OTC 24166

Design of Steel Lazy Wave Riser for Disconnectable FPSO

J ingyun Cheng, and Peimin Cao, SBM Offshore
Copyright 2013, Offshore Technology Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston, Texas, USA, 69 May 2013.

This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Offshore Technology Conference, its
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Abstract
The disconnectable Floating Production Storage and Offloading system (FPSO) is one of the preferred solutions for
deepwater fields in harsh environments and far away from existing pipeline infrastructures. This paper presents a design of
steel lazy wave riser (SLWR) system for an internal turret moored disconnectable FPSO in the Gulf of Mexico. The
integrated systems of FPSO, disconnectable buoy, riser, and mooring are discussed while focusing on the design challenges
of SLWR systems. Due to the complexity of SLWR geometry, a systematic configuration approach is introduced based on
buoy payload and riser performance criteria. The study includes the strength and fatigue analysis of production, gas export
and water injection risers for the connected, disconnecting, and disconnected conditions. It concludes that SLWR with
disconnectable FPSO is a feasible and cost effective solution for deepwater field development in the Gulf of Mexico. The
study demonstrates the importance of an integrated design approach, and provides guidance for configuring and design of
future disconnectable systems with SLWRs.

Introduction
The disconnectable Floating Production Storage and Offloading system (FPSO) is one of the preferred solutions for remote
fields in harsh environments in the Gulf of Mexico, South China Sea, offshore West Australia, and offshore arctic region
from both technical and commercial aspects. The advantage of a disconnectable system compared to a permanent system is
that the mooring system does not have to be designed to accommodate the economically penalizing severe loadings
associated with hurricane and typhoon conditions. It allows rapid vessel removal for maintenance or upgrade. It also enables
phased development due to production uncertainty, which reduces reservoir risk. During the past decades, the disconnectable
FPSOs have been deployed successfully using flexible riser and free standing hybrid riser technology in shallow to deepwater
developments [Refs.1, 2, 3].

Compared with flexible riser and especially with hybrid riser, steel catenary riser (SCR) is simple and cost effective for
deepwater development, particularly under high pressure, high temperature and sour service conditions. It reduces the risks to
delivery schedule and lifetime operation due to additional riser components. SCR has been the preferred riser solution for
deepwater floating production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. It has also been used in the permanent moored FPSOs for
relatively benign environment offshore West Africa. However, SCR is very sensitive to vessel heave motion, and thus may
not be feasible for FPSO in the harsh environment. Steel lazy wave riser (SLWR) has been recently used to decouple vessel
motion under such conditions, e.g., offshore Brazil [Ref. 4]. With many lower tertiary fields discovered in the Gulf of Mexico
far from the existing oil export pipeline infrastructures, it is important to investigate the feasibility of SLWR for
disconnectable FPSO while using existing field proven SCR technology and maintaining commercial competiveness. Internal
turret moored FPSO has been considered in this study. External turret system of the MoorSpar
TM
type is a viable alternative
to enable SCRs [Ref. 5].

This paper presents a disconnectable mooring and riser system while focusing on the design of SLWRs. An internal
disconnectable buoyant turret mooring system (BTM) with full weathervaning capability has been developed to moor an
FPSO in the Gulf of Mexico under winter storm and loop current conditions. In the event of hurricane threat, the BTM and
risers can be quickly released to a predetermined depth to avoid damage and the FPSO sails away to a safe area. The FPSO
will be reconnected with BTM and risers to resume production after passage of the hurricane. The paper focuses on several
technical challenges facing SLWR design, such as payload limitation, riser strength and fatigue performance during
connected, disconnecting, and disconnected conditions. The disconnecting condition refers to a transient process from buoy
2 OTC 24166
release till its final equilibrium position. A systematic configuration approach is introduced. Integrated buoy, riser and
mooring design is required, especially for disconnecting and disconnected conditions. The design of SLWR system follows
API standards and criteria. Its impact on buoy and mooring design is also discussed.

System Description and Design Basis
The field development scenario investigated in this study is located in the Gulf of Mexico at a water depth of 6,000 ft. The
FPSO has a processing capacity of 100,000 BOPD with 1.0 million barrels of oil storage capacity. The system design life is
20 years. The field development consists of four (4) production risers, one (1) gas export riser, one (1) water injection riser
and four (4) umbilicals. The maximum production well pressure is 7,500 psi, and the maximum water injection riser pressure
is 10,000 psi.

The generic central Gulf of Mexico metocean data [Ref. 6] is used in the study as summarized in Tables 1 to 3. Generic long
term current data is not available, but the risers are assumed to be covered with sufficient VIV suppression devices. A
disconnectable BTM system with 360 weathervaning capability is chosen for the study. Based on the design operating
philosophy, the vessel will stay connected with its mooring and riser system up to 1,000-year winter storm or 100-year
sudden hurricane, or maximum loop current conditions. For any incoming hurricane threat, the FPSO will disconnect from its
mooring and riser system and sail away to a safe area. The planned disconnect seastate criterion is significant wave height of
9.84 ft and peak wave period of less than 10 seconds. Emergency disconnect at high seastate with large vessel excursion is
also evaluated.

Based on the required production rate, a double hull Suezmax conversion vessel is selected as the candidate FPSO. The main
particulars are summarized in Table 4. The turret center is located 15% LPP from the bow. The turret diameter is 22 m. The
lower part of turret is connected to a BTM buoy through structure connectors. The BTM buoy keel will be at approximately
65 m below MWL at the disconnected condition.

Table 1 Typical Gulf of Mexico Metocean Data
10 year
Winter
Storm
100 year
Winter
Storm
1,000 year
Winter
Storm
100 year
Sudden
Hurricane
100 year
Hurricane
1,000 year
Hurricane
Significant Wave Height Hs (ft) 18.1 28.9 36.1 26.2 51.8 65.0
Peak Spectral Period Tp (s) 10.0 13.0 14.0 12.2 15.4 17.2
Peak Enhancement Factor 1.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.4 2.4
1-hour Mean Wind Speed Vw (ft/s) 67.0 88.0 108.0 95.5 157.5 196.9
Surface Current Speed Vc (ft/s) 1.8 3.8 4.5 4.8 7.9 9.8

Table 2 Max. Loop Current Data (Associated Wave Hs=4.0 ft, Tp=6 sec)
Water Depth (ft) Current Speed (ft/s)
0 6.90
82 6.90
164 6.82
328 5.02
492 3.74
656 2.94
820 2.40
1,060 1.87
1,148 1.74
1,312 1.54
1,640 1.15
1,968 0.95
2,624 0.53
3,280 0.44
Seabed 0.00

OTC 24166 3
Table 3 Typical Gulf of Mexico Fatigue Seastates
Fatigue
Bin
Hs (ft) Tp (s) Vw (ft/s) Vc (ft/s)
Probability of
Occurrence (%)
1 0.75 4.5 16 0.5 18.034
2 2.5 5.5 20 0.65 39.241
3 4.5 5.5 24 0.75 11.884
4 4.5 7.5 24 0.75 12.403
5 6.5 6.5 28 0.9 5.907
6 6.5 8.5 28 0.9 5.081
7 8.5 8.5 34 1.1 4.210
8 11.0 9.5 38 1.3 2.162
9 13.75 9.5 46 1.5 0.518
10 17.5 11.5 56 1.8 0.473
11 22.5 12.5 72 3.1 0.068
12 27.5 12.5 88 3.8 0.014
13 32.5 14.5 104 4.4 0.003
14 37.5 14.5 116 5.2 0.003

Table 4 FPSO Main Particulars
Parameter Unit Ballasted Fully Loaded
Length between Perpendiculars (LPP) (m) 264.0
Breadth (m) 48.0
Depth (m) 23.2
Turret Location (from midship) (m) 92.4
Draught (m) 8.81 18.83
Displacement (te) 88,977 173,683
Longitudinal Center of Gravity from aft Perpendicular (m) 142.99 132.72
Vertical Center of Gravity (KG) (m) 12.33 14.73
Radius of Gyration in Roll (m) 18.28 15.12
Radius of Gyration in Pitch (m) 75.51 63.82
Radius of Gyration in Yaw (m) 76.20 64.37

A 3 x 3 group mooring system is designed based on API RP-2SK and API RP-2SM. The maximum vessel design offset is
6% and 8% of water depth for intact and one (1) line broken conditions, respectively. In order to reduce the mooring payload,
a chain-polyester-spring buoy-chain mooring leg configuration is adopted. One of the most onerous and complex design
aspects for the disconnectable system is the reconnection process. Following several design iterations of buoy and mooring, it
is decided to limit riser system payload to 1,000 metric tons to assure that buoy design and its reconnection is practical and
feasible. From riser design perspective, reconnection is a controlled quasi-static lifting process; therefore, its impact is
minimal and will not be elaborated in this paper.

SLWR Configuration Philosophy for Disconnectable FPSO
The SLWR is a steel catenary riser with syntactic foam modules added to the middle section of the riser to decouple the
floater dynamic motion from the touchdown of riser and also to reduce riser payload. As a result, the strength and fatigue
performance of the riser is significantly improved. However, deepwater syntactic foam buoyancy modules are very expensive
and difficult to install. Therefore, it is a crucial design tradeoff to incorporate the minimum amount of buoyancy relatively
close to the sea bed, but still sufficiently decouple vessel motions from riser system. For a disconnectable system, riser
payload limit is also a main design constraint to affect the amount of syntactic foam buoyancy required.

Due to its complex geometry and additional design parameters, SLWR has attracted continuous efforts from both academic
and industries to optimize its configuration. A practical design approach based on intuitive observation is introduced here.
This approach allows efficient configuration of a lazy wave shape that meets the riser performance target.

A typical SLWR as shown in Figure 1 consists of the four sections: an upper catenary section, a middle buoyancy section, a
lower catenary section, and a bottom section. Table 5 lists the parameters and variables used to define the SLWR geometry.




4 OTC 24166
Table 5 SLWR Parameters & Variables
Parameters
J Water depth
E The horizontal force for SLWR system
w
1
The submerged weight for upper catenary section
w
2
The submerged weight for middle buoyancy section
w
3
The submerged weight for lower catenary section
I

(i = 1,6) Segment length for each segment
x

(i = 1,6) Scope for each segment

S
1
= I
1
+ I
2
The upper catenary section length
S
3
= I
5
The lower catenary section length
Variables
J
1
Equivalent riser payload water depth
0 Departure angle
S
2
= I
3
+I
4
The middle buoyancy section length

Figure 1 Sketch of Steel Lazy Wave Riser

The static cable solution of the above SLWR shape can be defined by the following three equations:

o
1
sinh [
x
1
u
1
+o
1
sinh[
x
3
u
2
= I
1
+ I
2
= S
1
(1)
o
2
sinh [
x
3
u
2
+ o
2
sinh [
x
S
u
3
= I
3
+ I
4
= S
2
(2)
o
1
cosh[
x
1
u
1
- (o
1
+o
2
) cosh[
x
3
u
2
+ (o
2
+ o
3
)cosh [
x
S
u
3
= o
3
+J (3)

Where o
1
=
H
w
1
; o
2
=
H
w
2
; o
3
=
H
w
3
are the minimum local radii of curvature at the sag bend, arch bend, and touchdown
locations, respectively. The buoyancy ratio is an important design parameter and is defined as
buoyoncy rotio = 1 +
w
2
w
1
= 1 +
u
1
u
2
(4)
OTC 24166 5
The above system has a determined solution for known departure angle 0, equivalent payload water depth J
1
, and buoyancy
section lengthS
2
. The equations also reflect the equilibrium of weight and buoyancy. The net buoyancy of the segment I
3

lifts the weight of the segment I
2
. The net buoyancy of the segment I
4
lifts the weight of the segment I
5
. Therefore, the riser
payload equals to the weight of segment I
1
part of upper catenary riser, which is governed by J
1
.

To determine the optimal SLWR geometry, an intuitive approach is introduced to quantify the decoupling effect. The
approach uses riser touchdown point (TDP) movement per unit horizontal or vertical hang off motion as a measure to predict
decoupling efficiency. It is obvious the less the TDP moves, the more efficient the system is. This definition can be better
explained by previous studies [Ref. 7] that related TDP movement to the bending stress variation near the touchdown region.
To further illustrate the idea, several parametric studies have been performed. Equations 1 to 3 are modified to compute
geometry change due to offset at the hang off point. Figure 2 shows the TDP shift comparison between a SCR and a SLWR.
The slope of the line defines the TDP movement per unit offset. It is shown that the SLWR has significantly less TDP
movement than the SCR for the same departure angle. It can also be seen that both riser configurations will be more sensitive
to heave motion than surge motion. This explains why riser fatigue life of the turret moored FPSO is governed by porch
heave motion. Figure 3 compares SLWR decoupling efficiency for various buoyancy lengths S
2
with the same departure
angle and equivalent riser payload water depth. It shows that longer buoyancy configuration provides more decoupling as
expected. Figure 4 compares SLWR decoupling efficiency for various equivalent riser payload water depths J
1
with the same
departure angle and buoyancy length. It shows that deeper equivalent riser payload water depth configuration provides more
decoupling.

To validate the above hypothesis, wave fatigue analysis is performed for an 8-inch riser with the various SLWR
configurations. Figure 5 shows TDP fatigue life from FLEXCOM analysis for various SLWR configurations. The fatigue
results confirm that TDP movement is strongly correlated to the fatigue life of touchdown region, and thus a good measure to
predict SLWR decouple efficiency. A detailed correlation study can be performed based on the methodology proposed in
[Ref. 7].


Figure 2 Decoupling Efficiency between SLWR vs. SCR

Figure 3 Decoupling Efficiency for SLWRs with Various Buoyancy Section Lengths
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
V
e
r
t
i
c
a
l

D
i
s
t
a
n
c
e

(
f
t
)
Scope(ft)
SCRvs.SLWR
SCR
SLWR
20
15
10
5
0
5
10
15
20
10 5 0 5 10
T
D
P

M
o
v
e
m
e
n
t

(
f
t
)
Hangoff Offset(ft)
SCRvs.SLWR
SCRVertical
SCRHorizontal
SLWRVertical
SLWRHorizontal
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
V
e
r
t
i
c
a
l

D
i
s
t
a
n
c
e

(
f
t
)
Scope(ft)
SLWR(6000'WD,DepartureAngle=8deg,d1=95%WaterDepth)
1300ftBuoyancy
1500ftBuoyancy
1700ftBuoyancy
1900ftBuoyancy
2100ftBuoyancy
6
4
2
0
2
4
6
10 5 0 5 10
T
D
P

M
o
v
e
m
e
n
t

(
f
t
)
Hangoff Offset(ft)
SLWR(6000'WD,DepartureAngle=8deg,d1=95%WaterDepth)
1300ftBuoyancy
1500ftBuoyancy
1700ftBuoyancy
1900ftBuoyancy
2100ftBuoyancy
6 OTC 24166

Figure 4 Decoupling Efficiency for SLWRs with Different Payloads



Figure 5 TDP Fatigue Life Comparison for Various SLWRs Configurations

Based on the above study, the following procedure has been adopted to configure a SLWR for a disconnectable system.
Step 1). The riser hang off angles and azimuth angles are selected to accommodate project specific subsea layout, mooring
offset balance, buoy trim balance, and interference considerations.
Step 2). Determine equivalent payload water depth J
1
based on riser payload limit allowed by the buoy.
Step 3). Perform parametric buoyancy length study to determine the decoupling effect to meet the performance target.
Step 4). Other important factors such as maximum hang off angle, VIV fatigue, riser strength and fatigue at hang off and
buoyancy regions need to be confirmed during detail analysis.
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
V
e
r
t
i
c
a
l

D
i
s
t
a
n
c
e

(
f
t
)
Scope(ft)
SLWR(6000'WD,DepartureAngle=8deg,DifferentPayload)
1700ftBuoyancy,d1=75%WaterDepth
1700ftBuoyancy,d1=85%WaterDepth
1700ftBuoyancy,d1=95%WaterDepth
6
4
2
0
2
4
6
10 5 0 5 10
T
D
P

M
o
v
e
m
e
n
t

(
f
t
)
RiserHangoff VerticalOffset(ft)
SLWR(6000'WD,Departureangle=8deg,DifferentPayload)
1700ftBuoyancy,d1=75%WaterDepth
1700ftBuoyancy,d1=85%WaterDepth
1700ftBuoyancy,d1=95%WaterDepth
OTC 24166 7
Description of SLWR System
The key design data for various SLWRs considered in this study are summarized in Table 6. The riser wall thickness is
calculated based on the pressure requirement per CFR and API RP 2RD. The production risers are also covered with thermal
insulation layer for flow assurance considerations. All risers will be covered by fairings approximately 90 percent of upper
suspended length to suppress VIV. Fairings are selected to reduce drag force from current loading and from buoy descent
velocity during disconnect. It is also prudent to add VIV suppress devices near the lower catenary section when strong near
seabed current exists. The overall payload from riser and umbilical system is about 1,000 metric tons. The equivalent payload
water depth is 75% for production and gas export risers, and 70% for water injection riser. Figure 6 illustrates the riser and
umbilical system with FPSO and BTM mooring system.

Figure 6 Illustration of the Disconnectable SLWR System

Table 6 SLWR Design Data
8 Production 6 Gas Export 10 Water Injection
Pipe OD (inch) 8.625 6.625 10.75
Pipe WT (inch) 1.0 0.625 1.30
Material Grade X70 X70 X70
Corrosion Allowance (inch) 0.1574 - -
Dry Weight Tolerance +7% +7% +7%
Thermal Insulation or
Coating Thickness (inch)
3 0.018 0.018
Thermal Insulation/Coating Density (lb/ft
3
) 50.0 90.0 90.0
MAOP (psi) 7,500 3,625 10,000
Content Density (lb/ft
3
) 55.0 19.8 64.0~69.25
Departure Angle (deg) 6 6 6
Top Termination Unit Flex J oint Flex J oint Flex J oint
Equivalent Riser Payload Water Depth J
1
(ft) 4,500 4,500 4,200
Upper Catenary Section Length S
1
(ft) 5,400 5,190 5,026
Middle Buoyancy Section LengthS
2
( (ft) 1,800 1,500 2,200
Lower Catenary Section Length S
3
( (ft) 1,398 1307 1,398
Buoyancy Ratio 2.0 2.0 1.8
Buoyancy Material Density (lb/ft
3
) 36.7 36.7 36.7
VIV Suppression Coverage 90% 90% 90%
8 OTC 24166
Load Case Matrix
The full riser design load case matrix includes connected, disconnecting, disconnected, and reconnecting conditions. Omni-
directional environments are considered in this study. To reduce the amount of analysis work, a screening analysis is
performed for various vessel drafts, vessel headings, riser porch locations and azimuth angles. In general, ballasted draft
condition tends to induce more vessel dynamic motions than fully loaded draft condition. The BTM mooring allows the
vessel to weathervane. For simplicity, vessel headings between 0 and 30 degrees are compared. A heading of 30 degrees is
found more onerous than the head sea, and is used for riser strength design. Based on the results of the screening analysis, the
critical load cases and acceptance criteria for the riser strength design are detailed in Table 7. It is noted that accidental
conditions such as buoy or FPSO compartment flooded cases will be considered in the detailed design. The impact of buoy
damage can be reduced by its compartmentation design.
Table 7 Riser Strength Design Load Case Matrix
FPSO/buoy Connection Environment Mooring Condition Load Category API Stress Criteria
Connected 10-year Winter Storm Intact Operating 0.67 o

Connected 100-year Winter Storm Intact Extreme 0.80 o

Connected Max. Loop Current Intact Extreme 0.80 o

Connected 100-year Winter Storm One mooring line broken Survival 1.00 o

Connected 1000-year Winter Storm Intact Survival 1.00 o

Disconnected 100-year Hurricane Intact Extreme 0.80 o

Disconnected 1000-year Hurricane Intact Survival 1.00 o

Planned Disconnect Hs=3m Intact Operating 0.67 o

SLWR is modeled using nonlinear finite element software FLEXCOM. Riser buoyancy modules are modeled as continuous
section with equivalent mass and hydrodynamic properties. Table 8 lists the riser internal fluid properties for various
conditions. For emergency disconnect, full bore pressure is assumed.

Table 8 Riser Internal Fluid Properties
Load Case
Production Gas Export Water Injection
Density
(lb/ft
3
)
Pressure
(psi)
Density
(lb/ft
3
)
Pressure
(psi)
Density
(lb/ft
3
)
Pressure
(psi)
Operating 50 2,500 19.8 3,625 69.0 10,000
Extreme 50 7,500 19.8 3,625 69.0 10,000
Survival 50 7,500 19.8 3,625 69.0 10,000
Planned Disconnect 50 n/a 19.8 n/a 69.0 n/a

The strength design of SLWRs is implemented in accordance with API RP-2RD. For the connected cases, the analyses for
each riser are performed in the near, cross and far riser directions with multiple three (3) hours random dynamic simulations.
The vessel motions are input using RAO approach. It is assumed that the hull offset is 5% of water depth for operating
conditions, is 6% of water depth for extreme conditions, and is 8% of water depth for damaged and survival conditions. The
observed extreme responses from all realizations are used to estimate the extreme expected value. For both disconnected and
disconnecting cases, time traces motions generated by the coupled global performance software AQWA are imposed for the
riser analysis.

The fatigue design of SLWRs should include damages from connected, disconnecting, disconnected, vortex induced
vibration, slugging, and installation. This study only focuses on wave loading fatigue from connected, disconnecting, and
disconnected conditions. The target system design life for connected condition is conservatively set as 2,000 years including
a factor of safety 10. This provides sufficient design allowance for other fatigue damage sources. For disconnecting and
disconnected conditions, the system is designed to accommodate two (2) full hurricane events annually. To simplify the
analysis scenario, 100-year hurricane condition with 72 hours duration is conservatively assumed. Time domain rain-flow
cycle counting approach based on stress cycle (S-N) method is used to estimate the fatigue damage. API X curve with an
SCF value of 1.2 is used for pipe to pipe welds. The fatigue damage at critical TDP, buoyancy section, hang off (1
st
offshore
weld between flex-joint extension piece and riser pipe) are reported.

Analysis Results
The strength analysis results for production, gas export, and water injection risers are summarized in Tables 9, 10 and 11,
respectively. It is found that all risers meet the API RP 2RD stress criteria. The main conclusions are discussed as follows:
For the connected condition, some minor compression has been observed at the lower end of upper catenary section
for production riser and gas export riser during 1,000-year winter storm. The compression level remains low and
OTC 24166 9
will not cause any overstress and buckle of the riser pipe. This is induced by the large downward heave velocity at
about 19 ft/s. The results confirm that maximum heave velocity is the key measure to assess FPSO steel riser
feasibility [Ref.8]. The maximum flex joint rotation angle is less than 13 degrees, which is within the 20 degree
design allowable. Typical riser von Mises stress distribution and effective tension distribution envelopes in the 100-
year winter storm are plotted in Figure 7.
For the disconnected condition, the BTM buoy keel is submerged to a depth of 65 meters below MWL. The effect of
the extreme hurricane wave loading is reduced by more than 60% at this water depth. Therefore, riser stress and flex
joint angle are relatively low compared with the connected condition. It should be noted that current drag loading
will significantly influence the buoy and riser displacement due to low mooring stiffness at this stage.
Buoy release is a complex transient process. Buoy response depends on many factors including buoy/turret
configuration, mooring and riser loads, vessel offset, disconnect seastate and release time. Integrated buoy, mooring
and riser system is analyzed using coupled hydrodynamic software, which is calibrated by model tests. Figure 8
compares the typical buoy heave and pitch motions for connected, disconnecting, and disconnected seastates. It can
be seen that except for the quick initial descent, the buoy tends to have a large inclination angle when it exits from
the turret moonpool. Based on the design iterations from the integrated analysis model, the buoy should be designed
to limit its descent velocity to less than 13 ft/s and inclination angle to less than 14 deg in order to meet the riser and
operation performance requirement. The riser results of planned disconnecting condition meet the above design
limits. The vessel offset prior to release significantly affects the buoy velocity and angle. Based on the emergency
disconnect evaluation, the vessel excursion limit is 2.5% of water depth. This requirement will be included in the
operation philosophy.

Table 9 Strength Analysis Results for 8-inch Production Riser
Min
Tension
(kips)
TDP Stress
(ksi)
/Utilization
Arch Stress
(ksi)
/Utilization
Hang-off
Stress(ksi)
/Utilization
Max. Flex
J oint Rotation
Angle (deg)
10-yr Winter Storm (Connected) Operating 20.5 24.0 /0.51 27.3 /0.58 24.4 /0.52 2.8
100-yr Winter Storm (Connected) Extreme 9.1 43.0 /0.77 46.0 /0.82 40.6 /0.73 7.5
1000-yr Winter Storm (Connected) Survival -6.8 41.3 /0.59 48.8 /0.70 47.5 /0.68 12.8
100-yr Hurricane (Disconnected) Extreme 21.5 20.4 /0.37 23.2 /0.41 23.2 /0.39 3.1
1000-yr Hurricane (Disconnected) Survival 23.0 20.1 /0.29 23.0 /0.33 23.0 /0.34 4.4
Planned Disconnect 13.2 20.0 /0.43 23.0 / 0.49 20.9 /0.45 2.6
Emergency Disconnect -27.2 42.4 /0.61 44.5 /0.64 64.3 /0.92 14.5

Table 10 Strength Analysis Results for 6-inch Gas Export Riser
Min
Tension
(kips)
TDP Stress
(ksi)
/Utilization
Arch Stress
(ksi)
/Utilization
Hang-off
Stress(ksi)
/Utilization
Max. Flex
J oint Rotation
Angle (deg)
10-yr Winter Storm (Connected) Operating 9.8 18.6 /0.40 23.2 /0.49 24.7 /0.53 2.4
100-yr Winter Storm (Connected) Extreme 4.1 19.4 /0.35 28.1 /0.50 39.1 /0.70 6.2
1000-yr Winter Storm (Connected) Survival -3.6 22.3 /0.32 37.5 /0.54 60.8 /0.87 10.4
100-yr Hurricane (Disconnected) Extreme 11.5 16.0 /0.29 21.0 /0.37 22.1 /0.39 3.1
1000-yr Hurricane (Disconnected) Survival 10.6 16.0 /0.23 22.0 /0.31 24.2 /0.35 4.3
Planned Disconnect 9.5 18.9 /0.40 21.5 /0.46 19.8 /0.42 2.2
Emergency Disconnect -7.0 18.6 /0.27 32.9 /0.47 63.8 /0.91 13.2

Table 11 Strength Analysis Results for 10-inch Water Injection Riser
Min
Tension
(kips)
TDP Stress
(ksi)
/Utilization
Arch Stress
(ksi)
/Utilization
Hang-off
Stress(ksi)
/Utilization
Max. Flex
J oint Rotation
Angle (deg)
10-yr Winter Storm (Connected) Operating 44.8 42.8 /0.91 44.3 /0.94 38.0 /0.81 3.0
100-yr Winter Storm (Connected) Extreme 34.2 42.8 /0.76 45.0 /0.80 42.0 /0.75 7.3
1000-yr Winter Storm (Connected) Survival 20.6 43.8 /0.63 46.9 /0.67 45.4 /0.65 11.7
100-yr Hurricane (Disconnected) Extreme 50.4 41.5 /0.74 37.5 /0.67 36.7 /0.65 3.0
1000-yr Hurricane (Disconnected) Survival 48.7 41.1 /0.59 37.9 /0.54 37.0 /0.53 4.1
Planned Disconnect 50.0 24.9 /0.53 26.4 /0.56 23.7 /0.51 3.1
Emergency Disconnect 2.0 42.4 /0.61 43.6 /0.62 49.0 /0.70 16.8
10 OTC 24166

Figure7 8-inch Production Riser Max. API 2RD von Mises Stress and Effective Tension Envelope






Figure 8 Comparison of Buoy Motion Time Series

0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000
M
a
x
.

v
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M
is
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s

S
t
r
e
s
s
(
A
P
I

2
R
D
)

(
k
s
i
)
CurvilinearDistance Along Structure(ft)
SLWRforDisconnectableFPSO/8"Productionriser,100yrwinterstorm,
30degheading,Ballasteddraft
Cross
Near
Far
0
100
200
300
400
500
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000
E
f
f
e
c
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e

T
e
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s
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E
n
v
e
l
o
p
e

(
k
i
p
s
)
CurvilinearDistance along Structure(ft)
SLWRforDisconnectableFPSO/8"ProductionRiser,100yrWinterStorm
30degheading,Ballasteddraft
Near
Cross
Far
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
6000 6100 6200 6300 6400 6500 6600
B
u
o
y

H
e
a
v
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(
f
t
)
Time(s)
BuoyConnected@100yrWinterStorm
BuoyVertical Displacement
6
4
2
0
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4
6
6000 6100 6200 6300 6400 6500 6600
B
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Time(s)
BuoyConnected@100yrWinterStorm
BuoyPitch
250
200
150
100
50
0
5620 5660 5700 5740 5780 5820 5860
B
u
o
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H
e
a
v
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(
f
t
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Time(s)
BuoyDisconnecting@Hs=3m
BuoyVertical Displacement
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6
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Time(s)
BuoyDisconnecting@Hs=3m
BuoyPitch
230
220
210
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190
180
170
6000 6100 6200 6300 6400 6500 6600
B
u
o
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H
e
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v
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(
f
t
)
Time(s)
BuoyDisconnected@100yrHurricane
BuoyVertical Displacement
6
4
2
0
2
4
6
6000 6100 6200 6300 6400 6500 6600
B
u
o
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R
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(
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Time(s)
BuoyDisconnected@100yrHurricane
BuoyPitch
OTC 24166 11
Wave loading fatigue lives are computed for the three different risers based on FPSO ballasted draft (40% time) and fully
loaded draft (60% time) for the connected condition. It is assumed the risers are in the near plan and vessel is at 30 degree
heading. The estimated unfactored lives at critical locations of touchdown zone, buoyancy arch and hang-off zone are
summarized in Table 12. Its found that all risers exceed fatigue target of 2,000 years. In general, fully loaded condition
causes less fatigue damage rate than the ballasted draft condition. The touchdown zone is more critical than the buoyancy
arch. For hang off zone, the fatigue damage can be mitigated by moving 1
st
offshore weld location further away from the
hang off point. Fatigue life distribution along the 8 production riser is shown in Figure 9. The detailed damage breakdown is
listed in Table 13. The majority of wave loading fatigue at the riser touchdown zone is caused by the median seastates,
induced mainly by vessel heave and pitch motions. The majority of wave loading fatigue at the riser hang off zone is caused
by the median to high seastates, induced mainly by vessel pitch and roll motions.

Table 12 Comparison of Unfactored Wave Loading Fatigue Lives for Connected Condition
Riser FPSO Draft
Fatigue Life (yrs)
Touchdown Zone Buoyancy Section Hang-off
8" Production
Ballasted Draft 2,410 5,666 1,560
Fully Loaded Draft 3,507 8,400 3,092
Combined 2,966 7,040 2,220
6 Gas Export
Ballasted Draft 2,791 3,892 3,000
Fully Loaded Draft 4,355 4,860 6,000
Combined 3,557 4,420 4,285
10" Water
Injection
Ballasted Draft 2,357 6,332 2,234
Fully Loaded Draft 3,979 8,933 4,970
Combined 3,120 7,672 3,335

Table 13 Comparison of Fatigue Breakdown (8-inch Production Riser / Ballasted Draft)
Fatigue
Bin
Hs
(ft)
Tp
(s)
Probability of
Occurrence (%)
Touchdown Zone Buoyancy Section
Hang-off (1
st
Offshore
Weld)
Damage
Probability
Damage
Damage
Probability
Damage
Damage
Probability
Damage
1 0.75 4.5 18.034 0.00% 2.39E-11 0.00% 7.28E-12 0.00% 6.88E-10
2 2.5 5.5 39.241 0.00% 4.91E-09 0.00% 1.52E-09 0.00% 1.35E-07
3 4.5 5.5 11.884 0.00% 1.31E-08 0.00% 4.07E-09 0.00% 3.62E-07
4 4.5 7.5 12.403 0.50% 2.05E-06 0.26% 4.64E-07 0.19% 2.54E-05
5 6.5 6.5 5.907 0.10% 4.33E-07 0.06% 1.14E-07 0.06% 8.11E-06
6 6.5 8.5 5.081 4.98% 2.07E-05 2.27% 4.00E-06 1.06% 1.45E-04
7 8.5 8.5 4.210 9.89% 4.10E-05 4.80% 8.48E-06 2.41% 3.28E-04
8 11.0 9.5 2.162 30.31% 1.26E-04 17.46% 3.08E-05 8.36% 1.14E-03
9 13.75 9.5 0.518 13.22% 5.49E-05 9.93% 1.75E-05 6.02% 8.20E-04
10 17.5 11.5 0.473 37.25% 1.55E-04 49.19% 8.68E-05 47.06% 6.41E-03
11 22.5 12.5 0.068 1.03% 4.26E-06 2.40% 4.23E-06 3.06% 4.16E-04
12 27.5 12.5 0.014 0.30% 1.24E-06 1.19% 2.11E-06 1.60% 2.18E-04
13 32.5 14.5 0.003 1.00% 4.15E-06 4.31% 7.61E-06 9.24% 1.26E-03
14 37.5 14.5 0.003 1.42% 5.89E-06 8.12% 1.43E-05 20.93% 2.85E-03
Sum 100% 100% 100% 100%


12 OTC 24166

Figure 9 8-inch Production Riser Wave Loading Fatigue Life along Riser

Table 14 presents fatigue results for disconnecting and disconnected conditions. Annual fatigue damage includes the total
damage for BTM disconnecting, and 72 hours disconnected conditions from two 100-year hurricane events. The reconnection
damage is negligible. Coupled motion time traces are used to predict the buoy and riser responses. It can be seen that the
fatigue damage is significant and comparable with those from the connected seastates. It should be noted that the storm
condition and its duration are conservatively assumed in the study. Further increase of buoy submerged depth can also
mitigate riser fatigue damage.
Table 14 Disconnecting and Disconnected Fatigue Results
Riser
8 Production 6 Gas Export 10 Water Injection
Touch
Down Zone
Hang Off
Zone
Touch
Down Zone
Hang Off
Zone
Touch
Down Zone
Hang Off
Zone
Planned Disconnect Event Damage 2.75e-6 1.23e-5 2.12e-6 3.29e-6 2.51e-5 1.50e-5
100-yr Hurricane Disconnected
Event Damage for 72 hrs Duration
2.13e-4 3.42e-4 2.81e-4 1.77e-4 1.63e-4 7.15e-5
Annual Fatigue Damage Total (2 events) 4.32e-4 7.09e-4 5.66e-4 3.60e-4 3.31e-4 1.73e-4
Unfactored Fatigue Life (Years) 2,312 1,411 1,765 2,776 3,022 5,779

Conclusions
This paper has presented the feasibility design of a SLWR system for a disconnectable FPSO with BTM in the 6,000 ft water
depth in the Gulf of Mexico. An integrated approach is required to design the buoy, mooring and riser systems. With the
focus on the SLWR configuration and design, the key conclusions are as follows:
An efficient procedure is presented to systematically configure SLWRs for disconnectable FPSOs.
SLWR touchdown movement per unit hang off offset is a good measure to predict the decoupling efficiency. It is
strongly correlated to the fatigue life of touchdown region.
SLWR for the disconnectable BTM can be configured based on buoy payload and target riser performance.
Based on the analysis results, internal turret moored FPSO with SLWR is feasible to be connected under maximum
winter storm and loop current conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. The fatigue life for connected seastates exceeds the
design target based on proposed procedure.
The riser system will impose design constraints for buoy descent velocity and inclination angle. For emergency
disconnect, the vessels excursion is limited by these design constraints. The fatigue damage during disconnecting
and disconnected conditions is significant and comparable with that in the connected seastates.

In summary, the study demonstrates that the disconnectable FPSO with SLWR system is a feasible and cost effective solution
for the deepwater development in the Gulf of Mexico. The integrated approach presented in this paper can also be used for
similar applications in other areas.

10
100
1000
10000
100000
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 11000
F
a
t
i
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u
e

L
i
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(
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r
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TDP< ArcLength(ft) >Hangoff
SLWRforDisconnectableFPSO WaveFatigue/BallastedDraft
8"Prod 30degHeading
Hangoff
TDP
OTC 24166 13
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge permission from SBM Offshore to prepare and publish this work. The authors would
like to thank Carlos Mastrangelo, J ingxi He, and Sherry Xiang for their review and valuable comments.

Abbreviation Lists
BOPD Barrels of Oil Per Day
BTM Buoyant Turret Mooring
FPSO Floating Production Storage and Offloading
MAOP Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure
MWL Mean Water Level
LPP Length between Perpendiculars
OD Outer Diameter
RAO Response Amplitude Operator
SCF Stress Concentration Factor
SCR Steel Catenary Riser
SLWR Steel Lazy Wave Riser
TDP Touch Down Point
VIV Vortex Induced Vibration
WT Wall Thickness

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