Fundamentals of Marine Riser Mechanics, 2nd Edition

• Further arguments that confirm the validity of the Effective Tension concept, based on analysis of real forces applied to the pipe walls by internal and external pressures
• Analysis of helically buckled pipes within casings, leading to exact expressions for all forces acting in and on a regular helix
• Analysis of helix end sections that connect a regular helix to a centralised end point on the casing axis, taking into account applied end moments (restoring or disturbing). Proof that such end sections must always include a transition section, in contact with the casing wall, linking the regular helix to the section out of contact with the casing wall.
• Analysis of drill-pipe deflection inside a seabed BOP and down hole, associated with helical buckling within a riser, with particular reference to the Macondo accident scenario.
• Discussion of how and when planar buckling transforms into helical buckling
• Appendices giving details of all required calculation methods
• Three new Excel files, added to the original seventeen, to allow readers to perform further calculations with their own data

• Field level personnel
• Engineers
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• Students

Charles Sparks has studied and worked on risers since the mid-1970s and has been recognized by his peers to be one of the foremost authorities on the subject. Until his retirement in 2003, he spent 29 years with the Institut Français du Pétrole where he ran many projects devoted to different kinds of riser, including including carbon fiber composite risers. Sparks has presented papers on riser topics at numerous conferences. He has also published articles in the ASME's Journal of Energy Resources Technology. He earned a master's degree in Mechanical Sciences from the University of Cambridge.