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Calculation method of residual fatigue life of in-service unbonded flexible pipe

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Abstract

As a catenary riser, unbonded flexible pipe (UFP) has the advantages of convenient installation, recyclability, flexibility, anti-corrosion and large design space. To analyze the residual fatigue life of in-service unbonded flexible riser (UFR), a global model of riser is established in this paper. By analyzing the distribution of configuration, tension, bending moment and bending curvature along the riser under static and dynamic loads, the most dangerous position and dynamic response are determined. And then, the residual fatigue life of the UFR is calculated. The calculation results show that the fatigue life of the UFR is greatly affected by the pipe annulus condition, and the dry annulus condition is 4.6 times that of the wet annulus condition. It is concluded that when evaluating the remaining fatigue life of an in-service UFR, the S-N curve of the tensile amour layers must be calculated according to different annular conditions, so that the fatigue life can be accurately obtained. Summarily, this paper provides an effective method for calculating the residual fatigue life of in-service UFRs.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Supported by natural science starting project of SWPU [2022QHZ002] and Sichuan natural science foundation youth foundation project [2023 NSFSC0918].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechatronic Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 610500, China

    Qinglong Lei & Xiaohua Zhu

  2. Oil and Gas Equipment Technology Sharing and Service Platform of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, 610500, China

    Qinglong Lei & Xiaohua Zhu

  3. CNOOC EnerTech-Safety and Environmental Protection Co., Haikou, 570100, China

    Heng Luo

Authors
  1. Qinglong Lei
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  2. Xiaohua Zhu
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  3. Heng Luo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiaohua Zhu.

Additional information

Qinglong Lei received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical design and theory from Southwest Petroleum University of China, in 2016 and 2021, respectively. He is currently a research assistant at the School of Mechatronic Engineering in the Southwest Petroleum University. His main research interests include the static mechanical analysis, dynamic response analysis and fatigue life analysis of unbonded flexible pipe.

Xiaohua Zhu received his B.S., M.S., Ph.D. degrees in mechanical design and theory from Southwest Petroleum University of China, in 2000, 2002, and 2005, respectively. He is currently a Professor at the School of Mechatronic Engineering in the Southwest Petroleum University, as well as a member of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society. His main research interests include unbonded flexible pipe, design downhole drilling tools, drill string dynamics analysis, new methods for improving drilling efficiency.

Heng Luo received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Southwest Petroleum University of China in 2007 and 2013, respectively. He is currently working for Cnooc. His research interests include annulus environmental assessment of unbonded flexible pipe, well integrity, equipment failure mechanism and prevention.

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Lei, Q., Zhu, X. & Luo, H. Calculation method of residual fatigue life of in-service unbonded flexible pipe. J Mech Sci Technol 37, 2479–2490 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-023-0424-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-023-0424-7

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