SPH Simulation of Hydrodynamic Forces on Subsea Pipelines

Hydrodynamic forces on subsea pipelines are simulated using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The objective is to assess the suitability of this method for common sub-sea engineering problems. The standard SPH formulation is used for simulation of cases with high KC and Re numbers, where the flow becomes turbulent with laminar or partially turbulent boundary layer. The numerical model includes a pipe section with smooth surface resting on a flat bottom. The pipe is exposed to various combinations of regular waves and current. The current is modelled as a steady flow of fluid particles and the waves are represented by forced oscillations of the pipe at defined frequencies and amplitudes. The selected KC and Re numbers produces subcritical and supercritical flows, which simulate extreme load cases on pipelines. In subcritical flows, the estimated forces on the pipeline agree well with experimental data. In supercritical flows with high KC and Re values, a relatively finer particle resolution is required in order to capture multiple harmonics of oscillating lift force. In conclusion, the SPH method could satisfactorily predict hydrodynamic forces on pipelines for the cases investigated.