Paper number 927

COMPOSITE RISERS FOR OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

Yu. M. Tarnopol'skii1, A. I. Beyle1, and V. L. Kulakov1

1Institute of Polymer Mechanics of Latvian University, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia

Summary Prospects of the application of advanced composites in the offshore technology of oil production are considered. Composite risers, especially drilling ones, are likely to be the first significant application of the advanced composites for deep-water offshore technology. The operating loads are studied and the attendant problems are formulated. A comparative analysis of the characteristics of metal, composite, and metal-composite deep-water risers is presented. A technique is developed for designing the multilayered risers taking into account the action of internal and external pressures, gravity, and axial tensile force created by tensioners, as well as the residual technological stresses due to the difference in coefficients of thermal expansion, physical-chemical shrinkage and force winding. The numerical estimations are given for a two-layered riser with inner metal layer from steel, titanium or aluminium alloys and composite layer from glass-fibre (GFRP) or carbon-fibre (CFRP) reinforced plastics formed by circumferential winding. It is shown that the technological stresses essentially affect the characteristics of the riser.
Keywords composite riser, residual stresses, force winding, buckling.

Theme : Industrial Applications ; Marine Applications

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