A new finite element formulation to analyze stresses and displacements in submarine pipelines during laying operations is presented in this paper. The method is based on the corotational formulation using Bernoulli nonlinear beam elements to model the large displacements and rotations of the pipeline. The penalty method is used with spring-contact elements to accurately represent the actual boundary conditions on both the stinger and the sea floor. A comparison with a finite element formulation introduced by the authors in a previous paper is presented in order to verify the accuracy and computational effectiveness of the proposed method. A real laying case of an oil transportation submarine pipeline is also presented at the end of the paper to validate the results obtained with the developed formulation.

Issue Section:
Technical Papers
Keywords:
modelling, submarine cables, pipe flow, finite element analysis, displacement control, rotation, oil technology, supports, seafloor phenomena, flexible structures
Topics:
Boundary-value problems, Displacement, Finite element analysis, Modeling, Pipelines, Pipes, Seabed, Springs, Stiffness, Stress, Underwater pipelines, Weight (Mass), Rotation
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