Coupling Effects of A Deep-Water Drilling Riser and the Platform and the Discharging Fluid Column in An Emergency Disconnect Scenario

As drilling operations move into remote locations and extreme water depths, recoil analysis requires more careful considerations and the incidence of emergency disconnect is increased inevitably. To accurately capture the recoil dynamics of a deep-water riser in an emergency disconnect scenario, researchers typically focus on modelling the influential subsystems (e.g., the tensioner, the mud discharge and seawater refilling process) which can be solved in the preprocessing, and then the determined parameters are transmitted into an existing global riser analysis software. Distinctively, the current study devotes efforts into the coupling effects resulting from that the suspended riser reacts the platform heave motion via the tensioner system in the course of recoil and the discharging fluid column follows the oscillation of the riser in the mud discharge process. Four simulation models are established based on lumped mass method employing different formulas for the top boundary condition of the riser and the discharging flow acceleration. It demonstrates that the coupling effects discussed above can significantly affect the recoil behavior during the transition phase from initial disconnect to the final hang-off state. It is recommended to develop a fully-coupled integrated model for recoil analysis and anti-recoil control system design before extreme deep-water applications.