Numerical Study on Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Ocean Riser with Smart Buoyancy Materials

Abstract

With the gradual shift of oil and gas resource exploitation from shallow waters to deep waters worldwide, traditional steel risers are gradually unable to meet the demand for deep water use. Compared to metal risers, smart composite material risers have advantages such as corrosion resistance, high specific strength, and good thermal insulation performance, which are more in line with the needs of deep-sea oil and gas resource exploitation. This article is based on the research hotspot of applying hollow glass microbeads as a new type of composite buoyancy material to deep-sea oil production risers. Aiming at the different performances between smart material risers and traditional steel risers, finite element method is used to conduct static and thermodynamic analysis on various forms of ocean oil production risers. The study found that using composite materials instead of some metal materials can reduce platform top tension and engineering costs while meeting functional requirements. In addition, using composite material risers can reduce heat loss while ensuring a constant flow rate, thereby increasing the transportation temperature of internal oil and gas.