CENTER FOR COMPUTATION & TECHNOLOGY

The use of sophisticated modeling and simulation techniques, software, and hardware for the verification of design concepts is of upmost importance. This is especially true as production operators and service providers operate and design, respectively, subsea equipment for High Pressure High Temperature (HPH T) wells and for field equipment that may experience 10,000ft of seawater depth.

To ensure that flow assurance (e.g., hydrates, waxes, and asphaltenes) and reliability issues (e.g., fatigue) are properly addressed during the design phase, analysis led design will incorporate the use of modeling and simulation software. Such tools as Ansys Mechanical and/or Abaqus for structural analyses, and Fluent, CF x, and Star CMM + for computational fluid dynamics (CFD ) investigations will be significantly used. In addition, the interaction of physics such Fluid Structure Interactions (FSI ), Vortex Induced Vibrations (VIV ), and Flow Induced Vibrations (FIV ) have become of greater significance since these phenomena can lead to early-life fatigue failures (e.g., subsea Jumpers).

Optimization of designs prior to validation can reassure the design engineer that the very best design goes into testing, that both functional and performance requirements are met, and maximum cost savings can be realized. Hence, the use of higher fidelity models, (e.g., 3D versus 2D or 1D) with their higher nodal and element count requires novel analysis thinking, new analyst/engineering skill set, and closer collaboration among the various engineering and design disciplines.

Ed Marotta achieved his B.S. degree in Chemistry from the State University of New York at Albany, 1980, Post-Graduate studies in Chemical Engineering at SUNY at Buffalo, 1982, and his MS and PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1994 and 1997, respectively.

His present responsibilities involve the management of the Multi-Physics Simulations Group for GE Oil & Gas - ATO. In this capacity, Ed is responsible for leading a group of engineering specialist responsible for performing thermal diffusion, CFD , structural, and multi-physics analyses on all major systems and sub-system components. In addition, the group is tasked to develop best practices for multi-physics analyses specific to GE Oil&Gas products.