A method of carrying out a combined axial walking and lateral buckling assessment for a flexible flowline has been developed using finite element analysis. The method overcomes limitations of screening assessments which could be inconclusive when applied either to a flexible flowline on an undulating seabed with transverse gradients or to one that buckles during hydrotest.
Flexible flowlines that were to be surface-laid on a seabed with longitudinal undulations and transverse gradients were assessed using the method. The flexible flowlines were simulated in their as-laid state, and the simulation incorporated hydrotest pressure and the pressure & temperature gradients and transients associated with multiple start-ups. The objective was to quantify the axial walking and lateral slip tendency of the flexible flowlines and the impact that walking might have on the connected end structures. The lateral buckle locations predicted by finite element analysis were compared to a post-hydrotest survey and the radius of curvature from analysis was compared to the minimum bend radius of the flexible.
