MECHANICS OF DEEP-WATER PIPELINE LAYING

Three methods of deep-water pipeline laying are compared using the finite element method in a geometrical nonlinear formulation. The calculated results demonstrate a high sensitivity of the stressed-strained state of the near-bottom zone of a pipeline to the pipe-lay ship positioning and the related high-risk emergency situations arising in the course of deep-water laying by the classical S- and J-methods. The simulation of a pipeline laying with the aid of float devices reveals several important advantages of this method.