Technical Papers and Presentations

Vortex-induced vibration is a major cause of fatigue failure in submarine oil and gas pipelines and steel catenary risers. Even moderate currents can induce vortex shedding.

In this paper, COMSOL Multiphysics is applied to study the flow pattern around submarine pipeline spans, and predict the amplitude and frequency of the vortex induced vibrations. The sensitivity of the computational fluid dynamics model to geometric parameters and flow variables is investigated.

Mitigation measures – like helical strakes and fairings – are addressed, and their effectiveness is evaluated. Finally, the potential of applying multiphysics methods to solve coupled problems in pipeline design is briefly discussed.