Geotechnical Response Models for Steel Compliant Riser in Deepwater Clays

The touchdown zone (TDZ) often proves to be a spot where cyclic bending stresses are the largest and is therefore a critical location for fatigue. Catenary steel compliant pipelines or risers (SCRs) are subject of much ongoing research, particularly with respect to their fatigue life, which is strongly influenced by seabed soil conditions in the TDZ. This chapter reviews the recent publications that might have an impact on the SCR-seabed interaction. The review starts by looking at the SCR general arrangement. Thereafter, the focus moves to the review of the recent research that studied the interactions between deepwater SCRs and the seabed. In addition, thereview went over the analysis techniques of the SCR, including the modelling philosophy and models for geotechnical response. The research gap and the need for future research are identified.