Dynamic Analysis as an Aid to the Design of Marine Risers

This paper describes a computer program for economically predicting the dynamic response of marine risers to lateral forces from waves (regular and random) and currents (vortex shedding). Present emphasis of riser design appears to be on long drilling risers, deep ocean mining systems, and petroleum production risers. The latter encompasses a wide range of depths, applications, and configurations. Therefore, in addition to a technical description of the model, the paper discusses the differences in response between long and short risers and which physical parameters should be scrutinized in analyzing each of these. Also included is a method for estimating minimum tension requirements along with a discussion of “effective tension” in conjunction with the significance of buoyancy and mud weight.