Prediction of Response of a SCR Using the Multi-Gaussian Maximum Entropy Method

The dynamic analysis of deepwater floating production systems has many complexities, such as the dynamic coupling between the vessel and the lines, the coupling between the first-order and second-order wave forces, several sources of nonlinearities. These complexities can be captured by fully coupled time domain analyses. However they require an enormous computational cost, especially for the evaluation of tails of the distributions of the extreme responses, which are of great interest for practical reliability design purposes. In this paper the non-Gaussian probability density functions of the responses are evaluated through a novel moment-based approach, based on the Maximum Entropy principle, called Multi-Gaussian Maximum Entropy Method (MGMEM). The application to a Steel Catenary Riser (SCR) shows the accuracy and effectiveness of the presented procedure.