The most common method of pipeline installation in shallow water is the S-Lay method. In this method, the welded pipeline is supported by rollers on the vessel and the stinger, forming the over-bend. Then it is suspended in the water all the way to seabed, forming the sag-bend. The over-bend and sag-bend form the shape of an "S".This work focus in modeling the interaction between pipeline and lay barge on the over-bend region, considering not only the contact between the pipeline and the launching structure, but also the tensioner behavior. Two numerical models are proposed: (a) a rigorous contact model that provides important information related to the consequences of impact between pipeline and rollers. These consequences can be dents to the pipe or tearing of the coatings; and (b) a model for the simulation of the tensioner behavior. This latter includes a delay between the instant that the tensioner is activated until it effectively starts working. It also considers how fast the tensioner can recover the desired tension level in the pipeline.Several simulations of actual operations are shown, in order to illustrate the application of the proposed model.
展开▼
