28 / 2021-09-15 15:40:11

Analytical calculations for compression deformations of the metallic gasket of subsea connectors under thermal loads

subsea connector,sealing,thermal load,analytical calculation method,FEM,amount of compression

This study aims at analyzing the influence of thermal loads caused by temperature differences of inner and outer fluids, on the structural sealing performance and strength of the subsea connector of Jumpers. Since the boundary conditions of the gasket’s geometry surface are contact constraints interacted by the gasket and hubs, the current theoretical formulas of thermal stresses for thick-walled cylinders cannot be directly applied to calculating structural stresses even if the gasket is regarded as a thick-walled cylinder, as well as not to predicting structural sealing parameters of the gasket under the action of thermal loads. Therefore, with consideration of boundary conditions of contact constraints on the gasket's geometry surface, an innovative analytical calculation method (ACM) is put forward for the sealing structure of subsea connectors to evaluate the thermal-structural coupling strength and sealing performance. The idea of ACM is to turn the thermal load into an equivalent compression load, ie. a concentrated force, and then to load this concentrated force on the contact region of the gasket to calculate structural stresses and sealing parameters. Finally, a thermal-structural coupling finite elements model is developed to verify the ACM and to discuss the effects on sealing performance taken by thermal loads.