Effective Lateral Buckling Mitigation for Deepwater Flowline

Abstract

A noble lateral buckling design mitigation scheme involving combined vertical and lateral offsets incorporated in a conventional sleeper concept has been developed [1]. This so called Zero-Radius-Bend (ZRB) method significantly improves the buckle initiation reliability and its effectiveness has been field proven on many recent projects. This paper first describes the ZRB buckle mitigation method, its unique characteristics and ensuing advantages over the conventional sleeper method, followed by specific design and analysis considerations for deepwater application using reel-lay or J-lay installation method to create the lateral offset. Other considerations for lateral buckling such as post-reel response and cyclic lateral buckling-axial walking interaction response are also discussed.