Frequency domain response of a parametrically excited riser under random wave forces

Floating Production, Drilling, Storage and Offloading units represent a new technology with a promising future in the offshore oil industry. An important role is played by risers, which are installed between the subsea wellhead and the Tension Leg Deck located in the middle of the moon-pool in the hull. The inevitable heave motion of the floating hull causes a time-varying axial tension in the riser. This time dependent tension may have an undesirable influence on the lateral deflection response of the riser, with random wave forces in the frequency domain. To investigate this effect, a riser is modeled as a Bernoulli-Euler beam. The axial tension is expressed as a static part, along with a harmonic dynamic part. By linearizing the wave drag force, the riser's lateral deflection is obtained through a partial differential equation containing a time-dependent coefficient. Applying the Galerkin method, the equation is reduced to an ordinary differential equation that can be solved using the pseudo-excitation method in the frequency domain. Moreover, the Floquet-Liapunov theorem is used to estimate the stability of the vibration system in the space of parametric excitation. Finally, stability charts are obtained for some numerical examples, the correctness of the proposed method is verified by comparing with Monte-Carlo simulation and the influence of the parametric excitation on the frequency domain responses of the riser is discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.