Ocean Engineering 38 (2011) 13971402

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Ocean Engineering
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/oceaneng

Numerical and experimental analysis of the static behavior of highly

deformed risers
S.T. Santillan a, L.N. Virgin b,
a
b

Department of Mechanical Engineering, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402, United States
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States

a r t i c l e i n f o

abstract

Article history:
Received 24 August 2010
Accepted 26 June 2011
Editor-in-Chief: A.I. Incecik
Available online 23 July 2011

This paper models a slender, exible structure used as a drill string or riser in the offshore oil and gas
industry that connects the well-head with a oating control vessel. These systems are used in deepwater drilling applications and present considerable design challenges due to their extreme exibility
and susceptibility to buckling and vibration. Two typical congurations are used (Bai and Bai, 2005),
with a common feature involving the attachment of a buoy designed to relieve some of the axial forces
acting on the riser, especially at the attachment points. Previous work by the authors studied numerical
results of small-amplitude vibrations and two other equilibrium congurations using parameter values
that closely resemble the full-scale application (Santillan et al., 2008). Here, two new congurations are
considered, and experiments are designed and conducted to verify these equilibrium results.
& 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords:
Geometric nonlinearity
Elastica
Finite differences
Flexible riser

1. Introduction
The use of highly exible risers for oil drilling purposes is
widespread. The riser connects the well-head with a oating control
vessel. These systems are used in deep-water drilling situations and
present design challenges due to their extreme exibility and
susceptibility to buckling and vibration problems. In terms of simple
modeling, a freely hanging riser with minimal bending stiffness can
be considered as a catenary. However, it is common practice to
incorporate a buoyant portion on an intermediate section of the
riser or an upward force at a point via a buoy. This addition results
in the standard congurations of lazy wave, steep-wave, lazy-S, and
steep-S, according to whether the riser rests along the sea bed and
the means by which the buoyancy is achieved (Bai and Bai, 2005).
Furthermore, it is reasonable to assume that the riser possesses
some bending stiffness. These factors make the analyses of risers
somewhat challenging (Matulea et al. (2008)).
An extensive parametric study of risers, including dynamics
for the steep-wave conguration, was performed by Seyed and
Patel (1991), and for the lazy wave by Liu (2000). Some related
vibration studies for hanging cables were conducted by Irvine and
Caughey (1974), Ahmadi-Kashani (1989), Smith and Thompson
(1973) and Bylsma et al. (1988). Vikestad et al. (2000) studied the
effect of ow past a circular section, and other studies on the
current related problem of vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) have
been conducted (Cheng et al., 2009; Niedzwecki and Moe, 2008).

 Corresponding author: Tel.: 1 919 660 5342; fax: 1 919 660 8963.

E-mail address: l.virgin@duke.edu (L.N. Virgin).

0029-8018/$ - see front matter & 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.oceaneng.2011.06.009

A static analysis is made here as a foundation for a more thorough

dynamic analysis.
Many different solution methods have been used to model exible
risers, including nite element models and analytical methods
(Hosseini Kordkheili and Bahai, 2008; Larsen, 1992; Rodrigues et al.,
2005). Traditional analytic approaches to modeling slender structural
behavior either ignore bending stiffness or rely on numerical techniques such as the nite element method. However, both of these
approaches have their limitations, and this research introduces a new
technique that is able to model the behavior of highly deformed
equilibria. Here the governing equations are derived using an elastica
formulation and solved using a nite difference approach (given
appropriate boundary conditions) (Santillan et al., 2006; Virgin, 2007;
Plaut, 2006; Timoshenko and Gere, 1961). Two typical congurations
are compared (Bai and Bai, 2005) with a common feature involving
an intermediate buoyant section designed to relieve some of the axial
forces acting on the riser, especially at the end points. Equilibrium
states are computed for varying parameter values. The resulting
congurations depend on a number of factors including






weight,
water depth,
boundary conditions,
location and magnitude of the buoyant force.

For one conguration, the lower boundary condition involves a

tangential lift-off point (also encountered in upheaval buckling of
pipelines, for example), and this requires careful modeling.
The riser is also modeled experimentally to verify the numerical
results. A large tank is used for a small-scale study of the riser,

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S.T. Santillan, L.N. Virgin / Ocean Engineering 38 (2011) 13971402

modeled using exible uoropolymer tubing. The experiment

allows for accurate deection and end point load measurements.
A buoyant force can be applied at an intermediate point on the
tubing, and both its location along the tube length and its vertical
coordinate can be modied. To compare the numerical and
experimental results, the following parameters are varied systematically: location along the riser length of the attached buoy;
vertical location of the buoy relative to the water surface; total
length of the riser relative to water depth; riser conguration
type. Deections and force measurements are compared, and
there is good agreement between these two models.
A number of simplications are used in this work. The analysis is
planar and thus no twisting behavior is considered (Chai and
Varyani, 2006), the riser is assumed to be inextensible, the connection to the vessel is not subject to oscillations, and the study does
not include internal ow. Water pressure caused by depth is also
neglected. All of these factors can be incorporated in the analysis if
necessary, and in general this approach is somewhat more efcient
than a nite element analysis.

2. Analytical formulation
The nonlinear boundary value problem is modeled using nondimensional equations that are derived using an elastica formulation.
Fig. 1 includes a schematic of a marine riser that attaches a oating
vessel to the sea bed. A buoyant force is sometimes incorporated to
reduce stresses in the system, especially in deeper water (Bai and Bai,
2005). The attachment point at the sea bed can be especially
challenging from a modeling point of view, for example, a common
conguration is shown in part (b) in which the system rests for a
certain length on the sea bed (this is sometimes called a lazy

conguration). Although this gure is a schematic, the congurations

shown are in fact computed solving the governing elasticity equations using a nite difference approach. An important innovation is
that the governing equations are developed in terms of an elastica
formulation (Santillan et al., 2006), and hence no restrictions are
placed on the magnitude of the deections or curvature. A key
element in this modeling is taking into account the weight of a
structure. Normally this effect is negligible for a conventional
structure, but with such slender, highly deformed structures (in a
gravitational/buouyant environment) the effect of weight on structural loading becomes an important parameter. A series of parametric studies was conducted by the authors in which two
equilibrium congurations of the system (steep-wave and lazy wave)
were computed as a function of various factors including cable
length, velocity of a cross ow or current, degree of buoyancy, etc.
(Santillan et al., 2010).
Here, two new congurations are studied: lazy-S and steep-S.
Unlike the wave congurations, the buoyant force here is applied
at a single point. This load, in practice, is applied with a buoy. The
parameters of the riser are depicted in parts (c) and (d) of Fig. 1.
The steep-S conguration is shown in part (a), and the lazy-S is
shown in (b). The riser is assumed to be inextensible and to have a
relatively small, nonzero bending stiffness. The weight and effect
of buoyancy are included in the analysis. Points on the riser have
coordinates XS,T and YS,T, and rotation yS,T with respect to
the X-axis, where S is the arc length and T is the time. The total
length of the riser is L L1 L2 , and the sea depth is H. The
location measured along the riser arc length from the seaoor
attachment to the buoy connection point is L1, and the height of
the riser at this point measured from the seaoor is H1. In the case
of the lazy-S conguration, the length L1 includes the riser
segment that is resting on the seaoor and the suspended length

buoyed
section

current velocity, V
sea water density,

Lift-off point

Y
H

L2
Y

S
L1

H1

L1

E,I,W
X

Lift-off point

X
Fig. 1. Riser schematics. (a) Steep-S conguration, (b) lazy-S conguration, (c) steep-S riser schematic, (d) lazy-S riser near the seaoor attachment point. Note that for the
lazy wave conguration, L1 includes the segment resting on the seaoor.

S.T. Santillan, L.N. Virgin / Ocean Engineering 38 (2011) 13971402

below the buoy attachment. The horizontal distance between the

riser ends is D. The internal forces in the strip are denoted PS,T
and Q S,T parallel to the X- and Y-axes, respectively, and the
bending moment is MS,T. For both congurations, the upper end
of the riser is pinned (ML,T 0. The lower end of the steepwave riser is also pinned (M0,T 0.
The governing equations, based on geometry, momentcurvature relation, and dynamic equilibrium, are
XS cos y,

1399

1.5

0.5

YS sin y,

yS M=EI,

0.5

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

MS Q cos yP sin y,

Fig. 2. Numerical riser congurations, l 4.0, Bw 4.47, and xed heights at
l1 1.5 of h1 0, 0.1, and 0.4.

PS 2BW=gXTT 2mf UX ST mf U 2 XSS F sin y,

QS 2BW=gYTT 2mf UY ST mf U 2 YSS WB,

where the subscripts S and T denote partial derivatives. The riser has
bending stiffness EI. The buoyancy coefcient is B 1rgA= W,
and the magnitude of a cross-current force, if present, is F rrC d V 2 .
The weight per unit length of the riser in air is given by W. The
steady current velocity is V, r denotes the sea water density, and r
and A are the riser radius and the cross-sectional area, respectively.
The drag coefcient is Cd. The inner uid velocity and mass per unit
length are given by U and mf , respectively.
In this study, only static congurations are considered, and the
following nondimensional quantities are dened:
x X=H,

y Y=H,

l L=H,

l1 L1 =H,

s S=H,
l2 L2 =H,

d D=H,
u UH

m MH=EI,

p PH2 =EI,

q QH2 =EI,

f FH3 =EI,

w WH3 =EI,

h1 H1 =H:

q
mf =EI,

3. Experiments

In nondimensional terms, the governing equilibrium equations

become
xs cos y,
ys sin y,

ys m,
ms q cos yp sin y,
ps u2 xss f sin y,
qs u2 yss Bw:

contact. The lazy-S conguration, however, requires that a nite

length rests on the seaoor. To prevent the analysis from predicting a riser segment lying beneath the seaoor, an alteration of the
numerical analysis is required. To model this condition numerically,
after each numerical iteration is performed, an additional normal
force is included in the vertical force q(s) at any nodes where y o 0.
The location where the riser makes contact with the seaoor is
called the lift-off point. Numerical results for varying h1 values are
shown in Fig. 2. For a buoyant weight of Bw4.47, nondimensional
length l4.0, and buoy attachment point l1 1.5, the riser transitions from lazy-S to steep-S at h1 0:26.

To obtain numerical results for the equilibrium shapes of the

riser, a second-order nite difference method is used. The equations are used to create difference equations for internal nodes of
the riser. The boundary conditions for the steep-S conguration at
s0 (x0 y0 m0 0 and at sl (xl d, yl 1, ml 0
are applied at the end nodes. For the lazy-S conguration, the
boundary conditions are given by x0 y0 y0 0, xl d,
yl 1, and ml 0. The equations are written to accommodate
an intermediate point load; at the location s l1 , the difference
equation corresponding to the vertical internal force q is replaced
with the condition that yl1 h1 . Shooting and continuation
methods are used to approximate solutions to the boundary value
problem for varying parameter values.
There is nothing in the steep-S analysis restricting the riser
from lying beneath the seaoor; however, with reasonable parameter values, the uplift caused by the buoy load prevents seaoor

Experiments have also been designed and conducted in a large

tow tank, allowing for accurate deection and load measurements. The riser is modeled with uoropolymer tubing and a
large tank at the US Naval Academy. These experiments are
designed to validate the numerical results for varying congurations and conditions.
Experimental images are shown in Fig. 3. The tank being used
is 36.6 m long and approximately 1.5 m deep. The water depth in
the tank uctuates, and this depth was measured regularly. Clear
uoropolymer tubing with lengths varying from 4.57 to 6.18 m
was lled with dye through the unsealed ends. The tubing is
hollow with a circular cross-section. The outer diameter of the
tubing is 14 mm with a wall thickness of 0.7 mm. The measured
modulus of elasticity, E, is 434 MPa, and the density is 2150 kg/m3.
The end at the bottom of the tank was pinned to a plate resting on
the tank oor so that the tubing could freely rotate, while the top
end is similarly pinned at the water surface and mounted on a scale
to measure vertical forces. A light cord could be attached at any
point along the length of the tubing with the other end tied to a
oating ring. The cord length could be adjusted to x specic h1
values. The experiment was assembled so that the upward force at
the top end of the riser could be measured with a small scale. To
accurately measure the riser position, a grid was constructed and
placed against the back wall of the tank. The riser deection at
intermediate points along the length could then be measured and
compared with the numerical data.
To verify the numerical data with a baseline case, the tubing was
congured with no intermediate upward force, and the experimental results for this simple conguration were compared with
the numerical results (Fig. 4). These results agree well, and the
vertical force magnitude at the water surface was also measured.
The experimental nondimensional force was ql 4:97, agreeing
well with the numerical value, ql 5:00. The dimensional baseline

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S.T. Santillan, L.N. Virgin / Ocean Engineering 38 (2011) 13971402

First, deected equilibrium shapes were compared by recording

horizontal and vertical positions along the length of the tubing.
These values were also found numerically for corresponding values
of total length l, l1, and horizontal distance d. Two resulting steep-S
congurations are shown in Fig. 5. Continuous curves give numerical
results, and solid data points represent experimental riser coordinates. The open circle gives the location of the buoy attachment
point at s l1 . Experimental nondimensional upward force values at
sl are ql 3:22 and 3.46 for congurations (a) and (b), respectively; numerical values for each conguration are 3.07 and 4.09.
A similar experiment was created for the lazy-S conguration.
Results are shown in Fig. 6. The buoy is attached closer to the
bottom attachment point in part (b), requiring that the waterlevel attachment carry more of the tubing weight. In conguration (a) the experimental and numerical values of q(l) are 3.46 and
3.77, respectively, and as expected these values increase signicantly for conguration (b). For that case the values increase to an

y
1
Fig. 3. Experimental riser and upper attachment. A grid is placed behind the riser
to measure displacements, and the upper attachment allows rotation of the riser
end and is placed on a scale to measure vertical forces on the tubing.

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2

0.8
0.6

x
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

0.5

1.5

2.5

y
1

0.4

0.8

0.2

0.6

0
0.4

0.2
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

0.2
0

Fig. 4. Experimental riser (data points), and numerical results (solid line): l 2.99,
d 2.50, and Bw 4:47.

Table 1
Dimensional and nondimensional values and numerical boundary conditions used
in the present study.
Dimensional

Nondimensional

Baseline values
EI 0.2680 kN m2
H 1.53 m, D 3.82 m
r 2150 kg=m3
ro 7 mm, ri 6.3 mm, L 4.57 m

w 8.357
d 2.50
l 2.99
B 0.5349

Boundary conditions
x(0) 0
y(0) 0
m(0) 0 (steep-S), y0 0 (lazy-S)

Fig. 5. Steep-S riser congurations, Bw 4:47, l 3.02, d 2.7. Data points:

experimental; solid line and open circle: numerical. (a) l1 1.26, h1 0.45.
(b) l1 1.01, h1 0.61.

y 1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2

0
0

xl d
yl 1
ml 0

case values and corresponding nondimensional values appear in

Table 1, along with numerical boundary conditions for each of the
two congurations.

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

y
1

0.5

4. Results
The experiment was congured with varying parameter values,
and deections and forces were compared with numerical results.

x
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

Fig. 6. Lazy-S riser congurations, Bw 4:47, l 3.94. Data points: experimental;

solid line and open circle: numerical. (a) d 3.67, l1 2.03, h1 0:48. (b) d 3.55,
l1 1.67, h1 0:37.

S.T. Santillan, L.N. Virgin / Ocean Engineering 38 (2011) 13971402

experimental value of 5.18 and a numerical value of 5.13. This

force value varies signicantly with the system parameters and
conguration types. The dependence of q(l) on the xed height at
l1 was studied experimentally by xing d and the buoy attachment location and varying only h1. Congurations resulting from
three values were found numerically and are shown in Fig. 7(a).
Calculated force values for the three specied values of h1 0:01,
0.29, and 0.57 are ql 6:34, 4.41, and 3.86, respectively. The
upward force as a function of h1 is shown numerically with
experimental values in Fig. 7(b). The results agree well for this
lazy-S conguration.
A similar study was then performed for a set of parameter
values that cause a transition from the lazy-S to steep-S conguration with increasing h1. Again, some intermediate numerical
equilibrium shapes are shown in Fig. 8(a). For the xed values
shown (h1 0, 0.34, and 0.68), numerical nondimensional force
values at the upper end are 4.93, 4.49, and 4.02. These numerical
and experimental forces are shown in Fig. 8(b). For this specic
set of parameter values, there is a small range of h1 values that
result in a segment in contact with the ground along l1 os o l
(i.e., between the buoy and the water-level attachment point).
This segment loses contact at h1 0:05. As h1 increases beyond
this value, the buoy carries a larger segment of the tubing, causing
a decrease in the required upward force at the upper end. The
conguration transitions from lazy-S to steep-S at h1 0:31, but
the force value at the s l is unaffected by this transition because
the buoy, not the upper attachment, carries the weight of the
uplifted segment at the lower end.
Finally, q(l) is measured for varying buoy attachment location, l1
with xed h1. For this case, the horizontal distance between the
tubing ends was not xed; the upper end was allowed to move and

1401

1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2

0
0

0.5

0.1

0.2

1.5

2.5

q(l)

5.5

4.5

3.5

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

h1
Fig. 8. Riser with varying h1. Bw 4:47, l 3.94, d 3.42, l1 1.74. (a) Numerical
congurations for h1 0, 0.34, and 0.68. (b) Data points: experimental; solid line:
numerical.

y 1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2

0
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

q(l)

for each l1 value, d was recorded. Numerical values of q(l) were

calculated with these varying d values. The congurations shown in
Fig. 9(a) correspond to l1 1:55, 1.94, 2.33, and horizontal length
values d3.54, 3.57, and 3.65. Calculated upper end force magnitudes are 5.72, 4.16, and 2.82. Results for several values are compared
and plotted in Fig. 9(b); numerical and experimental values agree
well for this lazy-S conguration.

6.5

5. Conclusions

5.5

4.5

3.5

h1
0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Fig. 7. Lazy-S riser with varying h1. Bw 4:47, l 3.94, d 3.5, l1 1.84. (a) Numerical
congurations for h1 0:01, 0.29, and 0.57. (b) Data points: experimental; solid line:
numerical.

Steep-S and lazy-S risers have been considered for the planar
equilibrium case. The risers were modeled using the elastica,
where the bending stiffness is included and the bending moment
is assumed to be proportional to the curvature. The upper end of
each riser was pinned, and an upward buoyant force was applied
at an intermediate point along the length. Numerical results were
obtained using a nite difference method; unlike with nite
element packages, this approach is easy to implement and
efcient for all cases, including that of a very low bending
stiffness. Results of a parametric study were then compared with
experimental results that were conducted using a large tank and
uoropolymer tubing.
The effects of the conguration type and the following parameters on the equilibrium shape and upper end force were
investigated: total length, buoy attachment location, and the
xed height of the attachment point. There is strong agreement
between the experimental and numerical results of the study;
future verication of the numerical results can be conducted for

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S.T. Santillan, L.N. Virgin / Ocean Engineering 38 (2011) 13971402

References

y 1
0.5

0
0

x
0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

6.5

q(l)
6

5.5

4.5

3.5

l1
2.5
1.5

1.6

1.7

1.8

1.9

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

Fig. 9. Lazy-S riser with varying l1. Bw 4:47, l 3.94, h1 0:31. (a) Numerical
congurations for l1 1:55, 1.94, 2.33. (b) Data points: numerical; open circles:
experimental.

more complex cases. The numerical model allows for the application of an oscillating upper attachment point that would model
wave motion and for a horizontal current. The model can be
extended to allow for three-dimensional congurations.

Acknowledgments
This work has been supported by Dr. Kelly Cooper under ONR
Grant 000141-0W-X2-1-287.

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