Three-Dimensional Mechanical Analysis of Flexible Jumper Installation

This paper presents a simple method to study the installation process of a flexible jumper lowered into deep water by use of cables in a 3D space. Based on the catenary theory, the initial configuration of the installation system can be obtained easily. Then an iterative procedure, which uses force equilibrium and compatibility requirements as convergence criteria, is adopted to establish the final configuration considering the environmental loads. The internal force, bend radius and displacement of the flexible jumper are also obtained by finite-element discretization. The acquired results are compared with those derived from OrcaFlex finite-element model, in order to verify the accuracy and reliability of the proposed method. The influence on the minimum bend radius and maximum axial tension of the flexible jumper due to the difference between the lowering cable lengths, is also studied. The approach presented throughout this paper can offer some suggestions in regards to the installation of a flexible jumper in practical engineering.Copyright © 2015 by ASME