Biomimetic Design and Numerical Analysis of a VIV Suppression Fairing for Offshore Risers

2026-99-1640

To be published on 07/24/2026

Authors
Abstract
Content
As oil and gas exploitation advances into deep seas, risers linking offshore platforms and subsea extraction systems endure long-term complex marine loads. Fatigue damage from Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV) has become a key factor limiting the safe operation of deep-sea engineering structures. To address this issue, a bionic adaptive rotating fairing, which is adjustable to ocean current directions, was designed. Its main components include buoyancy blocks, a fairing with spiral guide rails on the inner wall, and clamps, which work together to reduce VIV by regulating flow patterns. Numerical simulations of concave and convex fairings showed that under subcritical flow, shifting from a concave to convex cross-section gradually enhances the fairing’s drag and lift reduction effects on risers, with a steady improvement trend. Further comparisons were made between 0.25D convex fairings, 0.35D convex fairings, and bare risers, focusing on drag/lift reduction, vortex shedding frequency, and Strouhal number. Both convex fairings exhibited similar VIV suppression performance to the bare riser, but differed significantly in the percentage reduction of vortex shedding frequency and Strouhal number. Thus, the 0.25D convex fairing was identified as the optimal configuration for VIV suppression among the concave-convex fairings studied.
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Citation
Zhang, X., Song, G., Wang, B., Zhao, J., et al., "Biomimetic Design and Numerical Analysis of a VIV Suppression Fairing for Offshore Risers," 2025 International Conference on Solid Mechanics and Materials (ICSMM 2025), Hengyang, China, August 15, 2025, .
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
To be published on Jul 24, 2026
Product Code
2026-99-1640
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English