Abstract:

Tension leg platform (TLP) has been widely used in deepwater oil field development in recent years. The risk of top tensioned riser (TTR) interference increases with the increase of water depth. If the collision force or collision energy caused by riser interference is large enough, it is possible to endanger the integrity of riser systems, and even the safety of the platform. TTR interference assessment becomes increasingly important and a design challenge for deepwater TLP. Reasonable well-bay spacing should be selected to avoid TTR collision and also minimize the impact on TLP topsides. Based on an oil field development plan, well-bay spacing and riser interference are investigated. The key parameters such as drag coefficient and top tension factor are discussed, and sensitivity analysis is carried out on those factors. The results may provide references for the research and design of TTRs.

Key words: tension leg platform, top tensioned riser, interference, sensitivity analysis