OTC 20437-PP Gulf of Mexico Wet Tree Deepwater Riser Concepts with Sour Service

D. Deka, M. Campbell, and K. Kakar, 2H Offshore Inc; P. R. Hays, Chevron ETC.

Copyright 2010, Offshore Technology Conference This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2010 Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston, Texas, USA, 36 May 2010. This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Offshore Technology Conference, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Offshore Technology Conference is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of OTC copyright.

Abstract This paper details the methodology and knowledge obtained from a recent riser concept study for a deepwater development in the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed development is a wet tree development tied back to a floating facility with sour production service. Semi submersibles, Spars and Tensioned Leg Platforms are considered in combination with steel catenary riser, lazy wave riser and single vertical import riser (SVIR). The riser design is challenging due to the requirement of artificial lift, resistance to high production pressures, accommodation of sour service upon onset of water injection and the need for large diameter export lines. It is prudent to be conservative in the initial phase of design in order to account for the possibility of detrimental design changes in the later phases of the project. A review of the conservatism involved in the preliminary riser concepts study is conducted in this paper. The demands made by such conservatism for exotic and novel strength and fatigue mitigation concepts such as lumped masses on the SCRs, titanium touch down zones and light weight coating is discussed. It is observed that fatigue knockdown due to sour service on steel, titanium or clad pipes is the most contributing factor in driving production riser design towards the requirement for novel technology. The need for knowledge of accurate sour service knockdown is highlighted. In this paper, the relative performances of the aforementioned vessel riser combinations are presented. The effectiveness and previous track record of the fatigue mitigation technologies for sour service are reviewed. Finally, the benefits and limitations of each vessel and riser system are compiled and the factors considered by the operator in selecting one particular system are discussed. Introduction Subsea riser design is one of the most challenging engineering aspects of a deepwater field development. Risers constitute the conduit that connects the floaters at the surface to the subsea wellhead. The primary challenge in riser design emanates from the fact that these are dynamic structures highly susceptible to environmental and operational loads. As the global demand for hydrocarbons has increased, offshore projects have moved deeper and deeper and riser design has become more challenging than ever before, involving novel technologies and materials. The latest field developments in the GoM are often in the order of 5,000 ft water depth or more; requiring extensive engineering in order to come up with an optimum riser design. This paper describes a case study of a GoM deepwater riser design in the pre-FEED stage. The water depth at this location is greater than 5,000 ft and a variety of riser-vessel combinations are assessed. The technical performances of the range of riser designs are presented with a summary of benefits and limitations of each type. Design data and constraints such as sour production are highlighted and the demand for unconventional technologies driven by the harsh environment and preFEED robustness requirements is demonstrated. The commercial feasibility and track record of the different riser solutions are also discussed. Finally, the recommendations and learnings from this study are summarized. The material presented in this paper provides ample insight on how deepwater risers behave in the harsh GoM environment. It is understood that not many project analysis findings are presented in the public domain. In that light, the sections herein are indeed valuable guidance to a designer in the preliminary stages of project development. Certain riser technologies presented herein are considered novel and to date have not been implemented in the field. It is expected that offshore projects will utilize more of these technologies in the coming years. The work conducted in this paper is a stepping stone for such technologies to be realized.

OTC 20437-PP

General Design Data The field development considered in this work is located in the GoM at water depths ranging from 5,100 ft 5,300 ft. The risers are to be designed for a wet tree development with a large local host vessel capable of handling throughputs ranging from 45,000 to 75,000 BOPD. The riser functions and associated sizes are listed in Table 1.
Riser 8 inch Production 10 inch Production 20 inch Oil Export 8 inch Gas Export OD (inches) 8.625 10.75 20 8.625

Table 1 - Riser Pipe Sizes The range of riser vessel combinations considered in this pre-FEED study is listed in Table 2. The primary pipe material in the SCR and lazy wave riser construction is carbon-manganese steel with yield strength of 65 ksi (X65 steel). The SVIRs are assumed to be constructed from X80 steel pipes with yield strength of 80 ksi. Based on the outcome of the strength and fatigue assessment, titanium may be required in the riser hang off and/or touch down zone. Where required, these critical sections are assumed to be constructed with ASTM Grade 29 titanium with yield strength of 110 ksi.
Riser/Vessel Combination SCR with Semi Lazy Wave Riser with Semi SCR with Spar SCR with TLP SVIR with TLP Production X X X X X Function Water Injection X X X X X Gas Export X X X X X

Table 2 - Riser/Vessel Combinations Considered during Pre FEED The production SCRs are assumed to be attached to the host vessel with a tapered stress joint while export SCRs are considered attached with a flex joint. The 20 inch SCR flex joint rotational stiffness for strength and fatigue analyses are assumed as 63 kip-ft/degree and 170 kip-ft/degree respectively. The SCR top angles considered in this study range from 12 degrees to 15 degrees from the vertical. The production risers are insulated with GSPU coating of thickness 2.5 - 2.8 inches and an estimated density of 52 lb/ft3. All risers are assumed to include 100% strake coverage with a strake efficiency of 90%. The drag coefficient and added mass coefficient of the straked risers are taken as 1.6 and 2.0 respectively. The internal fluid properties of the different risers are given in Table 3. For production riser strength analysis during shut in conditions, a dead oil pressure of 1,500 psi is used.
Parameter MAOP (psi) Location of pressure definition 3 Fluid Density (lb/ft ) Production Risers 4,500 MWL 50 Oil Export Riser 4,830 MWL 57 Gas Export Riser 3,163 MWL 12.5

Table 3 - Riser Internal Fluid Properties and Design Pressures The riser strength assessment is conducted in 10 year and 100 year hurricane environments. Design robustness is also checked in a 1,000 year hurricane. The hurricane wave data is summarized below in Table 4. Environment directionality is not considered in this preliminary stage of the project. The fatigue analysis is conducted with 21 omni-directional fatigue seastates. These seastates are derived from non-tropical and tropical directional seastate scatter diagrams. The 21 condensed seastates are listed in Appendix A. VIV analysis is conducted with 146 EOF current profiles out of which 44 are benign background currents and the rest of the 102 current profiles are loop currents. Background currents occur 74% of the time and loop currents occur for the remaining 26%. These currents are not listed here for brevity but it should be noted that many of the loop current profiles exceed 2 knots surface speed.
Parameter Hs (ft) Tp (s) JONSWAP 10 year Hurricane 27.9 12.9 2.6 100 year P50 Hurricane 41.3 14.4 2.6 100 year P90 Hurricane 50.9 15.5 2.6 1,000 year Hurricane 97.8 15.5 2.6

Table 4 - Hurricane Wave Data The fatigue curves used for riser fatigue assessment are defined by the following formula: N=aS-k where, S is the stress range (ksi or MPa) including the effects of stress concentrations N is the allowable number of cycles for the stress range

OTC 20437-PP

a, k are the parameters defining the curves, which are dependent on the material and fatigue detail. These are specified in Table 5. The offshore welds along the length of the SCR are assumed to meet the requirements of the API X fatigue curve with an SCF of 1.3. The main length of the SVIRs is analyzed using the DnV 1984 C-class fatigue curve with an SCF of 1.1. This is representative of connectors that are welded on onshore.
Material Welded Steel Forged Steel Welded Steel Connectors Titanium Tapered Stress Joints Titanium Section of Riser Pipe Fatigue Detail API X DnV 1984 B-class DnV 1984 C-class Titanium 1G Curve Titanium 5G Curve a (MPa) 13 2.50 x 10 1.01 x 10 4.23 x 10 6.80 x 10 9.60 x 10
15 13 19 16

k 3.74 4.0 3.5 6.0 5.0

SCF 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.2

Table 5 - Parameters Defining Fatigue Curves The production fluid is categorized as being mildly sour due to reservoir souring as a consequence of water injection. The steel fatigue curves are knocked down by a factor of 45 to account for sour service fatigue degradation on the inner diameter of the production SCRs and the SVIR inner casing. This factor is conservative when compared to published data by ExxonMobil for sour service strip tests in NACE TM 0177, solution B where results demonstrated a fatigue life reduction factor of 20 on a D class specimen (Buitrago et. al., 2002). The factor of 45 has been used on the API X fatigue curve in the Chevron Tahiti risers design (Griffin et. al., 2009). It is observed that the fatigue knockdown due to sour service has a direct bearing on driving the riser solutions towards alternative materials such as nickel alloys or titanium. The sour service knock down factor is assumed as 10 for clad pipe and titanium pipe. It is believed that usually, clad pipe and Ti do not suffer from sour service fatigue degradation but at the pre-FEED stage; the project has decided to use an upper bound value on the knockdown factor. The API X and DnV C class curves are knocked down by a factor of 2.5 on the outer diameter of the risers to account for degradation in seawater in case the coating is perforated. Design Criteria The allowable von Mises stress in the strength assessment follows from the recommendations in API-RP-2RD (API, 1998). According to API-RP-2RD guidance, the primary membrane stress should be less than 0.8*y for extreme and less than 1.0*y for abnormal/survival load cases. The design life of the risers is 20 years. A factor of safety of 10 is used for motion fatigue and a safety factor of 20 is used for VIV fatigue design. The combined fatigue damage due to motion fatigue, VIV and VIM is determined as follows: DCombined = FOSsour service (DMotion + 2 DVIV + DVIM) where, DCombined = Combined Fatigue Damage FOSsour service = Knock down factor (depends on string/diameter) DMotion = Unfactored fatigue damage due to vessel first and second order motions DVIV = Unfactored fatigue damage due riser VIV DVIM = Unfactored fatigue damage due hull VIM The overall fatigue life should exceed the design fatigue life of 20 years with a factor of safety of 10 and an additional factor of 1.053 (1/0.95) to account for the installation fatigue damage of 5%: 1 / Dcombined > 211 years The riser design is also checked against the fatigue robustness criterion which is 3 times the target design life of 211 years and is equal to 633 years. The fatigue robustness criterion adds a significant degree of conservatism to the riser design. Whilst it may be argued that it is essential to be conservative in the preliminary design stage in order to withstand later changes, the flip side of this approach is that reasonable riser concepts such as plain carbon steel production SCRs risk being ruled out in the pre-FEED stage itself. As shown in later sections of this paper, the robustness criterion is typically only satisfied with titanium joints in the SCR TDP. Analysis Details The riser analysis is primarily carried out in the nonlinear time domain analysis program Flexcom-3D (MCS, 2006). The vortex induced vibration fatigue analysis of the risers is conducted using MODES-3D (MCS, 2006) and SHEAR7 Version 4.4 (Vandiver et. al., 2005), developed at MIT. The scope of analysis conducted is comprised of the following:

OTC 20437-PP

Wall thickness sizing; Strength analysis; Wave fatigue analysis including vessel low frequency effects; VIV analysis; Hull VIM analysis; ECA (Not discussed here).

The initial activity is wall thickness sizing wherein the minimum required wall thickness of the riser pipes is checked according to API-RP-2RD (API, 1998) and API-1111 (API, 1999) accounting for resistance to internal pressure loading, external pressure loading, and the interaction between bending and external pressure. The required wall thickness is determined through the water depth for burst and collapse conditions. The resulting wall thickness for the production and oil export risers are checked for compliance with requirements of CFR Title 49 Part 195 and AMSE B31.4 (ASME, 2002). Similarly, the gas export risers are checked for compliance with requirements of CFR Title 49 Part 192 and ASME B31.8 (ASME, 2007). The minimum standard wall thickness provided in API-5L (API, 2000), which satisfies all requirements, is selected. Dynamic strength analysis is conducted for a range of riser, vessel and extreme environmental conditions. Colinear wave and current loads are applied in up to three directions relative to the riser. Static vessel offsets are applied corresponding to the storm severity and direction as well as vessel condition (for example one failed mooring line). Vessel motions are applied using vessel contractor supplied RAOs for the Semi-submersible and TLP and six degree of freedom vessel motion timetraces for the Spar. Effective tension and bending moments are obtained and the maximum von Mises stress is determined along the length of the riser. The maximum von Mises stress is compared with the allowable stress criteria to determine the acceptability of riser response. Time domain vessel motion fatigue analysis is conducted for the selected risers using the first and second order motion timetraces provided by the vessel contractors. Vessel motions in all six degrees of freedom are considered, namely heave, surge, sway, yaw, roll and pitch. Fatigue analysis is conducted for the 21 long-term seastates in up to 8 loading directions with respect to the host vessel. For each seastate, timetraces of the effective tension and bending moments are extracted for select locations along the length of the riser. Axial stress ranges and resulting fatigue damage is calculated using rainflow counting at the nominal inner and outer pipe fiber. Fatigue damage rates from each long-term fatigue seastate and direction are factored by the probability of occurrence and then summed using Miners rule to obtain the total long-term riser fatigue damage due to vessel first and second order motions. VIV fatigue analysis is conducted using SHEAR7 Version 4.4. SHEAR7 requires constant current directionality over the length of the riser; therefore analysis is conducted with either currents flowing in the plane of the riser (in-plane) or normal to the riser (out-of-plane). The SHEAR7 inputs used in the VIV fatigue analysis are given in Table 6. Assuming the strake efficiency corresponds to the percentage reduction in the VIV amplitude instead of the lift coefficient, the lift coefficient is varied iteratively to ensure that the target reduction in VIV amplitude is obtained. Riser VIV fatigue damage for each of longterm current profiles is factored by the associated probability of occurrence. The total fatigue damage rate is obtained by summing the factored fatigue damage rates.
SHEAR7 Parameter Version Mode Cutoff Multi-mode reduced velocity bandwidth Single-mode reduced velocity bandwidth Added mass for strakes Strouhal number Structural Damping Lift Curve Cl reduction factor Number of Spatial Segments Still water Damping Coefficient Low Reduced Velocity Damping Coefficient High Reduced Velocity Damping Coefficient Value Notes 4.4 0.7 0.2 0.5 2 0.17 0.3% Lift table 1 Value will be iterated to obtain the target 90% Strake Efficiency reduction in A/D 4000 0.2 Default SHEAR7 values 0.18 0.2

Table 6 - SHEAR7 Parameters used for VIV Fatigue Analysis of Straked Risers Hull VIM is assumed to occur for reduced velocities greater than the lower cut-off reduced velocity defined by the VIM response diagram. An example VIM response diagram for a Semi is shown in Figure 1. The following equation relates the reduced velocity to the current velocity, hull diameter/column dimension and the natural period of the hull.

OTC 20437-PP

Figure 1 - Example VIM Response Diagram for a Semi

Vr =

VTn D

where, Vr = reduced velocity V = current velocity Tn = surge/sway natural period D = hull diameter/column dimension For each current bin, the reduced velocity is determined based on the associated natural time period of the vessel. Based on the reduced velocity and the response diagram, the current bins that cause VIM and the corresponding motion amplitudes are calculated. The VIM response is simulated in the time domain as a harmonic about the offset vessel position with the associated low frequency defined by the sway natural period. For each contributing loop current bin, timetraces of the effective tension and bending moments are extracted for select locations along the length of the riser. Axial stress ranges and resulting fatigue damage is calculated using rainflow counting. Fatigue damage rates from each long-term current and direction are factored by the probability of occurrence and then summed using Miners rule to obtain the total long-term riser fatigue damage due to VIM of the host vessel. For select locations along the riser, fatigue damage rates from riser VIV, motion fatigue and hull VIM (for Semi and Spar only) are combined as shown in the previous section. It is important to note that the fatigue damage due to all three components is assumed to occur at the same location along the length of the riser and at the same location on the pipe circumference. This is a conservative assumption and is made because the project is still in a preliminary stage and suggested solutions from this phase need to have adequate margin to incorporate design changes in later phases. Although risers are considered for production, water injection and export functions, only two risers are selected for analysis in order to reduce computation time. The study considers the 8 inch production (10 inch for SVIRs) and 20 inch oil export risers for analysis. The 8 inch production riser is one of the lightest risers amongst the riser sizes and therefore is expected to demonstrate the most dynamic response. The 20 inch oil export SCR is the largest diameter riser being evaluated and is expected to provide learnings at the other end of the riser size spectrum. SCR Solutions SCR with Semi Submersible SCR solutions are considered with a Semi submersible vessel. Semi submersibles are floaters with relatively high payload capacity although subject to large heave motions. An example of a Semi is illustrated in Figure 2. The 8 inch production SCR and 20 inch export SCR are assumed attached to the Semi-submersible with a Ti TSJ and a flex joint connection respectively. The SCR soil stiffness is calculated from project specific soil data using the small displacement dynamic pipe/soil interaction model (Bridge et. al, 2004). The adopted wall thickness on the 8 inch production SCR and 20 inch export SCR are 1 inch and 1.25 inch respectively. Strength analysis of SCRs with the Semi in 100 and 1,000 year hurricanes results in considerable compression in the TDZ. An explanation for TDP compression is that if the vessel motions drive the TDP region to move downward faster than the pipes terminal velocity, then the upward drag force in this region tends to inflect the riser. This causes the catenarys shape to be locally deformed as a consequence of high compression, resulting in high stresses in the SCR touch down point (Foyt et. al., 2007).

OTC 20437-PP

Figure 2 - Semi-Submersible Schematic

Lumped masses attached to the SCR sagbend region above the TDP are used to isolate the downward velocity at the top from the TDP. This approach has been used on the oil and gas export SCRs in the BP Atlantis field. It is observed from analysis results that 20 clump weights, each weighing 2,600 lbs in water are required on the 8 inch production riser in order for it to be feasible in 100 year and 1,000 year hurricanes. The corresponding number of weights on the 20 inch export SCR is 30, each weighing 3,850 lbs in water. An example clump weight design with two half shells is shown in Figure 3. The von Mises stress in the TDZ region of the 8 inch production riser with clump weights is shown in Figure 4. Striations in the stress plot are seen at the position of the clump weights. A summary of the von Mises stress at the risers TDP is given in Table 7. With the exception of BP Atlantis export lines, SCRs attached to Semis in the GoM such as the ThunderHorse SCRs have not been designed with clump weights. The requirement for clump weights in this project is driven by the severity of the hurricane criteria. The height of 100 year P90 and 1,000 year hurricane waves are ~50 ft and ~100 ft respectively and are higher than earlier GoM criteria and are the consequence of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. The penalty of using clump weights on the 20 inch SCR is that it increases the payload of an already heavy riser. The 20 inch export SCR payload when water filled with a 12 degree top angle is 1,554 kips. The availability of installation vessels that can handle this kind of payload magnitude is limited.
Riser Environment P90 100 year Hurricane 1,000 year Hurricane P90 100 year Hurricane 1,000 year Hurricane Mooring Condition Intact Failed Intact Intact Failed Intact Weather Direction Far Near Far Near Far Near Far Near Far Near Far Near Maximum von Mises Stress/Yield at TDP 0.68 0.79 0.68 0.84 0.73 0.87 0.69 0.58 0.75 0.60 0.95 0.70 Allowable Stress/Yield 0.8

20 inch Export SCR

1.0

0.8

8 inch Production SCR

1.0

Table 7 - Maximum von Mises Stress/Yield for SCRs attached to Semi

OTC 20437-PP

Figure 3 - 8 inch Production SCR Clump Weight Design

VON MISES STRESS / YIELD STRENGTH ALONG LENGTH OF RISER 8.625 inch x 1.00 inch WT Export SCR, 20 Clump Weights, 1,000 year Hurricane
1.2
Survival Allowable = 1.0

Von Mises Stress / Yield Strength

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 6500 7000 7500 8000 Distance from Hang Off (ft)
Far Offset (Intact Mooring) Near Offset (Intact Mooring)

Figure 4 - Stress along Length of 8 inch SCR with Semi-Submersible (1,000 year Hurricane)

Fatigue analysis is conducted on the clump weighted SCRs in order to assess long-term VIV, VIM and wave induced fatigue life. The minimum combined fatigue life of the SCRs with clump weights occurs at the touch down point location and is summarized in Table 8. In spite of being straked along the entire length, the fatigue response of the SCRs is driven by VIV. This is partly due to the onerous nature of the long-term currents in the GoM as well as the choice of conservative input parameters for SHEAR7. The approach followed to model the 90% efficient strake behavior is to modify the lift reduction factor until the amplitude of response is 10% of the bare pipe response while using the same lift curve as bare pipe (Lift Table 1). This approach results in a straked pipe life which is ~5,000 times higher than the bare pipe fatigue life. Although, this reduction in fatigue damage appears to be significant, it is not enough to prove that strakes are successful in suppressing VIV. There are alternate strake lift curves available that need to be checked for these SCRs. The most degrading effect on production riser fatigue life is from the sour service knock down of 45 on plain carbon steel. The 8 inch production riser is feasible and nearly robust if sour service degradation is not considered. The 8 inch SCR requires a 55 ft titanium section in the fatigue critical TDZ to meet the 211 year target fatigue life when the knockdown factor of 45 is assumed on plain carbon steel. The fatigue robustness criterion is 3 times the design criterion at 633 years. The 8 inch production riser with 195 ft titanium meets this requirement. At this stage of the project, fatigue analysis is conservative with respect to assumptions on sour service knockdown factors and the assumption that locations of maximum VIV, VIM and wave fatigue damage rates coincide. In the FEED stage, environment directionality and the exact fatigue damage distribution along riser length of the different fatigue components will need to be taken into account. Other means of reducing analysis conservatism is to consider fatigue spreading by vessel relocation and the use of a 15 degree top angle rather than 12 degrees. In case, Ti is still necessary for fatigue mitigation, offshore installation of flanged Ti-Ti connections will need qualification. The minimum combined fatigue life of the 20 inch oil export riser improves from 64 years with an API X fatigue curve and SCF of 1.3 to 221 years for a C class fatigue detail with an SCF of 1.1. Double sided ground flush girth weld are

OTC 20437-PP

typically required to meet C class fatigue performance, which is required along a 30 ft section in the riser TDZ. Pre-welded pipes with C class quality can be made to have upset thick ends which can then be mated offshore with an API X performance weld. Because of the higher thickness, the fatigue performance of the API X welds in this section can be as made to be as good as C class. The minimum fatigue life occurs at the transition of the C class and API X welded sections. As an alternative to C class welding, light weight coatings may be used along the 20 inch export riser TDZ in combination with an SCF of 1.1 for obtaining a feasible fatigue life. The 20 inch export riser with clump weights and 220 ft of Titanium at the TDP improves the fatigue life to 714 years. This is a robust solution meeting the robustness target of 633 years.
Riser Material Modification None 8 inch Production 100% Clad Pipe 55ft Ti TDZ 195ft Ti TDZ None 30 ft Ti or C class welds TDZ 220 ft Ti TDZ Sour Service Knockdown 1 45 10 10 10 Motion Fatigue Life (years) 7,110 158 711 257 986 574 584 1,079 VIV Fatigue Life (years) 675 15 68 728 882 86 995 16,393 VIM Fatigue Life (years) 43,470 966 4,347 1,116 2,098 428 428 1,234 Overall Fatigue Life (years) 630 14 63 238 636 64 221 714

20 inch Export

Table 8 - SCRs with Semi TDZ Fatigue Life Summary SCR with Spar SCRs attached to a truss Spar with a draft of 562 ft are assessed for strength and fatigue performance. A sample Spar schematic is shown in Figure 5. The advantage of a Spar is that it has low heave motions and SCR response with a Spar will be benign compared to that with a Semi submersible. The 8 inch production SCR is connected to the Spar with a pull tube and the top end of the riser terminates at 55 ft above MWL. The 20 inch SCR is assumed attached with a flex joint.

r
Figure 5 - Schematic of a Truss Spar

The risers attached to the Spar are robust in 100 year and 1,000 year hurricanes owing to the low heave motion of the Spar. The maximum stress utilization of 89% occurs in the oil export SCR hang off location in the P90 (10% exceedance probability) 100 year hurricane condition with intact moorings. The summary of von Mises stress at the riser TDP and hang off location is given in Table 9. For both SCRs, the maximum von Mises stress does not exceed the yield strength for a 1,000 year hurricane event, demonstrating the robustness of the riser system.

OTC 20437-PP Maximum von Mises Stress/Yield TDP Top 0.66 0.70 0.69 0.70 0.66 0.71 0.64 0.72 0.67 0.70 0.63 0.76 0.69 0.74 0.45 0.24 0.66 0.78 0.77 0.61 Allowable Stress/Yield 0.8

Riser

Environment P90 100 year Hurricane

Weather Direction Far Near Transverse Far Near Transverse Far Far Near Transverse

20 inch Export SCR 1,000 year Hurricane P90 100 year Hurricane 1,000 year Hurricane

1.0 0.8 1.0

8 inch Production SCR

Table 9 - Maximum von Mises Stress/Yield for SCRs attached to Spar Fatigue analysis of the SCRs attached to the Spar is conducted with a 15 degree top angle. The TDZ fatigue life summary is given in Table 10. It is observed that a 15 degree top angle provides ~1.4 times higher fatigue life than with a 12 degree top angle. The minimum fatigue life, including fatigue damage contributions due to vessel motions, riser VIV and VIM, at the outer diameter of the 20 inch oil export SCR is 472 years, which exceeds the design target fatigue life of 211 years by a factor of 2.2. The fatigue robustness criterion is that the minimum fatigue life should exceed 633 years. The 20 inch export SCR meets the robustness criterion with an SCF of 1.2. An SCF of 1.2 is considered achievable with careful management of pipe hi-lo and has been attained in previous deepwater projects. The minimum fatigue life, considering all fatigue contributors and the degraded fatigue performance due to sour service, at the inner diameter of the 8 inch production SCR is 92 years at TDP, which does not meet the target fatigue life requirement of 211 years. This is primarily driven by VIV. A feasible 8 inch production riser configuration (meeting 211 years target) is obtained if one riser joint at the TDP is internally clad with sour service resistant nickel alloys. The fatigue life is 256 years if 10 ft of cladding is assumed at the TDZ. The fatigue hot spot is the plain carbon steel section at the intersection with the clad region. In order to obtain a robust fatigue life of 633 years, it is necessary to use a 25 ft section of titanium at the TDZ. The minimum fatigue life of this riser configuration is 638 years. It is recommended that bare steel and clad pipe sour service fatigue testing is carried out using project specific conditions. A knockdown factor of 19 in sour service leads to a feasible riser configuration with plain carbon steel. For robustness, a knockdown factor of 6.5 is required.
Riser Material Modification None 8 inch Production 100% Clad Pipe 10ft Clad at TDZ 25ft Ti TDZ None SCF = 1.2 Sour Service Knockdown 1 45 10 10 10 Motion Fatigue Life (years) 50,400 1,121 5,045 1,121 1,317 5,802 7,827 VIV Fatigue Life (years) 4,545 101 455 350 2,129 1,550 2,091 VIM Fatigue Life (years) 155,430 3,454 15,543 3,454 3,454 768 1,036 Overall Fatigue Life (years) 4,140 92 414 256 658 472 636

20 inch Export

Table 10 - SCRs with Spar TDZ Fatigue Life Summary SCR with TLP TLPs are vessels that employ tendons with high axial stiffness to anchor the vessel to the seabed. The advantages of a TLP are its low heave motions and vessel setdown that reduces vertical riser downstroke. However, TLPs do suffer from rather large vessel offsets. A typical TLP is shown in Figure 6. The TLP considered in this study consists of 8 tendons and has a mean draft of 85 ft. The TLP setdown curve is shown in Figure 7. An 85 ksi steel tapered stress joint and a flex joint are considered as the vessel interface for the 8 inch production and the 20 inch oil export SCR, respectively.

10

OTC 20437-PP

Figure 6 TLP Photograph

TLP WITH SCRS SETDOWN CURVE
0 -3 -6 -9 Setdown (ft) -12 -15 -18 -21 -24 -27 -30 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Offset (ft) 350 400 450 500 550 600

Figure 7 - TLP Typical Setdown Curve

Analysis demonstrates that the SCRs attached to the TLP are robust in 100 and 1,000 year hurricanes. A maximum stress utilization of 95% of the allowable occurs in the oil export riser in the P90 100 year hurricane condition with intact moorings. For both the 8 inch and 20 inch no modifications risers, the maximum von Mises stress does not exceed the material yield strength for a 1,000 year hurricane event. The TLP SCRs do not perform well in long-term fatigue. For both SCRs, the minimum combined fatigue life occurs at the TDP location and the minimum fatigue life does not meet the target fatigue criteria of 211 years for the base case configurations. Considering the knockdown factors in the present design basis, the 8 inch production riser is not feasible in sour service, even with 100% nickel alloy cladding. The minimum fatigue life is 62 years based on the sour service knockdown factor of 10 for cladding. In order to obtain a fatigue life in excess of 211 years, the 8 inch production SCR with TLP requires over 2,500 ft length of titanium. This requirement is demonstrated in the combined fatigue life plot in Figure 8. It should however be noted that if the sour service knockdown factor is not considered, SCRs are a feasible solution for production with a TLP vessel.

OTC 20437-PP

11

FATIGUE LIFE ALONG 8 INCH PRODUCTION SCR ON TLP API X' Curve, SCF = 1.3, VIV + Motion Fatigue
100,000

10,000 Fatigue Life (years)

1,000

100

10 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 6500 7000 7500 Elevation above Mudline (ft)
Carbon Steel (X'/45) Clad Steel (X'/10) Design Fatigue Life Robust Target Life

Figure 8 - Combined Fatigue Life, TLP SCRs

The minimum combined fatigue life of the 20 inch oil export riser increases from 125 years with an API X fatigue curve, SCF of 1.3 to 289 years for a C class fatigue detail, SCF of 1.1. As mentioned in previous sections, pre-welded pipes with C class quality can be made to have upset thick ends which can then be mated offshore with an API X performance weld. Alternatively, the minimum combined fatigue life of the 20 inch oil export riser improves to 250 years, assuming a thicker wall of 1.375 inches, a 12 inch thickness light weight coating of density 41.8 lb/ft3 along a 300 ft TDZ section and assuming API X welds with a reduced SCF of 1.1. A robust solution for the 20 inch export riser attached to the TLP is the use of 430 ft titanium at the touch down zone. The minimum combined fatigue life in this case is 710 years and occurs at the transition of the steel and titanium sections. The combined fatigue response is dominated by the long-term motion fatigue along the majority of the riser length. The TLP long-term surge response is the primary driver of the high motion fatigue damage in the SCR TDP. Lazy Wave Riser Solutions SCR solutions require clump weights in order to be feasible with Semi-submersibles. An alternate riser arrangement that has a feasible strength performance with a Semi is a lazy wave riser. Many flexibles and umbilicals have been installed in lazy wave arrangement but a lazy wave steel riser is yet to be installed. Lazy wave risers are being planned to be installed in the Shell BC-10 field. The 8 inch and 20 inch riser lazy wave configurations are shown in Figure 9. A buoyancy section of 1,150 ft is installed above the TDP which isolates the porch heave motions from the TDP. The syntactic buoyancy properties are given in Table 11.
Parameter Riser Buoyancy Thickness (inches) 3 Buoyancy Density (lb/ft ) Value Production Riser Oil Export Riser 5.5 16.5 31.0 31.0

Table 11 - Buoyancy Foam Properties

12

OTC 20437-PP

LAZY WAVE RISER CONFIGURATIONS Nominal Position

6000

5000

Elevation above Mudline (ft)

4000

8 inch production riser: 0.625 inch WT w/ Titanium TSJ at top (1.25 inch max WT)

3000

20 inch Export riser: 1.25 inch WT w/ Flex joint at top

2000

1,150 ft long buoyancy section for both risers

1000

0 -5000 -4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0 Lateral Distance from Hang-off (ft)
8 inch Production 20 inch Oil Export

Figure 9 - 8 inch Production and 20 inch Export Lazy Wave Risers

For both risers, the maximum von Mises stress does not exceed the material yield strength in a 1,000 year hurricane event, demonstrating the robustness of the riser system. The minimum combined fatigue life at TDP of the 20 inch oil export lazy wave riser is 304 years, which exceeds the target fatigue life. With 400 ft titanium at the TDP, the minimum combined fatigue life of the 20 inch oil export lazy wave riser is 1,113 years which meets the target robustness criteria of 633 years. The 8 inch production riser minimum combined fatigue life is 24 years assuming a sour service knockdown of 45. With 100% nickel alloy cladding, the fatigue life is 108 years which still does not meet the target fatigue life. The 8 inch production riser is feasible with 40 ft of titanium joints at the touch down zone. It is robust (>633 year life) with 1,000 ft titanium sections in the TDZ and buoyancy joints. The extensive required length of titanium stems from the fact that the fatigue critical region in a lazy wave riser extends from the TDZ to the buoyancy section. The 633 years fatigue criteria is quite stringent, even for a preliminary phase of design. Lazy wave risers cannot be used for production from a Semi unless this criterion is relaxed or fatigue degradation from sour service is determined to be less than what is assumed. SVIR Solutions SVIRs are tieback top tensioned risers used to gain access to a remote well through subsea flowlines. In this project, SVIRs attached to a TLP are checked for feasibility. The 10 inch production SVIR and the 20 inch export SVIR are assessed for adequate strength and fatigue performance. The export SVIR is a single casing riser while a dual casing SVIR is evaluated for production. The production risers are expected to have a degraded fatigue performance on account of sour service. With dual casings, the impact of sour service is contained within the inner pipe and does not affect the outer pipe which is the main structural member. Another benefit of dual casing configuration is that for production risers, it provides two barriers between produced fluids and environment. The 10 inch production riser stack up illustrating the various components is shown in Figure 10. The SVIR lower riser assembly is shown detail in Figure 11. The foundation pile diameter is 36 inch. The SVIR is connected to the foundation pile during installation via the lower pile stab. Above the lower pile stab is the lower offtake spool assembly. The offtake spool connects the flowline with the SVIR via a rigid jumper. It is a cast component which provides a smooth transition between the horizontal flowline and the vertical riser, and is designed to accommodate intelligent pigs. A lower tapered stress joint connects the lower pile stab to the main riser pipe. The tapered stress joints function is to mitigate the large bending moments which result due to the transition between the high stiffness of the base assembly and foundation pile and the relatively low stiffness of the main riser. A schematic of a typical SVIR upper riser assembly is shown in Figure 12. At the top of the main riser pipe is a tapered tension joint. This component acts to mitigate the large bending moment that can result from the transition from the relatively low stiffness of the main riser pipe and the higher stiffness of the tension ring and transition joint. Above the tension joint taper is a section with constant outer diameter onto which the tension ring is attached. Above the tension joint is the transition joint, which has the same wall thickness as the top of the tension joint taper. The function of the transition joint is to support

OTC 20437-PP

13

the surface valve assembly. The transition joint is supported laterally by deck rollers. At the top of the SVIR is the surface valve assembly which provides flow control between the riser and vessel. Flexible jumpers are used to transfer the production fluid between the surface valve assembly and the production manifold on the vessel.

Figure 10 - Production SVIR Schematic

Figure 11 - SVIR Lower Riser Assembly

14

OTC 20437-PP

Figure 12 - SVIR Upper Riser Assembly

It is observed that the production and oil export SVIRs meet API strength criteria for all normal operating, extreme and survival environmental and riser conditions considered. A maximum tensioner stroke of 14 feet is obtained for the 20 inch oil export SVIR considering vessel set-down and dynamics for a 1,000 year hurricane as well as pressure and temperature effects. The feasibility of the tensioner design will need evaluation during FEED. Fatigue response of the 10 inch production and 20 inch oil export SVIRs is robust, with both risers having minimum fatigue lives greater than 633 years. The minimum fatigue lives are 961 years in the inner pipe ID of the 10 inch production riser and 959 years in the OD of the 20 inch export SVIR. Hardware Requirements A number of hardware components are required on the riser solutions that have been discussed so far. Table 12 provides a summary of the specialist joints and components required on the various riser-vessel alternatives for a feasible solution with fatigue life > 211 years.
Riser Type 8 inch Production SCR Semi 8 inch Lazy Wave Production Riser - Semi 8 inch Production SCR Spar 8 inch Production SCR TLP 10 inch Production SVIR TLP 20 inch Export SCR Semi 20 inch Lazy Wave Export Riser Semi 20 inch Export SCR Spar 20 inch Export SCR - TLP Ti TSJ 3 3 Ti Straight Pipe Sections 3 3 3 Clad Pipe 3 3 Low Alloy Steel TSJ 3 3 Flex Joint 3 3 3 3 VIV Strakes 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Clump Weights, Buoyancy, Light Weight Coatings Clump Weights Buoyant Modules Clump Weights Buoyant Modules Light Weight Coating

Table 12 - Summary of Specialist Joints, Components and Alternative Materials Production SCR option with the TLP and Semi requires titanium at the TDZ for feasibility in sour service. The Ti connections offshore will need to be made using mechanical connectors as high quality titanium welds by GTAW are slow and therefore not suited for offshore installations. The mechanical connectors may be compact flanges that have an extensive offshore riser track record in both titanium and steel configurations. These high cost specialist components warrant special attention and care needs to be taken during handling and installation operations in order to avoid damaging them. Clump weights are required on the SCRs attached to the Semi. A schematic of a clump weight design is shown in Figure 3. The clump weight design consists of two half shells that are bolted together directly onto the riser thermal insulation layer. A pre-load is required between the clump weight and riser so that slippage of the clump weight does not occur. In order to

OTC 20437-PP

15

maintain the required pre-load accounting for thermal insulation creep and initial hydrostatic pressure, a profiled rubber strip is located beneath the clump weights. The buoyancy module design on the lazy wave riser typically consists of two half shells that are strapped via titanium straps directly onto the riser thermal insulation layer. This detail is shown in Figure 13. This type of clamping method of using straps is proven technology and is used for many offshore applications from clamping VIV suppression strakes to strapping monitoring equipment to risers.

INSULATION 24.865" DIA

CL PIPE

5.5" BUOYANCY THICKNESS

Figure 13 - Production Lazy Wave Riser Buoyancy Detail

Qualification Requirements It is recommended to confirm the knock down factor of 45 for carbon-manganese steel and assumed knock down factors of 10 for titanium and nickel alloy clad pipe by conducting fatigue strip sample testing (i.e. dog bones). The tests should be conducted in both air and sour environments. The objectives are to verify the riser system design and potentially minimize the conservatism in the riser system design by decreasing the applied knock down factors. Full scale fatigue testing for fatigue curves of clad pipe and Ti also will need to be conducted before project detailed design is initiated. In the event that the carbon-manganese steel pipe for sour conditions is installed via the reeled process, additional qualification would be necessary. Comparison of Riser Solutions In this section, the various vessel-riser concepts that have been developed are compared and the most feasible riser system for a particular vessel is suggested. The riser systems are compared with respect to technical performance in extreme storms and long-term environment, approximate costs, track record and general operator preferences. Technical Summary Feasible riser systems developed to meet strength and fatigue criteria are given in Table 13. The sour service knockdown of 45 on plain carbon steel makes it impossible to design a 100% carbon steel riser for production purposes unless it is a dual pipe SVIR. The sour service knockdown factor requires careful evaluation through testing. In order to attain the fatigue robustness target life of 633 years, Ti is required at the TDZ of every riser. The merits of trying to achieve a robust fatigue performance, in the pre-FEED phase need to be weighed against the possibility that a feasible but cost-effective solution does not pass into subsequent phases. The export risers perform better in fatigue than the production risers due to the lack of sour fluids. SCRs with no modifications are feasible on Spars and a lazy wave riser is feasible with no modifications with a Semi.
Riser/Vessel Combination SCR with Semi SCR with Spar Lazy Wave Riser with Semi SCR with TLP SVIR with TLP Riser Function Production Export Production Export Production Export Production Export Production Export Feasible Solution Clump Weights, 55 ft Ti at TDZ Clump Weights, 30 ft C Class Weld at TDZ 10 ft Nickel alloy cladding at TDZ No modifications 40 ft Ti at TDZ No modifications 2,500 ft Ti Section 300 ft Light Weight Coating and/or 200 ft C Class Welds at TDZ No modifications No modifications Robust Solution Clump Weights, 195 ft Ti at TDZ Clump Weights, 220 ft Ti at TDZ 25 ft Ti at TDZ 30 ft Ti at TDZ or achieve SCF = 1.2 at TDZ 1,000 ft Ti on TDZ and Buoyancy Sections 400 ft Ti at TDZ 430 ft Ti at TDZ No modifications No modifications

Table 13 - Riser Systems Developed to meet Strength and Fatigue Feasibility/Robustness Criteria

16

OTC 20437-PP

Track Record A summary of the track record for each of the riser systems is given in Table 14. SCRs are a proven concept in various water depths and locations around the world including the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa and the Far East. A Subsea Vertical Import Riser has been used on Kizomba to tieback the Marimba satellite well. The riser is comprised of a TTR and subsea tie-back technologies both of which have extensive offshore track record. The riser name adopted for the Marimba tieback is tieback TTR. The risers and/or proposed technologies that are not known to have a track record are: The use of a titanium section in the SCR touch down region; The use of a light weight coating in the SCR touch down region to improve fatigue; Steel lazy wave risers. The use of titanium in subsea applications is well established. However, the specific application in the SCR touch down region is not proven. The connection method, which is most likely to be flanges combined with shop welds, and effective electrical isolation are expected to require development before they are considered suitable for this application. The use of a light weight coating in the SCR touch down region to improve fatigue is novel. The associated materials exist but would require qualification for the specific application. Steel lazy wave risers are planned on Shell BC10 but are yet to be installed.
Riser Type Full Length Carbon Steel SCR SCR with Ti at Hang Off Location SCR with Ti at TDP SCR with Clump Weights SCR with Light Weight Coating at TDZ SCR with Nickel Alloy Clad Sections Lazy Wave Riser SVIR Installed 3 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 To be Installed 3 3 x x x x 3 x Comments SCR Multiple installations and proposed installations, i.e. Chevron Blind Faith and Tahiti Multiple installations and proposed installations, i.e. Blind Faith, Perdido None installed BP Atlantis, GoM None installed Shell Bonga and ExxonMobil Erha SCRs, West Africa Lazy Wave Riser To be installed in Shell BC-10 SVIR ExxonMobil Marimba tieback TTR (SVIR). Multiple TTRs and applications of subsea tie-back technology

Table 14 - Track Record summary of Proposed Riser Configurations Benefits and Limitations The key benefits and limitations of the riser systems developed for production and export are given in Table 15. Conclusion A number of riser systems for different vessel types have been developed in this study for a GoM deepwater field. Following the riser concepts evaluation, the recommended riser system for a particular floater type is given in the following paragraphs. It is noted that the present evaluation is limited to wet tree systems. Dry tree vessels with TTRs have not been evaluated in this study. The following riser solutions are designed to severe design constraints and objectives. At this preFEED stage, the project desire is to include sufficient robustness in the riser designs in order that subsequent changes can be easily incorporated. The target robust fatigue life of the risers is considered as 633 years which is 3 times the design life of 211 years. The sour service degradation factor is 45 on plain carbon steel and 10 on clad pipe result. These stipulations drive the riser solution towards novel technology such as titanium joints in the TDP. Further, the extreme storms used for strength design are quite significant with ~50 ft waves for 100 year hurricane and ~100 ft waves for 1,000 year hurricane. With a TLP, SVIRs are the suggested system as SCRs are not feasible for production because of excessive wave induced fatigue. SCRs are the only riser configurations studied for use with a Spar and are a recommended solution. SCRs with a Spar have good strength response and feasible fatigue response. The 20 inch SCR with spar is robust if SCF of 1.2 is achieved. The 8 inch production SCR is robust except for a 25 ft section at the TDZ. Vessel relocation or titanium in the TDP region are both means of achieving a robust fatigue response. The clump weight SCRs are recommended for use with a Semi as the 8 inch lazy wave riser requires 1,000 ft of titanium in order to be robust. Further, there is currently no known steel lazy wave riser in-service pending installation of the Shell BC10 risers. Titanium TDZ sections are required in both the SCR and lazy wave risers with Semi to meet the fatigue robustness criteria. Titanium has never been used in the SCR touch down region. Offshore installation of flanged Ti-Ti connections requires qualification. An effective method to handle and install Ti sections needs to be established and qualified for field use.

OTC 20437-PP Riser/Vessel Combination

17

Riser 8 inch Production

Benefits Good track record

Limitations Limited clump weight track record (BP Atlantis only) Requires ~200 ft titanium TDZ section for fatigue robustness No previous track record for titanium TDZ section Limited clump weight track record Balder is currently the only installation vessel capable of installing Requires ~200 ft titanium TDZ section for fatigue robustness Requires 10ft clad section in TDZ for fatigue feasibility. Clad requires sour service testing and qualification

SCR with Semi 20 inch Oil Export Good track record

8 inch Production SCR with Spar 20 inch Oil Export

Very good strength response No modifications required Very good strength and robust fatigue Good track record

Lazy Wave Riser with Semi

8 inch Production 20 inch Oil Export 8 inch Production Very good strength response Very good strength response Very good strength and robust fatigue response Good track record No new technology Does not require large installation vessel

SCR with TLP

20 inch Oil Export

Feasibility of installation needs to be confirmed No current track record 1,000 ft Ti sections required for fatigue robustness Feasibility of installation needs to be confirmed No current track record Not feasible in fatigue Requires light weight coating or 300ft C class weld TDZ No previous track record of light weight coating Requires the addition of a skid on skid off derrick to TLP Perceived as novel even though components are not and has track record (Marimba tieback TTR)

SVIR with TLP

10 inch Production, 20 inch Oil Export

Table 15 - Summary of Benefits and Limitations of Feasible Production and Oil Export Riser Systems As has been mentioned before, sour service knockdown factors have a large impact on driving the production riser solutions towards exotic and novel solutions such as titanium TDP and clad pipe. It is recommended that fatigue testing be conducted to confirm carbon steel, clad pipe and titanium sour service fatigue knockdown factors. Such data in the public domain will greatly help designers in the initial phases when project specific data is not available. Ti at TDP or superior welds at the TDP are novel and potentially expensive solutions. While it is safe to be conservative, high levels of conservatism may rule out achievable and cheap riser solutions from being selected for subsequent phases. Hence, even in pre-FEED, detailed project specific data should be used to the extent it is possible. In the present case, such details to include are: vessel relocation, vessel motion optimization, accurate sour service knockdown factors, environment directionality and adequately conservative VIV software. On the other hand, as field developments go into deeper waters and harsher environments, novel technology becomes imminent. New riser concepts need to be thoroughly evaluated through qualification and feasibility analysis and the lack of track record needs to be outweighed against potential benefits. Nomenclature = JONSWAP Peakedness Parameter y = Material minimum yield strength, defined for steel or titanium as the tensile stress required to produce a total elongation of 0.5% of the test specimen gauge length API = American Petroleum Institute ASTM = American Society for Testing and Materials BOPD = Barrels of Oil per Day C = Carbon Cl = Lift Coefficient (SHEAR7) DNV = Det Norske Veritas ECA = Engineering Critical Assessment EOF = Empirical Orthogonal Functions FEED = Front End Engineering Design GoM = Gulf of Mexico GSPU = Glass Syntactic Polyurethane GTAW = Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Hs = Significant Wave Height MAOP = Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure MIT = Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mn = Manganese

18

OTC 20437-PP

MWL = NACE = P90 = OD = RAO = SCF = SCR = SVIR = TDP = TDZ = Ti = TLP = Tp = TSJ = TTR = VIM = VIV =

Mean Water Level National Institute of Corrosion Engineers 90th Percentile Outer Diameter Response Amplitude Operators Stress Concentration Factor Steel Catenary Riser Subsea Vertical Import Riser Touch Down Point Touch Down Zone Titanium Tensioned Leg Platform Peak Period Tapered Stress Joint Top Tensioned Riser Vortex Induced (Hull) Motion Vortex Induced Vibration

References
1 American Petroleum Institute, 1998, Design of Risers for Floating Production Systems (FPSs) and Tension-Leg Platforms (TLPs), API RP 2RD, First Edition 2 American Petroleum Institute, 1999, Design, Construction, Operation, and Maintenance of Offshore Hydrocarbon Pipelines (Limit State Design), API RP 1111, Third Edition. 3 American Petroleum Institute, 2000, Specification for Line Pipe, API Specification 5L. 4 Bridge, C, Laver, K, Clukey, E, and Evans, T, 2004, Steel Catenary Riser Touchdown Point Vertical Interaction Models. Proceedings of the OTC Conference, Paper OTC16628, Houston, USA. 5 Buitrago, J, and Weir, M, S, 2002, Experimental Fatigue Evaluation of Deepwater Risers in Mild Sour Service. Proceedings of the DOT Conference, New Orleans, USA. 6 Foyt, E, Griffin, C, Campbell, M, Wang, H, and Kan, W, 2007, Weight Optimized SCR Enabling Technology for Turret Moored FPSO Developments. Proceedings of the 26th ASME OMAE Conference, Paper OMAE2007-29049, San Diego, USA. 7 Griffin, P, Thompson, H, Weaver, T, and Burke, R, 2009, Tahiti Spar as a Wet Tree Concept. Proceedings of the OTC Conference, Paper OTC19857, Houston, USA. 8 MCS International, 2006, Flexcom-3D Three Dimensional Nonlinear Time Domain Offshore Analysis Software, Version 7.3, MCS. 9 MCS International, 2006, Modes-3D: Three Dimensional Mode Shapes and Natural Frequencies Analysis Software, Version 7.3, MCS. 10 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2002, Pipeline Transportation Systems for Liquid Hydrocarbons and Other Liquids, ASME B31.4. 11 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2007, Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems, ASME B31.8. 12 Vandiver, J, Lee, L, Leverette, S and Marcollo, H, 2005, Effect User Guide for SHEAR7 Version 4.4 for Vortex Induced Vibration Response Prediction of Beams or Cables with Slowly Varying Tension in Sheared or Uniform Flow, MIT.

OTC 20437-PP

19

Appendix A Condensed Long-Term Seastates

Wave Direction Fatigue Seastate No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Hs (ft) 2.2 2.3 2.7 2.3 4.5 15.2 3.5 6.3 4.8 8.1 5.9 10.0 7.2 13.4 17.8 9.0 16.9 24.8 8.7 26.2 22.7 Tp (s) 2.5 3.5 4.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 6.5 6.5 7.5 7.5 8.5 8.5 9.7 9.9 10.5 11.7 11.7 12.2 13.9 13.9 16.1 Occurrence (%) 1.38 5.72 15.8 19.48 9.44 0.15 15.45 5.2 13.73 3.95 4.05 1.48 2.44 1.24 0.04 0.16 0.16 0.02 0.03 0.02 0.02 Peakedness Factor () 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0

Omni-Directional

Table A- 1 - Omni-Directional Long-Term Fatigue Seastates