Hydroelastic response of marine risers subjected to internal slug-flow

Abstract

It is the purpose of this study to investigate the dynamic behaviour of catenary pipelines for marine applications, assuming the combined effect of harmonic motions imposed at the top, and the internal slug-flow. The analysis is based on the assumption of a steady slug-flow inside the pipe that results in a relatively simplified model for the formulation of the internal flow. The slug-flow model is described using several assumptions and empirical correlations which attempt to reveal the ill-understood and concealed properties of the slug-flow. The pipeline dynamics are investigated in the two dimensional space omitting the out-of-plane vibrations. The system of differential equations is generic and accounts for the steady effect of the internal liquid as is conveyed through the structure.The two models, those of the internal slug-flow and the pipeline’s dynamical model, are properly combined through the internal flow terms of the dynamic equilibrium system. The solution provided is achieved using a frequency domain technique which is applied to the linearized governing set. The effect of the slug-flow is assessed through comparative computations with and without internal flow effects. The conclusions are drawn having the structure excited under axial and normal motions paying particular attention to the variation of the dynamic components along the complete length of the pipeline.