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Introduction
Installation of the P-18 SCR was a pioneer
project of a free-hanging SCR connected
to a semisubmersible, and it proved
the technical feasibility of the concept.
Although this riser was installed as a
prototype, it is still working in the gas
transfer from platform P-18 to platform
P-26. It has been monitored since 1999,
and the results are being compared with
the design data and with simulations
performed with in-house computer programs and other commercial packages
that include the complete design methodology. Other SCRs were studied, such
as the 12-in. oil-export riser for the P-19
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains
highlights of paper OTC 19249,
Influence of Fatigue Issues on the
Design of SCRs for Deepwater Offshore
Brazil, by A.L.F.L. Torres, M.M.
Mourelle, S.F. Senra, E.C. Gonzalez,
and J.M.T. da Gama Lima, Petrobras
S.A., originally prepared for the 2008
Offshore Technology Conference,
Houston, 58 May. The paper has not
been peer reviewed.
Copyright 2008 Offshore Technology
Conference. Reproduced by permission.
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100%
90%
80%
Damage, %
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Production A
Gas Export
Heave-induced VIV
(100-year wave) *
Oil Export A
Oil Export B
Heave-induced VIV
(1-year wave) *
* Relatively low damage values
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P-18 SCR
The P-18 SCR is the only operating
SCR currently in the Campos basin. At
the time it was installed in 1998, the
riser was the first SCR to be installed
on a semisubmersible unit. A complete
monitoring system was installed, and
the measurement campaign lasted for
approximately 2.5 years.
Many issues were investigated, and
today the generated database still is
being used in studies. The confirmation
of the expected riser behavior, characterization of platform motions, and
identification of critical current profiles
for VIV response have been some of the
results obtained.
The measured data at strain gauges
at the riser top, associated with the
measured flex-joint-angle variations,
are being used in the reassessment of
flex-joint fatigue life. The data, besides
including real values, include VIVinduced axial vibrations that were not
included in the design phase of the flex
joint, and today it is the main reason
for revisional work regarding the top
connection system.
The riser was installed without any
suppressor device for VIV. The updated
method regarding VIV and wave fatigue
is being applied to define what will be
considered as the riser updated-design
fatigue life. The TDP is the main focus
because it is the region that suffers
damage from platform-induced wave
motions and also from VIV.
The reassessment plan includes the
generation of an updated engineering
critical assessment and inspection of
welds by two methods, one performed
externally and another by umbilical
pig. The accuracy of the field inspection may not correspond to ideal values; neither may have the same level
of accuracy obtained during riser construction, but both will give important
reference values that will support the
riser-integrity evaluation. A permanent
monitoring system has been designed
for the top section of the P-18 SCR that,
once field tested, will be considered as
a model for other SCRs to be installed
in the future.
General Comments
When planning for a platform with a
large number of SCRs, the interference
between the adjacent risers can become
an issue. Besides working on the distance between supports and in the
difference between the azimuths of the
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