Search

During the process of deep-sea oil and gas exploitation, unbonded flexible risers (UFRs) are corroded by CO 2 and other media over long periods of time, which causes serious damage to the tensile armor layers and threatens the safety of the UFRs in service. To study the effects of torsional response, ultimate loading, and failure mode on UFRs after corrosion, and to reveal the torsional failure mechanism of the UFR while considering corrosion defects, an 8-layer UFR torsional response model is established in this paper. Local bending of the UFR and lateral buckling failure of the inner tensile armor layer occur under counterclockwise ultimate torsion, whereas strength failure of the inner tensile armor layer occurs under clockwise torsion. When the degree of corrosion is 0.4 mm, the counterclockwise torsional stiffness of thickness corrosion, width corrosion, and combined corrosion decreases by 27.6%, 10.8%, and 28.4%, and the ultimate loading of counterclockwise torsion for thickness corrosion, width corrosion, and combined corrosion decreases by 37%, 13.4%, and 39.3%, respectively. Therefore, the influence of thickness corrosion and combined corrosion on the torsional response of UFRs is worthy of further attention. • Established a theoretical and numerical model for unbonded flexible risers, and compared and verified the correctness of the model. • Studied the influence of corrosion of the tensile armor layer on the torsional response of unbonded flexible risers. • Revealed the ultimate torsional failure mechanism of unbonded flexible risers. • Restored the lateral buckling failure mode of unbonded flexible risers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible pipes connect the two critical systems of the floating production platform and underwater production, which play an important role in the transportation of oil and gas as well as water injection. However, flexible pipes are often subjected to multiple loads that threaten their stability in the service process. In this study, a model of a flexible pipe containing practical cross section in all layers is established to study the effects of axial compression and wet collapse loads on clockwise and anticlockwise torsional responses. The results of calculation show that the axial compression and radial expansion of the flexible pipe are caused by the axial compression load, which reduces clockwise torsional stiffness. The wet collapse load induces the bending deformation of the flexible pipes in clockwise and anticlockwise torsion, where the bending deformation of clockwise torsion is significantly affected by the change in the Young's modulus of the tensile armor layers. This study shows that clockwise torsional stiffness is small and exhibits a trend of axial compression. Clockwise torsion has poor stability in combination with axial compression and wet collapse loads, respectively. Therefore, to prevent instability in flexible pipes, clockwise torsion load, or which coupled with axial compression and wet collapse load, should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovalization, as an important factor affecting the performance of flexible pipes, is unavoidable in the manufacturing process. In this paper, a model of a flexible pipe with initial ovalization is established numerically. The numerical model is verified by a case analysis, and the influence of ovalization on the torsional response of a flexible pipe is discussed. It is found that the ovalization always has a negative effect on the torsional stiffness of the flexible pipe. Then, the effective numerical model is used to calculate the torsional response of a flexible pipe with initial ovalization under dry and wet annulus pressure. It is found that the dry annulus pressure improves the torsional stiffness of the flexible pipe by advancing the interaction between the layers and hindering the radial expansion of the outer tensile armor layer. However, the dry annulus pressure also increases the stress of the tensile armor layers, which reduces the withstanding capacity of the flexible pipe. Especially with the increase of ovalization, the loading capacity decreases more obviously. The wet annulus pressure has little effect on the torsional response of the flexible pipe, but it extends the risk of radial collapse of the carcass layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]