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The number of subsea production systems placed in deepwater locations in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM ) has increased significantly in the last ten to fifteen years . Currently , API -RP2A (2000 a ,b ) designates the GOM as a low seismic zone , and thus does not require seismic effects to be considered during the design process . However , there have been a number of seismic events with Richter magnitudes between 3 .0 and 4 .9 that have occurred in this region . As a result , questions have been raised regarding the seismic performance of deepwater subsea systems . This thesis presents an analytical parametric study where a prototype subsea structure was selected based on a survey of subsea systems . The baseline analytical model consisted of a single casing embedded in soft clay soils , which supported a lumped mass at a cantilevered height above the soil . A number of the model characteristics were varied in the parametric study to simulate the structural response of a range of subsea structures . This thesis discusses the impact of API -RP2A Zone 1 and 2 design seismic demands for the performance of subsea structures . The results from the subsequent analyses show that the stresses and deflections produced by the Zone 1 and 2 peak ground accelerations fall within the allowable limits . |
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