Analytical Models for Seabed Interaction Effects on Steel Catenary Riser in Touchdown Zone

The complex nature of seabed interaction with steel catenary risers (SCR) in touch down zone (TDZ) of SCRs makes serious difficulties for engineering design industry. Design must ensure that the curvature remains well within elastic limits, and that fatigue damage remains acceptable during the life. Analytical methods, despite it is limited in the accuracy because of idealizations of the system response, it offers a first step in assessing the system performance. The paper compares the results of different seabed interaction models with those from finite element analysis to evaluate the accuracy and consistency of solutions for initial design assumptions and fatigue assessment.