Flow Induced Vibration In Subsea Production Systems

Abstract

Abstract In the design of subsea flow systems, integrity and reliability are of paramount importance. As the equipment must be designed to operate at a large variety of conditions, inherent to the many processes, evaluation of the integrity is complex. Flow induced pulsations and vibrations can cause serious design and production problems, especially in subsea gas production systems. Mechanical vibrations can be induced by internal and external flow through a complex process that is affected by numerous factors such as the piping geometry, flow conditions and fluid properties. In the current subsea pipe system design, only the external flow induced vibrations are being addressed properly. Contemporary subsea production systems and piping are becoming more vulnerable for fatigue problems caused by internal flow induced vibrations and noise. This is mainly because of the increased complexity of offshore gas production project and subsea template designs and high production velocities. To ensure reliable operation over the entire life cycle of the project, it is important to understand if and how flow-induced vibrations affect the integrity of the subsea production system.