NUMERICAL PREDICTION OF 3-D VORTEX-INDUCED VIBRATION OF CATENARY RISER IN PLANAR AND NON-PLANAR FLOWS

Vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is one of the most critical issues in deepwater developments due to its resultant fatigue damage to subsea structures such as risers, pipelines and jumpers. Although VIV effects on slender bodies have been comprehensively studied over decades, very few studies have dealt with VIV modelling and prediction of catenary risers in current flows with varying directions leading to complex fluids-fructure interactions. This study advances a numerical model to simulate and predict 3-D VIV responses of a catenary riser in three flow orientations, relative to the riser curvature plane, including concave/convex (planar) and perpendicular (nonplanar) flows. The model is described by equations of cross-flow and in-line responses of the catenary riser coupled with the hydrodynamic forces modelled by the distributed nonlinear wake oscillators. A finite difference method is applied to solve the coupled fluid-structure dynamic system. To consider the approaching flow in different directions, the vortex-induced lift and drag forces are formulated by accounting for the effect of flow angle of attack and the riser-flow relative velocities. Results show VIV features of a long catenary riser exhibiting a standing and travelling wave response pattern. VIV response amplitudes and oscillation frequencies are predicted and compared with experimental results in the literature for both straight and catenary risers. Overall results highlight the model capability in capturing the effect of approaching flow direction on 3-D VIV of the curved inclined flexible riser.