Richard J. Seymour, Ozden O. Ochoa

Offshore Oil Composite Drilling Riser

NIST Composite Structures Manufacturing Development Program Faculty: E. Becker, W. Bradley, M. Engelhardt, T. Fowler, J. Roesset, J. Tassoulas, H. Wheat, J. Whitcomb; Industry: Westinghouse Elec. Corp.-Marine Div., ABB Vetco Gray, Hercules, Texaco Deepstar, Reading & Bates

Development and application of analytical and experimental tools to characterize the response of composite tubulars subjected to combined environmental and dynamic mechanical loads at multiple scales.

This program enables the OTRC team to directly contribute their research findings into the development and application of a a pioneer riser that will benefit the deepwater drilling efforts of the offshore industry.

The technical issues addressed by the OTRC team members are as follows: Material Characterization: Fiber-resin compatibility and constitutive lamina and laminate properties at ambient and elevated temperature sea water saturated conditions, wear of liners. Structures: Joining tubular members, development and application non-destructive inspection techniques, dynamic response models, optimization, similitude scaling of test articles, development of large structure testing methods

NIST Production Riser Program

Advanced composite tubular structures offer unique opportunities to reduce capital costs of exploration and production of deepwater oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico.

January 1995 to March 1998

Material characterization data for the operating environment, NDE techniques, computational models for termination, dynamic response and wear analysis

The experimental data base and computational techniques developed at OTRC are being implemented into the design process of the the drilling riser program. Regular progress reviews (6/95, 8/5, 2/96) are conducted between the industrial partners to assess the evolution of the design and manufacturing efforts.