Hydrodynamic Properties of an Asymmetric Deepwater Riser Bundle

The BP operated Greater Plutonio field development offshore Angola comprises a spread-moored FPSO in 1,300 m water depth, serving as a hub processing the fluids produced from or injected into the subsea wells. The selected riser system is a riser tower tensioned by a steel buoyancy tank at its top end and distributed foam buoyancy along a central structural tubular. The riser bundle is asymmetric in cross-section and this paper presents the work performed to determine the specific hydrodynamic characteristics of the design. Both basin tests and CFD analysis results are presented with discussion on some specific hydrodynamic issues: vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of the global riser tower system, VIV of individual risers, and the dynamic stability of the global system (i.e. galloping). Finally, guidelines for the assessment of the hydrodynamic behaviour of such system geometries are proposed. The results of this paper demonstrate that the Greater Plutonio riser bundle represents an effective solution in term of hydrodynamic behaviour and is not sensitive to VIV fatigue or galloping.