Intecsea awarded best paper for flexible riser structural digital twin

July 6th, 2021

The Society for Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) recently recognized us, along with ExxonMobil, for our publication into understanding flexible riser structural digital twin. We received the SNAME 2021 Best Paper Award for our publication titled A flexible riser digital twin for real-time structural integrity management.

A flexible riser is a pipe that carries hydrocarbons from the seabed to a floating production, storage and offloading facility. Because it flexes and bends due to harsh environmental conditions, its tensile armour wire accumulates fatigue, which is an industry-wide problem that can cost USD 20 million to fix. It also leads to downtime which can cost significantly more.

To predict flexible riser fatigue, the industry simulates the repeated bending of the flexible riser using a digital twin – a virtual version of the actual structure. But traditionally, one bending cycle can take up to 48 hours to complete.

We sped up the process using FLEXAS, a real-time simulation that computes the dynamic conditions a flexible riser experiences at subsea levels. Bending cycles now take seconds, allowing operators to predict and reduce the risk of flexible riser fatigue in different conditions much more quickly.

To date, many oil and gas operators have used FLEXAS for a range of applications. This includes Shell, which uses it to run fatigue assessments  on its offshore operations. The award, along with FLEXAS’ widespread use, encourages us to continue innovating, helping offshore operators find solutions to common challenges.

If you'd like further information, please contact:

Brian McShane, Senior Vice President
brian.mcshane@intecsea.com

Arya Majed (PhD), Technical Advisor
arya.majed@intecsea.com

Hema Wadhwa (PhD), Remote Monitoring and Digital Solutions Manager
hema.wadhwa@intecsea.com