Simulation of fluid-structure interaction

to estimate fatigue life of

subsea pipeline spans
Juan P. Pontaza
Shell Projects & Technology
Houston, TX

10th Symposium on Overset Composite Grids and Solution Technology

September 20 23, 2010

Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.

This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

OUTLINE
Background
Vortex-Induced
Motivation

Vibrations (VIV) of subsea pipeline spans

/ Numerical Methods / Scope

Modeling Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI)

Field application: A crossing pipeline span
Concluding Remarks

Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.

This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

BACKGROUND: VIV of Pipeline Spans

Vortex-Induced Vibrations
External

flow about offshore structures

Frequency synchronization (lock-in)

Fatigue damage

of subsea pipelines

TLP image credit: atlantia.com

Integrity

Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.

This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

BACKGROUND: VIV of Pipeline Spans

Widespread solutions to suppress VIV
Helical

strakes

Prevents near-wake interaction of shear-layers

Spanwise de-correlation of vortices

Some fixed separation points

Increased drag coefficient

Fairings

Flow streamlining

Free to weathervane

Low drag coefficient

Unstable for certain Chord/D

Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.

This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

BACKGROUND
Motivation

Numerical simulation Prediction Better assessment of risk

Numerical methods

Block-structured grids / Overset grids

Incompressible flow

Finite difference / Finite volume hybrid scheme

Discretization in (,,)

LES & URANS turbulence models

Level-set methods for two-phase flows

Scope

Asset / Pipeline structural integrity in the presence of fluid flow

Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.
This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

MODELLING FSI
Fluid & Structure coupling

Flow solver/Structural solver/Hole cutter

Structural solver receives instantaneous flow-induced loading

Flow solver receives instantaneous displacement

CSS vs. SLIK

Structural
Solver
1

Flow
Solver

Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.

This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

MODELLING FSI: Validation (1/3)

pulley

Hinged end
condition

top frame
weight to compensate top assembly

Bending load cell

and sleeve

Current

Upper ball joint

Test tubular

Bending load cell

Lower ball joint

Bottom plate

Pinned end
condition

Caisson

Experimental setup
Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.
This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

Numerical model
JP Pontaza, RG Menon. OMAE Conference Proceedings.
OMAE2009-79150.

September 2010

MODELLING FSI: Validation (2/3)

Comparison with experimental measurements
RMS of cross-flow motion

Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.

This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

RMS of in-line motion

September 2010

MODELLING FSI: Validation (3/3)

Comparison with experimental measurements

U* = 2.20

sst1207
1.00

1
0.75

0.50

0.5

Response frequency

Cross-Flow

y/D

0.25
0
-0.25

-1.00

-0.50

0.00
0.00

0.50

1.00

0.50

1.00

0.50

1.00

-0.5

-0.50
-0.75
-1
-1

-0.75

-0.5

-0.25

0
x/D

0.25

0.5

0.75

-1.00
Inline

U* = 4.00

Experiments

sst1213

1
0.75

0.50

0.5

Cross-Flow

0.25

y/D

Simulation

1.00

0
-0.25

-1.00

-0.50

0.00
0.00

-0.5

-0.50
-0.75
-1
-1

-0.75

-0.5

-0.25

0
x/D

0.25

0.5

0.75

-1.00
Inline

U* = 5.00

sst1216
1.00

1.25
1
0.75

0.50

0.5

Cross-Flow

y/D

0.25
0
-0.25

-1.00

-0.50

0.00
0.00

-0.5
-0.75

-0.50

-1
-1.25
-1.25

-1

-0.75

-0.5

-0.25

0
x/D

0.25

0.5

0.75

1.25

-1.00
Inline

Flow
Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.
This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

CROSSING SPAN: Structural Model

Pipe is modeled as a beam subject to unsteady three-dimensional

flow-induced loads
Nonlinear strain measures: Coupling of in-line, cross-flow, and
axial degrees-of-freedom
Soil is modeled as an elastic foundation, with stiffness values from
field measurements
Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.
This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

JP Pontaza, RG Menon. OMAE Conference Proceedings.

OMAE2010-20804.

September 2010

10

CROSSING SPAN: Fluid Flow Model (1/2)

Near-wall spacing of s/D = 10-5 at all no slip

surfaces (seabed & pipe)

180 cells around the circumference of the pipe

Large Eddy Simulation (LES), 17 MM grid points
Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.
This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

11

CROSSING SPAN: Fluid Flow Model (2/2)

Uref based on metocean data for extreme sea bottom current event

Reynolds number, Re = 4.94104

Reduced velocity, U* = Uref f/D = 3.1
Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.
This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

12

CROSSING SPAN: Ignoring flow blockage

Idealized scenario where flow blockage is ignored
As

expected, in-line VIV is significant and dominates the fatigue life

Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.

This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

13

CROSSING SPAN
Flow blockage effects
A

localized gap effect at the crossing is present

Copyright of Shell Oil Company. All rights reserved.

This presentation is classified as ECCN EAR99.

September 2010

14

CONCLUDING REMARKS