Drilling Riser Design and Analysis for Deepwater Applications

A riser is a fluid conduit from subsea equipment to surface floating production systems such as spars, TLPs, and semi-submersibles. It is a key component in a drilling and producing system. Drilling risers include the applications in marine drilling (low pressure) and tie-back drilling (high pressure). This paper discusses drilling riser design and analysis for a deepwater application. This paper first discusses the configuration of marine drilling and tie-back drilling risers. It then presents the drilling riser design procedure and analysis methodology. The riser design and analysis cover the riser tensioner setting, marine operation window, strength and fatigue, etc. A marine drilling riser example is used in the paper to demonstrate the design and analysis for a deepwater application. This paper shows the dynamic strength analysis results for the riser. It then identifies governing locations for the riser design. A tie-back drilling riser example is also provided to illustrate its global dynamic performance. This paper finally discusses the design and analysis challenges of a drilling riser for a deepwater application.