Numerical Analysis of Experimental Data of Subsea Jumper Vortex Induced Vibrations

Vortex Induced Vibrations (VIV) may cause fatigue damage to subsea jumpers that are exposed to bottom currents. ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company (URC) has been conducting research on VIV of subsea jumpers since 2011. Model tests conducted on an “M” shaped jumper in 2012 showed that VIV can occur in subsea jumpers over a wide range of bottom current speeds and directions [1]. Presently, there is no well-established industry practice for assessing subsea jumper VIV and determining the need for its suppression. In this paper, we present two different methods for characterizing jumper VIV response based on the model test data described in [1]. Specifically, these methods consist of spectral analysis of local response and modal scalar analysis of global response. These methods are used to analyze measured response over a wide range of towing speeds and towing directions. A brief summary of the findings are provided and some general conclusions are drawn.