A Multi-Scale Approach to the Analysis of Ultra Deepwater Unbonded Flexible Risers

The results of a detailed, non-linear finite-element analysis of a small-scale (i.e. 1.7m long) six-layer unbonded flexible riser, accounting for interlayer contact and frictional slip, are used to calibrate a novel, simplified constitutive model for a 3D, non-linear Euler-Bernoulli beam model suitable for large scale analyses (hundreds of meters in length where water depth is more than 1000m). The detailed finite element model contains all the layers, each modeled separately with contact interfaces between them. The finite element model includes the main features of the riser geometry with very little simplifying assumptions made. The detailed finite element model is formulated in the framework of a novel, multi-scale approach potentially suitable for ultra deepwater applications. A simple, three-dimensional Euler-Bernoulli beam element, suitable for large scale analyses, is developed based on a non-linear constitutive law for the beam cross-section relating bending curvatures to the conjugate stress resultants.