Session: 04-01-06 Flexible Pipes VI

Submission Number: 180407

Numerical Analysis of Subsea Umbilical Cables Under Axial Compression 

Subsea umbilical cables are vital to the oil and gas industry as they connect the seabed to production units for remote control, monitoring, and operations. During their installation, umbilical cables are subject to mechanical stresses, including axial compression, especially at the touch down point. The objective of the work is to obtain maximum axial compression curves to determine the installation limit of structures in free catenary configuration. Therefore, a numerical tool is proposed and developed in the ABAQUS software, using the finite element method, to accurately represent the multi-layered structure of the umbilical and its internal interactions when subjected to axial compression. Due to convergence issues in the implicit method arising from the high structural complexity of the umbilical, the numerical analysis employs a dynamic model with quasi-static behavior and an explicit solver, ensuring good accuracy and a significant reduction in simulation time when compared with the implicit method. To validate the numerical model, a correlation between numerical and experimental results was done to ensure that the numerical simulations accurately represent the behavior of the umbilical in field. Samples of umbilical cables were tested under axial compression with the curvature constrained by a dedicated mechanical apparatus. The results show good correspondence, validating the numerical model as a reliable and safe tool.

Presenting Author: Gabriel De Almeida UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro)

Presenting Author Biography: Gabriel Wellington de Almeida has a degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Federal University of Pelotas (2015), a degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2022), high school from Sistema Elite de Ensino S.A (2012) and high school from the Military College of Rio de Janeiro (2010). He is currently a Researcher at the Subsea Technology Laboratory – COPPE/UFRJ/Brazil, and he is doing a Master course in Ocean Engineering at COPPE/UFRJ. He has experience in Ocean Engineering, with an emphasis on Structural Integrity.

Authors:

Geovana Drumond UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro)
Gabriel De Almeida UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro)
Ilson Pasqualino UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro)
Fábio Mineiro Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – PETROBRAS, Brazil
William Da Silva Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – PETROBRAS, Brazil