Multi-body analysis of submarine pipeline installation

PROBLEM OVERVIEW

• Development of a submodel of a significant pipeline section having wet weight to be controlled by buoyancy tanks
• Use of finite element analysis and optimization techniques, in order to reduce the net weight of the pipeline during the towing phase

NUMERICAL APPROACH

• Finite element analysis was conducted for the static and dynamic conditions of the modeled pipeline section.
• "Simulation" of a multi-body rigid-body model with lumped parameters (mass and stiffness) for full parametrization  of the model.  An interface with Matlab and dedicated FORTRAN routines were used to control the simulations (as defined by the customer’s requirements). Lastly, an interface with modeFrontier was utilized for analysis management.
• Calibration-validation of the MultiBody model was performed against the finite element model results.
• DOE analysis (multi-parametric Design of Experiments) was conducted to characterize the control response as a function of the parameter variation influencing the control (located inside smart Tanks).
• The validated multi-body model allows the verification of virtually any operational and environmental condition during pipeline lay.
• Each individual simulation is more computationally efficient than the FEM approach, given that thousands of hypotheses (DOE) can be investigated and compared against one another.
• The system’s response was assessed for:
  1. 2 types of valves
  2. 2 types of control logic: integral and proportional
  3. Different environmental conditions

CUSTOMER

Saipem - Italy

 

MULTI-BODY ANALYSIS OF SUBMARINE PIPELINE INSTALLATION

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