Congratulations! Leonardo Chica from University of Houston  wins CD-Adapco Star Conference paper award!

Leonardo's paper is entitled, "Fluid Structure Interaction Analysis of Two-Phase Flow in an M-shaped Jumper."  He was awarded the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award for his excellent academic standing and for innovative research pursued as part of his Honors Thesis. He is currently pursuing his MS in Mechanical Engineering Technology with a December 2013 graduation date.

In the last semester of his undergraduate studies at UH, Leonardo conducted a research study, in the area of multiphase flow induced vibration. Mentored by MCS Kenny, the project focused on modeling and analyzing the effects of the flow in subsea jumpers using STAR-CCM+ and Abaqus, specifically two-way coupling simulation. The work has been accepted for publishing in two of the most prominent offshore conferences: OMAE and ISOPE.

Introduction of the paper: Subsea production systems require different types of pipelines to transport fluids between components. A typical pipeline in performing this function is a jumper which usually connects a tree with a manifold. Rigid jumpers are standard shaped pipes that can withstand high static and dynamic loads due to internal pressure, temperature and external fluid effects. This is basically a fluid structure interaction (FSI) problem in which internal or external flow interacts with the structure creating stresses and pressures that deforms the pipe, and consequently alters the flow of the fluid. This interaction phenomenon is important when designing a piping system since it is understood that this has effects on fatigue life of the jumper.  Continued: download paper below...

images from the paper..