Well Intervention Tower Fatigue Life Optimisation
Project Overview
PDL partnered with Osbit to support the design verification of a highly complex offshore well intervention tower for deployment by Helix Energy Solutions. The project required a detailed fatigue assessment under demanding offshore environmental conditions, while maintaining an existing design that was constrained by weight, cost and programme requirements.
Our Solution
Our engineers deployed a comprehensive suite of simulation tools, including ANSYS Mechanical for structural analysis and ANSYS Fluent for thermal-fluid interaction. We developed a detailed 3D model of the component, applying realistic boundary conditions and material properties. Key aspects of our solution included:
Material Characterization : Incorporating advanced material models to accurately represent behavior under irradiation and high temperatures
Topology Optimization : Identifying optimal material distribution to reduce weight while maintaining structural integrity.
Thermal-Structural Coupling : Simulating the interaction between temperature fields and structural deformation.
Fatigue Life Prediction : Performing high-cycle and low-cycle fatigue analysis to predict component lifespan.
By accurately representing the vessel's dynamic response, PDL reduced calculated stress ranges by more than 50% in key areas compared with conventional approaches. This allowed the existing design to be validated without increasing structural weight while significantly improving its predicted fatigue performance. The methodology was subsequently adopted as the basis for future offshore fatigue assessments and received strong support from stakeholders and classification authorities.
Client: Osbit
Sector: Oil & Gas
Service Provided: Advanced Analysis, Global Dynamics, Fatigue Assessment, Software Tool Development
Challenge: Accurate fatigue prediction of a complex offshore structure under dynamic wave loading without increasing structural weight
Outcome: 30% increase in fatigue life, 50% reduction in analysis time and class approval achieved at first submission
