (Part II) the iterative numerical scheme is detailed and a case study presented.     

Investigation into non-linear bending of elastic bars with application to design of bend stiffeners

The objective of this paper is to examine non-linear bending of a flexible elastic bar near fixed termination and to develop analytical solutions that can be used in the design of bend stiffeners. The non-linear bending of prismatic bars of finite and se-infinite lengths is solved analytically, and results are employed to re-visit the problem of the “ideal” bend stiffener, which provides a constant curvature over its entire length. A complete solution is derived for all properties of the ideal bend stiffener, which is not limited by any assumptions on the system geometry and provides an improvement over known formulations. Other features of the non-linear bending of elastic bars are examined and examples are given to demonstrate application of the present theory to sizing bend stiffeners for flexible risers.     

Helical wire stress analysis of unbonded flexible riser under irregular response

A helical wire is a critical component of an unbonded flexible riser prone to fatigue failure. The helical wire has been the focus of much research work in recent years because of the complex multilayer construction of the flexible riser. The present study establishes an analytical model for the axisymmetric and bending analyses of an unbonded flexible riser. The interlayer contact under axisymmetric loads in this model is modeled by setting radial dummy springs between adjacent layers. The contact pressure is constant during the bending response and applied to determine the slipping friction force per unit helical wire. The model tracks the axial stress around the angular position at each time step to calculate the axial force gradient, then compares the axial force gradient with the slipping friction force to judge the helical wire slipping region, which would be applied to determine the bending stiffness for the next time step. The proposed model is verified against the experimental data in the literature. The bending moment–curvature relationship under irregular response is also qualitatively discussed. The stress at the critical point of the helical wire is investigated based on the model by considering the local flexure. The results indicate that the present model can well simulate the bending stiffness variation during irregular response, which has significant effect on the stress of helical wire.     

Stress analysis of the subsea dynamic riser baseprocess piping

Thesubsea dynamic riser base （SDRB） is an important piece of equipment for the floating production platform mooring system.One end is connected to the rigid pipeline, carrying a rigid pipeline thermal expansion load and the other end is connected to a flexible riser, carrying the dynamic load of the flexible riser, so its function is a transition connection between the flexible riser and the rigid pipeline which fixes the flexible riser on the seabed. On the other hand. as a typical subsea product, the design will satisfythe requirements of the standards for subsea products. By studying the stress analysisphilosophy of the topside piping and subsea pipeline, a physical model and procedure for piping stress analysis of the SDRB have been established.The conditions of the adverse design load have been considered, and a combination of the static load from the rigid pipeline and the dynamic load flexibility has also been optimized. And a comparative analysis between the AMSE, DNV and API standards for piping stress with the checking rules has been done.Because theSDRB belongs to the subsea pipeline terminal product, the use of DNV standards to check its process piping stress is recommended. Finally, the process piping stress of the SDRB has been calculated, and the results show that the jacket pipe and the carrier pipe stress of the SDRB process piping satisfy the DNV standards as a whole.The bulkhead cannot be accurately simulated by the AutoPIPE software which uses the FEA software ANSYS inthe detailed analysis, but the checking results will still meet the requirements of the DNV standards.     

Catenary riser sliding and rolling on seabed during induced lateral movement

Catenary risers have an interaction zone with the seabed, usually referenced as flowline. Movements in this region can be induced by sea currents and large offsets in floating unit, leading to touchdown position changes and affecting internal loads along riser length. In this work the contact flowline-seabed is modeled including sliding and rolling friction. Case studies involving large offsets in floating unit and lateral sea currents are solved to better understand the consequences of possible rolling and large sliding. The riser is modeled using a geometrically-exact finite element beam model. The contact is addressed with a new technique to include rotation movements from underlying beam models. This leads to global riser models including complex kinematics, being able to represent scenarios with alternating sliding/rolling and its consequences on internal loads of riser structure. A parametric study is performed to measure the influence of the friction coefficient in tension and torsion along typical flexible pipe and steel pipe catenary risers.     

钢悬链线立管整体干涉分析研究

深水海洋立管具有柔性,特别是极端海况条件下,相邻立管之间可能发生互相干涉而增大立管的应力,从而影响其疲劳寿命.钢悬链线立管相比顶张力立管,有效张力较小,对环境载荷作用更加敏感,更容易发生碰撞.基于动力学分析软件OrcaFlex建立有限元模型,从允许碰撞的角度出发,对串列布置于张力腿平台上的两根钢悬链线立管进行整体碰撞分析,研究立管间距、尾流模型、拖曳力系数、海流流速和柔性接头刚度对立管碰撞的影响,阐述对碰撞范围、上下游立管相对运动速度、最大碰撞速度和最大碰撞能量的影响规律,为实际工程中立管的空间布置和结构优化设计提供参考.     

Experimental and finite element analysis of fatigue strength for 300 mm2 copper power conductor

The fatigue strength of a 300 mm² stranded copper conductor was investigated experimentally and by finite element (FE) analysis. An analytical model was also developed and validated. Wires taken from the outer layer of the conductor were fatigue tested in tension–tension loading and compared with similar data for wires taken from a 95 mm² conductor. The wire cross section was deformed due to the compacting process that was applied during fabrication. When corrected for stress concentrations due to the deformation the data for the two sets of wire fell within the same scatter-band. Full scale testing was carried out in a specially designed rig with constant tensile load and reversed displacement controlled bending with a fixed curvature variation. The loading is a simulation of the loading of a power cable hanging from a floating vessel through a bellmouth. Conductors were tested in two states; dry and lubricated. A finite element model was established for the copper conductor. The model was formulated by a combination of elastic beam and beam-contact elements that included the effects of friction. The effect of local bending due to contact forces was included in the model. Two contact conditions were investigated; the point (trellis) contact between adjacent layers of wire and the inline contact within each layer and between the first layer (centre wire) and the second layer. The FE model was validated by a calibration test of a full scale conductor, and by sensitivity studies varying the size and the number of elements of the model. Fatigue analysis of the conductor was carried out, based on the S–N curve for individual wires. Taking into account the effects of friction and local bending, agreement was obtained between predicted and experimental fatigue strength of the conductor, for the FE model as well as the analytical model.     

考虑平台作用的顶张式立管动力分析

上层浮式平台的运动幅度比固定式平台大,对立管的影响更明显.为了解平台对顶张式立管动力的影响,提出一种动力分析方法.在一定的条件下建立立管的数学模型,采用软件Tube2D对平台和立管进行动力响应和弯曲应力分析,得到考虑平台作用的立管扶正器布置间距参数的敏感性和立管弯曲应力的变化.结果表明:对于考虑平台作用的立管模型而言,...     

缓波型柔性立管构型优化及敏感性分析

针对缓波型柔性立管存在的波型较陡和浮子段张力较大的问题,对其进行优化,将单波构型优化为双波构型,运用集中质量法对改进前后的2种结构形式进行分析,确认双波构型在静力和动力响应下的张力及弯曲特性更优。在此基础上,对双波型柔性立管进行敏感性分析。在静力状态下,悬挂点和第2段浮子段末端对浮子段间隔和浮子段长度敏感;在动力响应下,悬挂段到第1段浮子段的张力变化和最小弯曲半径对浮子段间隔和大悬挂角非常敏感。研究得到的敏感性参数结论可作为缓波型柔性立管总体布置设计的参考。为提升缓波型柔性立管的性能,可合理增加浮子段与浮子段的间隔和悬挂角,但同时要满足规范的要求,避免关键部位动力响应过大。     

深水钻井立管建模与角度安全控制

从水面钻井平台与水下立管联合作业的安全角度出发,提出一种将钻井立管的力学响应限制特性引入水面平台动力定位闭环控制中的位置保持方法,实现水面钻井平台（或船舶）基于立管角度响应的动态定位。利用有限元方法建立包括立管系统质量、系统刚度、结构阻尼和水动力载荷在内的立管运动控制模型。联合水面浮体和水下立管的低频运动特性建立水面浮体运动偏移与水下立管顶端角度及末端角度的相对运动关系模型。在此基础上,设计基于立管运行响应的动力定位控位方法,实现对立管顶端角度及末端角度的安全控制。仿真结果表明,所提出的方法可行,在外界突变的环境载荷瞬时作用于水面浮体时,能更快地跟踪新的期望最优位置,保证钻井立管运行在安全界限内。     

柔性立管阻力特性试验数据处理技术

本文提出3种数据处理方法分析均匀来流中柔性立管的初始阻力特性。首先通过分析柔性立管在均匀来流中的变形及振动情况,分离出立管流向的初始变形对应的弯曲应变。根据复杂梁的弯曲变形理论,建立起弯曲应变与平均阻力之间的微分方程。随后,针对试验中获取的立管轴向力及立管表面弯曲应变,提出计算平均阻力的数据处理方法,并进行算例验证与分析。最终使用提出的数据处理方法分析试验数据,得到立管表面各截面处的阻力分布。     

A finite element model for unbonded flexible pipe under combined axisymmetric and bending loads

Flexible pipes are key equipment for offshore oil and gas production systems, conveying fluids between the platform and subsea wells. The structural arrangement of unbonded flexible pipes is quite complex, encompassing several layers with polymeric, metallic and textile materials. Different topologies and a large amount of intricate nonlinear contact interactions between and within their components, especially because of the relative stick-slip mechanism during bending, makes numerical analysis challenging. This paper presents an alternative three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model that describes the response of flexible pipes subjected to combined axisymmetric and bending loads. To simulate the response of a flexible pipe under axial tension or compression combined with uniform curvature, an equivalent thermal loading is employed on the external sheath, which is modelled as an orthotropic thermal expansion material with temperature-independent mechanical properties. To assess the feasibility of the proposed model, the bending moment versus curvature of the finite element solution is compared with experimental results obtained in literature and good agreements are found between them. Detailed finite element results such as contact pressures, armour wire slip displacements and friction, normal and transverse bending stresses are also shown and compared with available analytical models.     

LQR control on multimode vortex-induced vibration of flexible riser undergoing shear flow

Under the actions of ocean currents and/or waves, deep-sea flexible risers are often subject to vortex-induced vibration (VIV). The VIV can lead to severe fatigue and structural safety issues caused by oscillatory periodic stress and large-amplitude displacement. As flexible risers have natural modes with lower frequency and higher density, a multimode VIV is likely to occur in risers under the action of ocean currents, which is considered as shear flow. To decrease the response level of the VIV of the riser actively, a multimode control approach that uses a bending moment at the top end of the riser via an LQR optimal controller is developed in this study. The dynamic equations of a flexible riser including the control bending moment in shear flow are established both in the time and state-space domains. The LQR controllers are then designed to optimize the objective function, which indicates the minimum cost of the riser's VIV response and control input energy based on the Riccati equation of the closed-loop system under the assumption that the lift coefficient distribution is constant. Finally, the VIV responses of both the original and closed-loop systems under different flow velocities are examined through numerical simulations. The results demonstrate that the designed active control approaches can effectively reduce the riser displacement/angle by approximately 71%–89% compared with that of the original system. Further, for multimode control, the presented mode-weighted control is more effective than the mode-averaged control; the decrease in displacement is approximately 1.13 times than that of the mode-averaged control. Owing to the increase in flow velocity as more and higher-order modes are excited, the VIV response of the original system decreases slightly while the frequency response gradually increases. For the closed-loop system, the response becomes smaller and more complicated, and the efficiency of the controller becomes lower at a certain flow velocity.     

柔性立管整体分析(英文)

The mechanical performance of a flexible riser is more outstanding than other risers in violent environmental conditions. Based on the lumped mass method, a steep wave flexible riser configuration attached to a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) has been applied to a global analysis in order to acquire the static and dynamic behavior of the flexible riser. The riser was divided into a series of straight massless line segments with a node at each end. Only the axial and torsional properties of the line were modeled, while the mass, weight, and buoyancy were all lumped to the nodes. Four different buoyancy module lengths have been made to demonstrate the importance of mode selection, so as to confirm the optimum buoyancy module length. The results in the sensitivity study show that the flexible riser is not very sensitive to the ocean current, and the buoyancy module can reduce the Von Mises stress and improve the mechanical performance of the flexible riser. Shorter buoyancy module length can reduce the riser effective tension in a specific range of the buoyancy module length when other parameters are constant, but it can also increase the maximum curvature of the riser. As a result, all kinds of the riser performances should be taken into account in order to select the most appropriate buoyancy module length.     

Strength evaluation of intersection between stiffeners and primary supporting members in double hull structure

In this previous study, a consistent theoretical formula was established in single hull structure, taking account of all the structural components affecting the load share of each member, in combination with the combined load effect of direct force from the longitudinal stiffener and shear force on the primary supporting member. What's more, it has been known qualitatively that the bending moment at the root of the web stiffener in double hull structure is less than that in single hull structure. However, the difference between double hull and single hull structures has not been achieved. In this study, the authors develop a theoretical formulation to represent the stresses at the root of the web stiffener due to the load from both the longitudinal stiffener and the shear force on the primary supporting member in the double hull structure. Then, the results calculated by the derived formulae are compared with the results obtained by finite element analysis, and good accuracy of the proposed formula was verified. Finally, the calculated stresses were compared between double hull and single hull structures. On one hand, the share of loading born by the web stiffener is almost comparable between the double hull and single hull structures. On the other hand, the bending moment at the root of the web stiffener is smaller in the double hull structure than in single hull structure, and therefore, the maximum stress is smaller.     

浮式钻井装置隔水管张紧系统研究

针对浮式钻井装置的隔水管张紧问题,提出了几种解决方案,并对方案的补偿原理做了分析研究,同时也对DAT隔水管张紧系统设计作了阐述。     

爆炸载荷作用下单向加筋板的塑性动力响应分析

从加筋板面板以及加强筋的运动方程出发,分析了爆炸载荷作用下单根加筋固支方板的大挠度塑性动力响应。分析表明:加筋板的运动,取决于加强筋的相对刚度以及载荷峰值的大小,将呈现出3种不同的模式。研究仅限于讨论加筋板的总体变形模式,具体讨论了单向加筋固支方板在忽略弯矩影响下的薄膜解法。得到的理论结果与已有的试验结果在多数情况下符合良好,表明简化理论分析方法能对爆炸载荷下单向加筋固支方板的永久变形做出较为合理的预报。     

基于顶部张紧式立管动力分析的关键参数研究

文中提出了一种适用于工作于南中国海张力腿平台(TLP)的顶张紧式立管(TTR),并利用有限元软件ABAQUS/AQUA对该立管进行了模拟分析,计算用以预测立管波浪飞溅区和立管下部区域在波浪以及平台联合作用下的影响。计算时采取时域计算方法,计算过程中考虑了几何非线性的影响。并在计算完成TTR在位动力分析的基础之上,做了一定量的参数敏感性分析,重点考察立管侧向位移,弯矩以及等效应力水平对TTR一些重要参数的敏感性。结果表明,计算顶张力TTR动力分析时,必须考虑平台侧向位移跟轴向位移的耦合作用,立管响应受其顶部TLP平台以及张力比TTF的影响较大。随着立管顶部张力比TTF的增加,立管的变形逐渐变小,但顶部张力的增加同时增加了立管内部的等效应力,立管设计时应充分考虑到这两者之间的"平衡"关系。     

非粘结柔性立管静态分析

海洋柔性立管因材料和结构上的复杂性在设计分析中存在许多技术难题。本文在变形能原理和能量守恒的基础上,推导出了柔性立管各层的刚度矩阵。将各层刚度矩阵进行叠加,得到柔性立管总体刚度矩阵,并用总体刚度矩阵求解静载荷作用下立管变形响应。同时基于ABAQUS软件建立八层非粘结柔性立管有限元模型,并将有限元计算结果和刚度矩阵计算结果进行比较。结果分析表明：运用推导得到的刚度矩阵求解静态载荷下立管的变形是一种简便且准确的方法。