SPE/IADC-194109-MS

Subsea BOP Tethering System as an Alternative for Mitigating Wellhead

Fatigue

L. Cantinelli Sevillano and C. K. Morooka, University of Campinas; J. T. Lieng, Deep Sea Anchors; S. Sangesland,
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Copyright 2019, SPE/IADC International Drilling Conference and Exhibition

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE/IADC Drilling International Conference and Exhibition held in The Hague, The Netherlands, 5-7 March 2019.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE/IADC program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s).
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Abstract
More-accurate estimates of the fatigue damage on subsea wellhead might prolong the service lifetime of the
equipment. Nevertheless, there might come a point during the life of a well on which the fatigue capacity
is nearly depleted, without the possibility of further interventions being carried out, and thus imposing the
abandonment of the well. This paper studies how employing a BOP tethering system may reduce the bending
moment load transferred to the wellhead.
A BOP tethering system may be described as an assembly of anchors disposed around the subsea
wellhead, which are connected to the BOP by mooring lines. The goal of the system is to reduce dynamic
loads transferred to critical wellhead fatigue components and minimize the damage rates by decreasing the
bending moment that is transferred from the riser to the wellhead.
The scope of a wellhead fatigue assessment comprises a riser response analysis. This paper presents the
expected reduction on the calculated fluctuating bending moment load transferred to the wellhead for a
series of possible configurations of the tethering system.
The results of the study conducted have shown that tethering the BOP system during drilling or re-entry
operations has potential to decrease accumulated fatigue damage in the wellhead and can be regarded as
an alternative for mitigating wellhead fatigue. The gains in petroleum production because of the increased
operational life of the well have the potential to surpass the costs inherent to installing the tethering system.
The results of simulations for different design options have shown the potential of this approach to increase
the remaining service life of a wellhead, potentially doubling it. Even if installation restrictions prevent the
optimum design to be used, this approach could still be advantageous.
Mitigating wellhead fatigue may prevent early well abandonment. Approaches considered to mitigate
wellhead fatigue by actively reducing the load transferred to the wellhead, such as a reactive flex-joint, have
been presented before. The BOP tethering system is an alternative to these previous systems and provides
operators an additional solution for consideration to their specific needs.
2 SPE/IADC-194109-MS

Introduction
Construction and later re-entering of subsea wells require the use of a tubular component called riser to
connect the rig to the wellhead. The motions of the rig and of the riser itself, which are created by the sea
state excitement, are transferred all the way down to the wellhead, thus subjecting the latter to wear and,
in worst cases, fatigue failure.
The concern with wellhead fatigue has led operators in the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) along
with Det Norske Veritas to carry out a Joint Industry Project, the results of which include a method statement
in wellhead fatigue (Reinås et al. 2011) and recommend practices (DNVGL-RP-0142 2015).
The industry's efforts for a better modeling of wellhead fatigue and ensuring awareness of the challenges
represented by lower available fatigue capacity have been complemented by the research and development
of technical solutions to decrease the fatigue damage inducing loading on the wellhead.
On that front, TechnipFMC has developed a reactive flex-joint (Rørgård et al. 2017) that can reduce
dynamic bending moments transferred from the riser to the wellhead during drilling and workover
operations.
An alternative solution is to use anchors and ropes to tether the BOP, restraining the motion and decreasing
the resulting dynamic loading at the subsea stack level (2H Offshore 2017). Because of its novelty and lack
of published technical works at the time of writing of this paper, the merits of the latter technical solution
have been investigated by this study.
A BOP tethering system can briefly be described as an assembly of anchors disposed around the subsea
wellhead, which are connected to the BOP by cables. Figure 1 presents a sketch of a BOP tethering system
with three and four anchors.
In Figure 1, drop anchors are providing the anchoring points, but suction piles or concrete blocks could
also perform this task (2H offshore 2017). Individual tensioning systems can be used to control the tension
load on each mooring line, maintaining it within a certain range, thus limiting the deflection of the BOP
and consequently the bending imposed on the wellhead.
BOP tethers are a novel approach, and the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum of the Norwegian
University of Science and Technology made progress on this approach (Sangesland 2009). A master thesis
research provided a detailed description of the configurations and materials (Lien 2010).
More recently, a supplier for subsea solutions, Trendsetter Vulcan Offshore, has submitted patent
applications for similar concepts (Kebadze et al. 2014), and it has shown promising results in a workshop
organized by the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute in collaboration with Texas A&M at College Station
and University of Texas at Austin (Mittendorf 2016).
SPE/IADC-194109-MS 3

Figure 1—Sketch of a BOP-tethering system. Not on scale.

Methodology
According to Reinås et al. (2011) the wellhead fatigue damage analysis method may be divided into three
parts: (i) a local response analysis which models the structural response of the wellhead and well; (ii) a
global response analysis which models the dynamic response of the riser; (iii) fatigue damage estimation
based on the combined results of the previous parts. Within the context of a wellhead fatigue assessment
methodology evaluating the merits of a BOP tethering system to mitigate wellhead fatigue would influence
the execution and the results of both the local and global response analyses.
In the local response analysis, a detailed finite element model applied from the wellhead datum and below
is used to determine the load-to-stress curves that describes the relationship between the riser loads at the
wellhead datum and the stress at the fatigue hot spots. An anchoring arrangement, with lines at constant
tension connected to the BOP would add new forces acting on the subsea stack, which can influence the
load sharing and the resulting stresses on the fatigue hot spots on the wellhead system.
In the global response analysis, the floating rig motions, wave loads on the riser and the corresponding
load transferred to the wellhead are calculated based on the probable sea states to take place. In this context,
the anchor and cables arrangement of a BOP tethering system would create a different bottom condition
for the riser model.
Lien (2010) has demonstrated the effectiveness of a BOP tethering system under static loading conditions,
based on the induced inclination of the riser at its connection point to the BOP.
The case study presented in this paper has focused on the global response analysis. The combined
response of a floating drilling rig, a 21-in OD marine drilling riser, a 160-ton BOP and the wellhead of a
typical well found in the NCS has been analyzed under the expected environmental loading conditions, as
it was affected by the BOP tethering system. The program Riflex version 4.6 (SINTEF, 2016) was used to
calculate the riser's dynamic response. Different arrangements for the BOP tethering system were tested.
The main parameters studied were the material of the tethers and the positioning of the anchoring points.
The geometric length of the tether shown in Figure 2 corresponds to the distance between the connection
point on the BOP and the top of the anchor. The tether is deformed from the stress-free length until it reaches
4 SPE/IADC-194109-MS

the anchor position. Pre-tension on the tether was set to 25% of the maximum load (break load) the material
of the tether could withstand. There is no documentation available on the installation of this equipment, so
it was opted to keep pre-tension at a low level.

Figure 2—Sketch of the induced deformation on the BOP tethers. Not on scale.

The tension on the tethers was set at one of the calculation stages of the static response analysis of the
riser model, based on the axial stiffness of the ropes (Figure 3), and the induced deformation.

Figure 3—Typical induced deformation on the materials of the BOP tethers. (Bexco 2018).

Loading was applied to the wellhead system, as caused by the probable sea states to take place on the
location. For fatigue calculation purposes, the welded connection between the surface casing and the high-
pressure housing was considered the critical fatigue hot spot for this wellhead system and the simulated
operation. The load-to-stress curves presented in Figure 4 were used to convert the fluctuating bending
moment loading applied to the wellhead into stress-time series.
SPE/IADC-194109-MS 5

Figure 4—Load-to-stress curve of critical fatigue hot spot in the wellhead system.

Tethering System Characteristics

Drop Anchors. The total length of the modelled drop anchors was 15 meters. The top of the anchors was
located two meters below the sea bottom level. Prior to computing the wellhead response towards wave
induced loads, the anchor was assumed to maintain the vertical position. The anchoring points were set
surrounding the wellhead, either 120° apart from each other in the case of three anchors, or 90° in the case
of four anchors. The tested values for the radial distance were 10, 15 and 20 meters.
Figure 5 presents the finite-element modelling employed for the drop anchor. In the riser analysis, the
interaction with the surrounding soil layers was modelled using non-linear, translational springs acting in
the horizontal plane. Damping in the system was assumed to be negligible. The anchor rotates around a
pivot node at an intermediary position, determined by a prior anchor-soil interaction analysis. Properties
of the soil springs were determined based on the p-y method of analyzing the ability of deep foundations
to resist loads applied in the lateral direction. Uniform soil consisting of soft to firm clays with undrained
shear strength increasing with depth were considered.

Figure 5—Drop anchor finite-element modelling.

6 SPE/IADC-194109-MS

Tethering Lines. The impact the physical characteristics of the tethering lines had on the resulting load
at the wellhead was evaluated by testing five different rope materials. Radial distance of tethers was set to
10 m. Table 1 presents the properties of the different ropes used to model the tethering system. Elongation
of rope due to applied load is shown in Figure 3.

Table 1—Properties of ropes used for tethering the BOP. (Bexco 2018).

Results
Physical Characteristics of Tethers
The five ropes presented in Table 1were tested. Figure 6 presents the bending moment time history
corresponding to the largest reduction in the estimated load at the wellhead datum, calculated for the
tethering system with rope type 5. In the figure, the loading range at the wellhead, generated by the multiple
sea states (Table A.1), decreased from approximately [-1500, 1500] kNm to [-1000, 1000] due to support
of the BOP tethering system.

Figure 6—Bending moment loading at WH datum. BOP systems with and without tethers.
SPE/IADC-194109-MS 7

Table 2 summarizes the results obtained in terms of the accumulated fatigue damage during the drilling
operation and a workover operation. From Table 2, it can be observed that the BOP tethering system with
rope type 5 may reduce the accumulated damage in the wellhead at the end of either the drilling operation
or the workover operation, to almost one fourth of the damage estimated for the non-tethered system. If the
tethering system were implemented after the drilling operation, the maximum riser connection days would
increase from 27 days to 92 days.

Table 2—Accumulated fatigue damage (% of design fatigue life) at wellhead

during drilling for BOP tethering systems with different rope types. DFF=10.

Location of Tethers
The influence of the location of the tethers was investigated by testing the BOP tethering system with rope
type 5 with radial distances equal to 15 m and 20 m. Table 3 presents the results obtained for the cases
simulated. It can be seen that an increase in the radial distance of the tethers to 20 m led to 3.4 percentage
points higher accumulated damage in the wellhead at the end of the drilling operation.

Table 3—Accumulated fatigue damage (% of design fatigue life) at wellhead

during drilling for BOP tethering systems with different radial distances. DFF=10.

Space constraints around the wellhead site can prevent the adoption of the optimum radial distance for the
tethers, but results in the Table 3 show that the gains in fatigue life of the wellhead can still be considerable
when compared to the accumulated damage without a tethering system (seen in Table 2).

Number of Tethers
The configuration of the tethering system in the analysis of the previous sections had three tethers. The
influence of the additional tethers was investigated by testing a BOP tethering arrangement with four and
five tethers. Table 4 presents results obtained for the cases run in which is observed that employing four
tethers instead of three has reduced the accumulated fatigue damage at the end of the drilling operation to
6.53%. And, by employing five tethers, it further reduced the calculated accumulated fatigue damage to
3.78%.
8 SPE/IADC-194109-MS

Table 4—Accumulated fatigue damage (% of design fatigue life) at wellhead fatigue hot
spots during drilling for BOP tethering systems with different number of tethers. DFF=10.

Analogous to the previous discussion on radial distance, the number of tethers that could be employed
is also subject to the space constrains around the wellhead. Moreover, the installation and material cost of
additional anchors and tethers must also be accounted for when deciding which tethering system design
best suits the required fatigue capacity by the operations planned throughout the life of the well.

Conclusion
The results of this study have shown that tethering the subsea BOP system during drilling or reentry
operations has potential to decrease the accumulated fatigue damage in the wellhead. This system may be
considered as low-cost method for mitigating wellhead fatigue. The gains in production because of the
increased operational life of the well may be significant compared to the costs inherent to apply a subsea
BOP tethering system.
From modelling of the different tethering configurations in the study, the system with 5 tethers connected
to anchors located 10 meters away from the wellhead yielded the greatest reduction in wellhead fatigue
damage. The other configurations also provided considerable gain in fatigue life, indicating that even if
installation restrictions prevent the optimum design to be used, this approach could still be advantageous.
The study focused solely on how the tethers influenced the bending moment on the wellhead. Future work
should focus on how the stresses in the wellhead fatigue hot spots, as given by the structural calculations in
the local response analysis, would be impacted by the tethering system. Also, further assessment of anchor
systems and the influence of the soil model employed on overall results should be evaluated for optimizing
the operation and the cost of applying the subsea BOP tethering system.

Acknowledgements
The Brazilian National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) has funded the PhD
research of L. Cantinelli Sevillano at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, of which this
paper is a part.
INTPART and the Brazilian-Norwegian Subsea Operations Consortium have supported the ongoing
international cooperation efforts between universities, of which this paper is a part.

Nomenclature
BOP Blowout Preventer
LMRP Lower Marine Riser Package
NCS Norwegian Continental Shelf
OD Outer Diameter

References
2H offshore. 2017. http://2hoffshore.com/blog/re-entering-old-wells-deal-fatigue/ (accessed 2 January 2018).
Bexco. 2018. https://www.bexco.be/marinerope/ (accessed 08 October 2018).
DNVGL-RP-0142, Wellhead Fatigue Analysis, first edition. 2015. Høvik, Norway: Det Norske Veritas GL AS.
SPE/IADC-194109-MS 9

Grytøyr, G., Steinkjer, O. 2012. Uncertainty of Long Term Fatigue Load of Subsea Well Heads. Proc., ASME
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OMAE2012-83686. https://dx.doi.org/10.1115/OMAE2012-83686.
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Blowout Preventers to Enhance the Strength and Fatigue Resistance of Subsea Wellheads and Primary Conductors.
US Patent No. 2014/0374115 A1.
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Geotechnical-aid-to-Well-Integrity (accessed 2 January 2018).
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10 SPE/IADC-194109-MS

Annex A
Sea States Scatter Diagram
The sea state on a given location changes with time. The relevant sea states must be covered in the global
response analysis. Charts are built based on observations and are used to list the long-term probability of
occurrence of each significant height (HS) and peak period (TP) pair. This probability of occurrence is used
as a weight when assessing the contribution of each sea state to the estimated wellhead fatigue damage.
Table A.1 presents the sea states scatter diagram of a location in the NCS used for the analyses in this paper.

Table A.1—Sea States Scatter Diagram. (Grytøyr and Steinkjer 2012). ©American Society of Mechanical Engineers.