Jumper Analysis With Interacting Internal Two-Phase Flow

Flow Induced Vibration (FIV) is one of the important phenomena that contribute to failure of jumpers. A computational study was developed to analyze vibrations caused by slug flow in a rigid M-shaped jumper and to estimate the potential effects on its fatigue life. This fluidstructure interaction (FSI) research was conducted in a two-bend model jumper to determine the stresses and pressure fluctuations and predict its response due to the unsteady multiphase flow. A six-bend (whole) jumper simulation was also performed to analyze flow parameters and pressure fluctuations of an original jumper design. Initially, a risk assessment method was carried out to determine the likelihood of failure (LOF) due to flow induced turbulence. After the screening method, a more detailed FSI analysis of piping vibration and response is recommended, specifically “two-way coupling”. This FSI study couples the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model with the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to compare the structural natural frequencies with the slug frequencies and consequently obtain the stress range for fatigue analysis. A conclusion can be drawn that whether assessing FIV fatigue damage should be required for future investigation.