Problems encountered in

detailed design of flexible

riser systems
P. A. Brown, A. Sol tanahmadi and R. Chandwani
Zent ech Consultants, 3 - 7 Eust on Centre, London NW1 , UK
This paper identifies areas of concern wi thi n the detailed design of
flexible riser systems and presents solutions to a series of problems
encountered by the authors involving structural and hydrodynamic
nonlinearities. Five critical situations are selected: ( 1) detailed dynamic
analysis of a flexible jumper connected between a floater and a jacket
structure wi th emphasis on the design of bend stiffeners at both ends
of the system; (2) dynamic analysis of a multiple flexible riser system
wi th emphasis on the response of a common intermediate subsurface
buoyant arch; (3) combined effects of torsional and current loading on
a short flexible hose supported at one end on a layover arch; (4) dynamic
analysis of a ' pliant wave' flexible riser configuration; (5) dynamic
analysis of a flexible jumper disconnection procedure and assessment
of clashing wi th the floater at pontoon level.
These solutions are produced using computer programs which use
optimized finite difference methods particularly suited to these types of
problems. The numerical modelling techniques and results are presented
for each condition and the influence of these results on the design of
various piping systems is discussed.
K e y w o r d s : flexible riser systems, bend stiffeners, innovated con-
figurations, torsional loads, riser disconnection
In order to perform detailed analysis and design of any
flexible riser or pipe system, it is necessary to identify
critical regions of the system and the ' worst case' l oad
conditions. These critical regions and l oad condi t i ons
depend on the t ype of system, the system geometry, the
envi ronment al condi t i ons and the pipe st ruct ural pro-
perties. Assuming t hat these are well defined, it is then
usually necessary to perform detailed analyses of the
complete riser or pipe system subjected to these load
conditions. The results from the analyses t hen allow an
assessment of the suitability of the design in the critical
regions so that, where required, the design can be modified
accordingly.
This paper gives examples of this procedure by referring
to five very different flexible riser and pipe scenarios. These
examples highlight the i mport ance of the modelling of the
whole system when performing detailed design. The
subjects covered in these five examples are:
(1) how curvat ure is cont rol l ed in a dynami c system
using a bend stiffener;
(2) assessment of dynami c interaction between a sub-
surface buoyant arch and connected risers;
(3) i mport ance of t orsi on in short-length flexible hoses;
This paper was originally pre~ented at a meeting on 'Flexible risers',
held 9 January 1989 at University College, London, UK.
(4) i nt eract i on between riser and cables in a' pl i ant wave'
system;
(5) clashing problems between the riser and a floater
pont oon in case of an accidental disconnection.
The solutions for these examples are obt ai ned using the
general purpose flexible riser program ' FLEXRI SER '1,
and an in-house specialist program 2. These programs are
based on optimized finite difference methods, which are
part i cul arl y suitable in producing detailed and fast
solutions for these types of problems. Each example is
presented by means of description, numerical modelling
points and comment s on the influence of the results on the
design of the system.
Test case l - - f l e x i bl e jumper with bend stiffeners at
both ends
An 8 in. gas riser with a length of 150 m is used as a transfer
riser between a floating pl at form and a fixed well-head
pl at form (see Fi g u r e 1). The water dept h is 175 m. The l oad
case considered consists of combi ned current and 28 m
regular wave (peak to trough) travelling from the floating
pl at form t owards the fixed platform. The maj or part of the
riser system lies in the wave zone and therefore its response
will be severe. One way of reducing this response is to
increase the ratio of pipe weight to outside di amet er in the
submerged part of the riser by increasing the weight of the
0141-0296/89/040234-08/$03.00
234 Eng. Struct. 1989, Vol. 1 1, Oct ober ~:~ 1989 Butterworth & Co ( Pu b l i s h e r s ) Ltd
Problems in detailed design of flexible riser systems." P.A. Brown et aL
- 40. 0
Figure 1 Schemat i c, t est case 1
pi pe wi t hout changi ng t he out si de di amet er. Bend
stiffeners are used in or der t o limit the cur vat ur e of t he riser
at t he end connect i ons.
Invest i gat i on of t he riser behavi our for the riser system
design is carri ed out in t wo stages: (1) assessment of t he
global behavi our of the riser; and (2) assessment of the
local behavi our of t he riser, for exampl e at t he ends.
The effect of local behavi our on the global response of a
system is usually insignificant. Therefore, dur i ng t he
global behavi our analysis, t he riser ends are assumed
pinned. Fi rst a static analysis of t he system with pl at form
offset and cur r ent l oadi ng is carri ed out. Gl obal dynami c
analysis is t hen per f or med t o check t he suitability of t he
design with respect to tension, cur vat ur e and riser
clashing. Load cases consi dered nor mal l y include wave
and cur r ent flows in in-line and cross directions.
Havi ng achi eved sat i sfact ory design based on t he global
response, the local behavi our is assessed. Thi s is investi-
gat ed in t wo stages: an initial stage and a final stage. In this
test case, t he local areas consi dered are t he ends of t he riser.
At the initial stage, bot h ends are cl amped with no
addi t i onal stiffness. The dynami c analyses are t hen
repeat ed and the curvat ures at t he ends are det ermi ned.
The bend stiffeners are t hen designed in or der t o reduce
these curvat ures. At the final stage, t he dynami c analyses
are repeat ed for t he whol e system including t he bend
stiffeners in or der t o check t hei r suitability. The aut hor s
believe t hat this final stage of analysis is essential in or der
t o investigate t he act ual local behavi ours, such as end
cur vat ur es and end ext reme angles, and also t o check t he
suitability of t he bend stiffeners. Keni son et al. 3 have
shown t hat t he results of t he end local behavi our of a lazy-
S flexible riser wi t hout i ncl udi ng t he model l i ng of t he bend
stiffeners at t he ends can be misleading and t he use of such
results in assessing end t ermi nat i ons must be quest i oned.
It is this final stage of t he analysis t hat is discussed in this
paper. The dynami c analysis is per f or med for t hree wave
cycles. The posi t i ons of t he riser at 1.0 second i nt erval s
dur i ng t he t hi rd wave cycle are shown in Figure 2. Thi s
t ype of di agr am is referred t o as a ' snap shot ' and present s
results at par t i cul ar t i me i nt erval s dur i ng a wave cycle (in
this case t he riser position).
o
- 2 0 . 0
0 . 0
2 0 . 0
4 0 . 0 --
I
60.0 ..... I I I I t , I I L J I I t L i I i m m
-140 -120 - I 00 -80 -60 -40
Hor i zont al posi t i on (m)
Figure 2 Snap shot s of ri ser conf i gur at i on
0 . 2 0
0.10
~EE 0 . 0 0
o -0.10
D
r~
>
~_ -0. 20
-0.30
- 0 . 4 0
Figure 3
= L l l ~ l l l l ~ l l i I l ] I ml l l I l l I l l l I I I
0 20 40 60 80 I00 120 140 160
Posi ti on al ong pi pe (m)
Snap shot s of cur vat ur e al ong ri ser l engt h
200
150
z~ 100
"~ 50
0
-5c
Figure 4
h I I [ [ I I [ I I I ] I I a 1 1 1 ~ L I i * ) m i i 1 1 1 =
20 40 60 80 100 140 120 160
Position along pipe (m)
Snap shot s of t ensi on al ong ri ser l engt h
Snap shots of riser cur vat ur e and t ensi on al ong t he riser
lengths are shown in Figures 3 and 4 respectively. Figure 4
shows t hat at some time duri ng t he wave cycle t he t ensi on
at the lowest par t of riser becomes negative, and t herefore
this par t of t he riser is predi ct ed t o be under compressi on.
Pl ot s similar t o Figure 5 are used t o assess t he suitability
of t he bend stiffeners at t he ends. Figure 5 shows a detailed
snap shot pl ot of t he riser end response at t he fl oat er
connect i on and a series of bendi ng moment - t i me hi st ory
plots at t he first t hree nodes al ong t he bend stiffener. The
Eng. Struct. 1989, Vol. 11, October 235
P robl ems i n detai l ed des i gn of fl exi bl e riser s ys tems . P .A . B r o wn et al.
-30.0
-25.0
~ - 2 0 . 0
-15.0
> - I 0. 0
-5. 0
0.0 I t I J I I I I ] I
60 0 55 0 -50.0 -45.0 -40.0 -35.0 -30.0
a
Hori zontal posi ti on (m)
z
2g
t~
l
"O
C
m
o
E
c
5
c
o
m
50
0
-50
-I 00
-150
b
I I I I 1
0 . 0 1 0 . 0 2 0 . 0 3 0 . 0 4 0 . 0 5 0 . 0 60.0
0
-25
-50
-75
-I00 I
0.0 I0.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0
C
0
-20
- 4 0
- 6 0
-80 I
0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0
d Time (S)
Figure 5 (a) S n a p s h o t s o f r i s e r e n d r e s p o n s e a t f l o a t e r c o n n e c t i o n .
B e n d i n g m o m e n t - t i m e h i s t o r i e s a l o n g b e n d s t i f f e n e r a t : ( b ) n o d e
2; (c) node 3; (d) node 4
- 3 0
corresponding plot for the fixed platform end of this
system is shown in F igure 6.
Test case 2- - mul t i pl e l azy-S riser system with a
common subsurface buoy
The system considered consists of a multiple (8 in. oil, 6
in. gas) lazy-S flexible riser configuration with a common
subsurface buoy (see F igure 7). The risers are connected
4 m apart in the out-of-plane direction at the floating
platform and run via a common subsurface buoyant arch
-28
'.~ - 2 6
el_
~ 2 4
- 22
-20
a
J I I
-130 -128 -126 -124
Hori zont al posi ti on (m)
60.0
.... I I
-122 -120
: z
3 0 . 0
0 . 0
- 3 0 . 0
- 6 0 . 0
b
I _ _ I _ I I - - I
0 , 0 I0.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0
40.0
60.
20.0
o ~ 0.0
L_
-2o.o
-40.0
C
40.0
0.0 I0.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0
2 0 . 0
0 , 0
- 2 0 . 0
- 4 0 . 0 I I I _ d _ _ i
0 . 0 1 0 . 0 2 0 . 0 3 0 , 0 4 0 . 0 5 0 . 0 6 0 . 0
d
T i m e ( s }
Figure 6 ( a ) S n a p s h o t s o f r i s e r e n d r e s p o n s e a t f i x e d p l a t f o r m .
B e n d i n g m o m e n t - t i m e h i s t o r i e s a l o n g b e n d s t i f f e n e r a t : ( b ) n o d e
5 9 ; ( c ) n o d e 58; (d) n o d e 5 7
to a smooth touchdown position on the seabed. The water
depth is 77 m and the load case considered consists of
current and 11 m regular wave loadings in the cross-flow
direction.
The main emphasis in the detailed design phase of this
system is on the complex response of the sub-buoy system.
The buoy response is simulated by solving a separate
equation system which is dynamically coupled to the riser
system. This approach allows the sub-buoy response to
be modelled in detail and local effects assessed adequately.
236 Eng. Struct. 1989, Vol. 11, October
Problems in detailed design of flexible riser systems: P.A. Brown et aL
Fi gur e 7 Schemat i c, t est case 2
(Bin. oil -- 6 i n . g a s }
a b o'b
b b '
80.0 { l
- 20 I 00 120
-40.0
I Static equilibrium with cL~rrent (Bin. ~i~}l
._~ -30.0 ..... Static equilibrium with current {6in.
- 20. 0
8
u - I 0 . 0
0.0
No I0.0 '' '' '''
' C_ -20 0 20 40 60 80 I00 120
Horizontal Y coordinate (m)
Fi gur e 8 P l a n v i e w o f s t a t i c c o n f i g u r a t i o n , s y s t e m s u b j e c t e d t o
c r o s s - f l o w c u r r e n t
- 40. 0
Gas
Gas
I I _ _ L t l h ~
0 20 40 60 80 I00
Hor i zont al Y coor di nat e (m)
~3
i_
tJ
N
O
I
120
-30.0
-20.0
-10.0
0.0
I 0. 0 t
-20
Fi gur e 9 Snap s h o t s o f riser r e s p o n s e - - - p l a n v i e w
-20.0
~" 0. 0
20. 0
X 40. 0 --
60.0
--~' ---~- b O i l
Oi l G a s ~
t I _ l I I J l I I " ~' - ~
0 20 40 60 80
Horizontal Y coordinate (m)
Snap shots of riser response~side view Fi gur e 10
F igure 8 shows a plan view of the static configuration
when the riser system is subjected to a cross-flow current.
The local and global dynamic behaviour of the risers can
be investigated from snap shots of the response. F igures
9, 10 and 11 show the plan, side and end views respec-
tively of these snap shots during a wave cycle. F igure 11
shows that the response of the 6 in. gas pipe is greater
than that of the oil pipe. This is consistent with the
difference in pipe weight to outside diameter ratios
the smaller the ratio, the greater the expected response.
F igure 12 shows the reponse of the subsurface buoy
under this loading condition. The first three plots show
time histories of the buoy response in X, Y and Z
directions. The fourth plot shows the time history of
tension in the tether. Plots such as this are essential to
assess the magnitude and range of the tension in the tether
Z
a ~
Xa = - 6, Yo = 8. 4, Za = 16. 4 '%,
X a ' = -6, Y a ' = 12.4, Za' = 1 6 . 4 ~
Xb = 102. 7, Yb =- 7. 62, Zb =- 77. 1 I \ \
Xb' = 102. 7, Y b ' = 7. 62, Zb' =- 77. 1 l \ \
X d = 5 6 . 2 , Y d : O, Z d = - 7 7 . 1 d~
- 2 0 . 0
0. 0
20.0
(3
0
U
u 40. 0
80. 0
1oo.o l ]
10. 0 0. 0
Gas
J i J i I t
- 10. 0 - 20. 0 - 30. 0 - 40. 0
Ho r i z o n t a l Z c o o r d i n a t e ( m)
Fi gur e 11 S n a p s h o t s o f r i ser r e s p o n s e - - e n d v i e w
and to ensure that this tension stays positive throughout
the wave cycle.
Test case 3 ~ s h o r t length flexible hose subjected to
torsion
This system consists of a 6 in. oil hose connecting an
articulated tower (with J-tube) to a layover arch (see
E n g . S t r u c t . 1 9 8 9 , V o l . 1 1 , O c t o b e r 2 3 7
P roblems in detai l ed design of fl exi bl e riser systems." P.A.
a
47.4
V e r t i c a l g l o b a l X c o o r d i n a t e ( m)
47.6
47.8
48.0
48.2
0.0 10.1 20.2 30.3 40.4 50.5 60.6
b
H o r i z o n t a l g l o b a l Y c o o r d i n a t e ( m)
5 5 . 6
5 5 . 4
5 5 . 2
5 5 . 0 I I I I l
0 . 0 10. 1 2 0 . 2 3 0 . 3 4 0 . 4 5 0 . 5 6 0 . 6
C
-4.0
H o r i z o n t a l g l o b a l Z c o o r d i n a t e ( m)
- 5 . 0
- 6 . 0
- 7 . 0
- 8 . 0
0 . 0
d
10.1 20.2 30.3 40.4 50.5 60.6
T e t h e r t e n s i o n ( k N)
80.0 _ ~ ~ ~ ~
60.0
40.0
20.0
0.0 l I I I I
0 . 0 10. 1 2 0 . 2 3 0 . 3 4 0 . 4 5 0 . 5 6 0 . 6
Time (s)
Figure 12 Ti me histories of response of subsurface buoy: ( a) in
X- di r ect i on; ( b) in Y- di r ect i on; ( c) i n Z- di r ect i on; ( d) tensi on in
tether
( 6 i n . oi l )
t
J - t u b e r i ser clamped on
~ , ' ~ : ~ a l a y o v e r a r c h ( 5}
I
- 54
X J ~/' t Emb e d d i n g a
6
Embedding b
Figure 13 Schemat i c, test case 3
Xa = - 6 . 8 6 , X b = + 4. 67
Yo = 8 . 6 4 , Y b = 17. 16
Za = 5. 01, Zb = 2
b
F igure 13). Thi s test case i nvest i gat es the effect o f t ors i on
on the def l ect i on o f the hose. Referring t o F igure 13, the
hos e is 21 m i n l engt h and is cl amped at poi nt 'a' t o the
t ower and at poi nt 'b' t o the l ayover arch. The response
o f the hos e i s e xami ne d whe n the arti cul ated t owe r rotates
t owards the l ayover arch and i nt o the pl ane o f t he paper.
The syst em i s subjected t o a cros s - f l ow current.
The anal ysi s present ed demonst rat es the initial stage
o f the desi gn. Furt her dynami c anal yses wo ul d normal l y
be necessary.
F igures 14, 15 and 16 s ho w the si de, end and pl an vi ews
respecti vel y o f the stati c equi l i bri um conf i gurat i on o f t he
hos e wi t h and wi t hout t orsi on whe n subjected t o a
Brown et al.
cross- f l ow current. Thes e stati c conf i gurat i on vi ews s how
that the effect of t orsi on on the short-l ength hos e is
si gni fi cant and this type o f l oadi ng shoul d be i ncl uded
in subsequent stages of the design.
Te s t c a s e 4 - - ' p l i a n t wave ' f l e x i bl e ri s er s y s t e m
A schemat i c o f this syst em is presented i n F igure 17. Thi s
pl ot s hows the end vi ew of a vessel and a pl i ant wave
riser system. The syst em studi ed consi st s o f a 4 in. fl exi bl e
riser and an umbi l i cal connect ed f rom a vessel t o a series
o f c o mmo n buoyancy modul e s and then cont i nui ng
t oget her t o the mani f ol d whi ch is pos i t i oned under the
vessel. At t ouc hdown, the syst em is anchored t o a dead
wei ght by means o f t wo cables. The wat er dept h i n this
case i s 335 m and the syst em is subjected t o cross- f l ow
current.
90
95 m
0)
8
x I 00
.Q
o
1 0 s
>
110
0. 0
Figure 14
Cu r r e n t and torsi on
. . . . . . . . Cu r r e n t o n l y
! '
I I I I l I J I I I J I I i i i I i ~
5. 0 10. 0 15. 0 20. 0
Ho r i z o n t a l gl obal Y c o o r d i n a t e ( m}
Static equi l i bri um conf i gurat i on of hose subj ected to
cross current---si de vi ew
90
95
-o
8
L)
X I 00
L. 105
>
Cu r r e n t and t o r s i o n
. . . . . . . . Cu r r e n t o n l y
' I
i i i I i i i i I I , I J I I L ,
- 5 . 0 - 1 0 . 0 - 1 5 . 0
Hori zontal global Z coordi nate (rn)
110 I 1
0. 0 - 2 0 . 0
F i gure 15 Static equi l i bri um conf i gurat i on of hose subj ected to
cross current---end vi ew
2 3 8 E n g . S t r u c t . 1 9 8 9 , V o l . 1 1 , O c t o b e r
P robl ems i n detai l ed des i gn o f fl exi bl e riser s ys tems : P .A . B r o wn et al.
In the detailed design of such systems the cables should
be modelled in the same way as the risers, i.e., they should
be divided into a number of elements. This test case
demonstrates the initial stages of the detailed design.
F igure 18 shows a side view of the system static
equilibrium configuration - - the insets show magnifica-
tions of the modelling at vessel connection, junction of
the riser and the umbilical, and the touchdown point.
F igures 19 and 20 show the end and plan views
respectively of the static equilibrium configuration when
co
C
O
O3
o ~
N
t .
O
" I -
- 20. 0
- 15. 0
- 10. 0
E
i
0 . 0 1 I I
0 . 0
- - Cu r r e n t and t or si on
. . . . . . . . Cu r r e n t onl y
I i t t ~ I I I I I I t I i L
5. 0 10.0 15.0 20.0
Hor i zont al gl obal Y coor di nat e (m)
o 150
8
L, 200
>
- 50
0
50 - -
100 - -
m
m
250 - -
300 - -
- 7 4
- , , , " ~
350 - I I I I
- 5 0
Figure 18
- 5. 0
, 1
1 1 T o p T o p e n d s 2
l
3
. 1 4
3 9 , .
J u n c t i o n o f 4 I n . 3 _ " 7 "
a n d u m b i l i c a l r i s e r s
?
4 7
Ri ; e: ~cabl e 57 56 qS) c
H e
l , , , , l , t I , l , , , , l , , , ,
0 50 1 0 0 1 5 0 2 0 0
H o r i z o n t a l ( i n - p l a n e } c o o r d i n a t e ( m }
S t a t i c e q u i l i b r i u m c o n f i g u r a t i o n - - s i d e v i e w
F i gure 16 S t a t i c e q u i l i b r i u m c o n f i g u r a t i o n o f h o s e s u b j e c t e d t o
c r o s s c u r r e n t - - p l a n v i e w
the system is subjected to current and vessel offset in the
cross-flow direction.
w
Figure 17 S c h e m a t i c , t e s t c a s e 4
n n a
Test case 5 disconnected fl exi bl e jumper
This test case is based on an 8 in. flexible jumper hanging
between a floating platform and a fixed platform (see
F igure 21). The length of the riser is 160 m and the water
depth is 175 m. The system is subjected to a current and
a 12 m high regular wave travelling from the fixed platform
towards the floating platform. This test case investigates
a possible clash between the riser top end and the floating
platform pontoon after an emergency or an accidental
disconnection.
In this investigation, the response of the top end and
the motion of the pontoon are traced in a time frame and
compared. If a clashing is predicted, then the impact
velocity should be calculated in order to assess the damage
to the pontoon.
The most critical time during a wave cycle for
disconnection was investigated by considering the release
of the riser connector at four different times during a
wave cycle. F igure 22 shows the most critical of these
release time instants for this configuration: release after
one quarter of a wave cycle. The emphasis during the
analysis was on examining the riser path during the first
few seconds after disconnection until the riser connector
has passed the pontoon level. Riser-pontoon impact is
assessed by following the riser snap shots and the pontoon
motion in time.
E n g . S t r u c t . 1 9 8 9 , V o l . 1 1 , O c t o b e r 2 3 9
P roblems in detai l ed design of fl exi bl e riser systems. P.A. Brown et aL
-50
0
50
100
" 0
Q ~
~ 15o ~
>
200
250
300
350
- 50
Figure 19
U m b i l i c a l
4 in. riser
I
I I I I I l l i l l l l J I I I I t J
0 50 I00
Horizontal (out-of-plane} c o o r d i n a t e (m)
S t a t i c e q u i l i b r i u m c o n f i g u r a t i o n - - - e n d v i e w
150
g
u
E
c~
?
N
" E
O
150
100
50
-50
-50
D
I I j I I I I = I I j I I I I I L s i I I I i I
0 50 100 150 200
Hor i zont al ( i n- pl ane) coor di nat e (m)
Figure 20 S t a t i c e q u i l i b r i u m c o n f i g u r a t i o n - - p l a n v i e w
Figure 21 S c h e m a t i c , t e s t c a s e 5
2,0[
1 9 0 - -
170
- ~
> 150
130
-40
Figure 22
c y c l e
I ~ ~ = C o n n e c t o r a n d pont oon / j
posi t i on at d i s c o n n e c t i o n
I
~'~, t i m e
~,~
i I I I I r f
- 5 0 - 6 0 - 7 0 - 8 0 - 9 0 - 1 0 0 - 1 1 0 - 1 2 0 - 1 3 0
H o r i z o n t a l c o o r d i n a t e ( m )
R i s e r p a t h a f t e r d i s c o n n e c t i o n a t o n e q u a r t e r o f w a v e
F igure 23 presents the vertical and horizontal coordi-
nates of the predicted motion of the riser connector and
the floater pontoon with time. These graphs allow
assessment of a possible clashing and calculation of
impact velocity. Clashing only occurs if the riser end
response crosses that of the pontoon in the horizontal
coordinate plot at a time before the same crossing in the
vertical coordinate plot. The impact velocity can then be
estimated using the vertical coordinate of the relative
movement and the corresponding time.
Summary and conclusions
Different stages of detailed design have been presented
for each of the five test cases. There are many other effects
2 4 0 Eng. Struct. 1989, Vol. 11, October
E
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>
a
Problems in detailed design of flexible riser systems: P.A. Brown et al .
210
200
190
180
170
160
150
140
0. 0
Connec t or
" " " ' - ~ " ' " ' - ' ' ' ' " ' 1 . . . . . Pont oon
I I I I I ~ I I I I l I
8. 0 16. 0 24.0 32.0 40. 0 48. 0
which may need to be considered, dependi ng on the
configuration and the environmental conditions. Aspects
such as the effect of vortex-sheddi ng i nduced vibration
due to wave and current flow, installation probl ems and
internal flow effects will be reported in future papers.
The mai n concl usi on from this study is that, in the final
stage of design of any flexible riser system, the whol e
system shoul d be model l ed in detail so as t o check local
behavi our of the riser which is usually governed by the
global behaviour.
Ti me ( s)
-60
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o
t .
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0. 0
b
Connect or
. . . . Pont oon
j / ' ~ \ i s / r
I I I I I I I I I I I
8. 0 16. 0 24.0 32. 0 40. 0 48. 0
Ti me ( s)
F ig u re 2 3 ( a) Ver t i cal and ( b) hor i zont al coor di nat es o f pr edi ct ed
mo t i o n of ri ser c onnec t or and f l oat er p o n t o o n wi t h t i me
References
1 Brown, P. A., Chandwani, R. and Larson, I. 'Flexible riser dynamics
modelled in 3-dimensions', Proc. Int. Conf. on Mobil Offshore
Structures, City University, London, September 1987
2 Soltanahmadi, A. and Barnes, M. R. 'Dynamic response and
modelling of flexible risers', Proc. Int. Conf on Non-Conventional
Structures, Inst. of Civil Engrs, London, December 1987
3 Kenison, R. C. and Ferrand, A. J. 'Application of flexible risers in
offshore production systems', 4th Int. Conf. on Floating Production
@stems, London, December 1988
Eng. Struct. 1989, Vol. 11, October 241