Tether systems for TLPs 11-53

Annex 11A Tension beams

Axial tension is an important (generally beneficial) influence on the behaviour of a tether or riser. The forces
acting on a small element of a riser or tether in air are shown in Figure 11A.1. Internal and external pressures
result in additional forces applied to the element. These are described in Annex 11B.

Figure 11A.1 Forces on an element of a tensioned beam

Resolve the forces shown in the horizontal direction:

(11A.1)

(11A.2)

(11A.3)

(11A.4)
11-54 Floating structures: a guide for design and analysis

The first two terms arise from the applied tension and vertical forces. The significance of these terms is explained
in Figure 11A.2

The combination of T and curvature is equivalent to a load per unit length of:

Figure 11A.2 Tension beam additional terms

The variation in T implies an approximately vertical load. The resolved component of this load normal to the
member results in the force:

The tension beam behaviour can be replaced in a finite element program beam element by adding appropriate
geometric stiffness terms which depend on the tension T. Various geometric matrices of different accuracies
may be used. Generally the less accurate formulations will require a smaller element size. The simplest geometric
matrix is:

(11A.5)

where T is the tension and L is the length of the element.

This approximates the tension effect to that of a series of rigid links as shown in Figure 11A.3. (Note more
accurate matrices will usually be used but this simple example illustrates the principle.)

(11A.6)
 Tether systems for TLPs 11-55

Figure 11A.3 Simplest representation of tension on a beam

The force applied at the middle node =

(11A.7)

The first term represents the effect of curvature: (see Figure 11.A.2) but concentrates the

resulting forces at the nodes.

The second term represents the effect of : (see Figure 11.A.2) and again concentrates the forces
at the nodes.

A more accurate geometric matrix would result in a pattern of forces and moments at the nodes that was
equivalent to the distributed load resulting from a more accurate representation of the deflected shape.
11-56 Floating structures: a guide for design and analysis

11B Effective tension

Tether or riser tension allows the pipe to balance transverse or lateral loads without large bending stresses. The
basic mechanism is illustrated for a string in Figure 11B.1, the lateral force due the tension being proportional
to the curvature of the string

Tethers and risers, particularly in deep water, are sufficiently heavy that, although the tension at the top is large,
the tethers self weight rapidly decreases and the tether or riser would buckle if it were not for the external
pressure forces.

Figure 11B.1 Stabilizing force of tension in a

string

As discussed in Annex 11A the equivalent transverse force per unit length is .

By analogy the effect of transverse forces which are proportional to the curvature, can be represented by an
effective tension:

(11A.8)

where:
 Tether systems for TLPs 11-57

11B.1 Stabilising force due to external pressure

1. Calculation by pressure integration on the surface

If part of the tether is bent, then because the length along the outside of the bend is greater than that along the
inside (see Figure 11B.2), the external hydrostatic pressure will apply a net force towards the centre of curvature.

Figure 11B.2 Pressure forces acting on a curved pipe

If an originally straight element of pipe is considered as shown in Figure 11B.3.

Figure 11B.3 Pressure forces acting on an element of curved pipe

The resultant force on an element of length s is:

(11A.9)

(11A.10)
11-58 Floating structures: a guide for design and analysis

2. Pressure integration over end caps

An alternative derivation of the stabilising force:

(11A.11)

may help understanding this equivalence. In this derivation instead of integrating the pressure over the exterior
surface, we first add in the cap pressures, Pext , and a compensating tension force Pext Aext , acting on both ends
(Figure 11.B4). Since there is no net load due to a uniform pressure, acting on complete surface, the net effect
of the pressure on the external surface equals the effect of a tension equal to Pext Aext .

Figure 11B.4 Alternative derivation of effective tension

11B.2 Buoyancy and effective tension

When there is a contribution, of wall tension plus external pressure, the effective tension is given by:

(11A.12)

(11A.13)

where m is the mass per unit length of the tether, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and Tentop is the applied
top tension and z is positive downwards.

The external pressure varies linearly with depth:

(11A.14)

Thus:

(11A.15)

where is the water density, which implies a rate of change equal to the sectional weight in water per unit length.
 Tether systems for TLPs 11-59

11B.3 Effect of internal pressure

From the discussion in 11B.1, external pressure, Pext , has the same stabilising effect as tension Ten = Pext Aext . If
the tether contained a fluid with internal pressure Pint , then a derivation similar to that above would show that
the internal pressure had a destabilising effect equivalent to a tension Ten = - Pint Aint, where Aint is the area of the
bore of the pipe.

11B.4 Use of effective tension

Because, as far as their lateral effect on the pipe is concerned, the internal and external pressure are precisely
equivalent to tensions, the pressure effects on lateral dynamics and buckling can be modelled by replacing them
by an effective tension Teneff , where

(11A.16)

An instructive example is of a horizontal hollow tube subject to external and internal pressure (Figure 11B.5).

Figure 11 B.5 Hollow tube with internal and external pressure and
capped ends

Here, provided there are no external loads applied to the ends, the wall tension is given by:

(11A.17)

Thus the nett effective tension is zero. In particular, a flexible tube will not gain lateral stiffness as a result of high
internal pressure (although for example in the case of a bicycle inner tube, the internal pressure may delay
buckling of tube wall, which will increase the range for which the elastic stiffness applies).

In practical problems the wall tension does not balance the internal and external pressure forces in such a simple
way because the pipes are vertical and the densities of the internal and external fluid and the pipe wall material
differ. See Section 11B.5 and 11B.6.

11B.5 Practical calculation of effective tension

The calculation of effective tension is illustrated by two examples.

11B.5.1 Tether example

Figure 11B.6 shows a tether in 800 m of water, attached 30 m above the water surface and with a change in
diameter and thickness at -500 m.

Tether wall tension

11-60 Floating structures: a guide for design and analysis

The wall tension at the top is the applied top tension of 1MN. (If the tether top was below the water level the top
wall tension will be: the applied tension - pressure force on tether top.)

The wall tension decreases from the tether top value at m1g/metre where m is the mass/metre of the upper tether
and becomes compressive at about -150 m.

At - 500 m the change in diameter results in a buoyancy force which increases the wall tension back to a positive
value which then reduces again with m2g/m where m2 is the mass/metre of the lower tether. At the bottom of the
tether the wall is just in compression (25kN).

Tether Pext Aext

Pext increase and therefore Pext Aext increases from the water surface with depth at the rate of g A1 /m where A1
is the external cross sectional area of the upper tether. At -500 m the cross sectional area decreases so Pext Aext
suddenly decreases from g A1 z to 2 zgA where z = - 500 m. Pext Aext then increases again at g A2 / m where A2
is the external cross sectional area of the lower tether.

Tether effective tension

The tether effective tension is simply the sum of the wall tension and Pext Aext. Because the upper tether weighs
less than the water it displaces, the effect of Pext Aext more than counteracts the weight of the upper tether so the
effective tension increases down to the -500 m depth.

At -500 m there is no step change in the effective tension. The increasing wall tension is exactly balanced by the
decreasing Pext Aext as the diameter drops.

Figure 11B.6 Wall tension, Pext Aext and effective tension for a tether
Notes:
1) Tether weight in air = 3986 kN
2) Tether submerged weight = -554kN
3) (steel)= 7.85 tonne/m3
4) (water )= = 1.025 tonne/m3
5) Buoyancy force on bottom of tether = g 800mA2 =1579kN
(This force also taken by the bottom connector which therefore resists in the effective tension)
6) If tether anchored below water line at depth z the wall tension at the top would equal the top tension + gzA1 (where z is negative)

Below-500 m the effective tension reduces with depth, because the wall tension decreases more rapidly than
Pext Aext increases (because this part of the tether weighs more than the water it displaces).