DEEPWATER CURRENT PROFILE DATA SOURCES FOR RISER ENGINEERING OFFSHORE BRAZIL Gus Jeans Fugro GEOS, Wallingford, UK Marc Prevosto Ifremer, Brest, France Liam Harrington-Missin Fugro GEOS, Wallingford, UK Christophe Maisondieu Ifremer, Brest, France Christelle Herry Actimar, Brest, France José Antonio M. Lima Petrobras, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ABSTRACT A variety of current profile data sources are compared for a deepwater site offshore Brazil. These data were gathered for consideration as part of the Worldwide Approximations of Current Profiles (WACUP) Joint Industry Project, described separately in OMAE2012-83348. The primary source of data for current profile characterisation is site specific full water column measurement. Sufficiently high vertical and temporal resolutions are required to capture the dominant oceanographic processes. Such in-situ data are generally expensive and time consuming to collect, so there is an increasing tendency for numerical model current data to be considered for engineering applications. In addition to being relatively inexpensive and quick to obtain, model data are also typically of much longer duration. This potentially allows inter-annual variability and rare extreme events to be captured. However, the accuracy and reliability of numerical model data remains questionable, or unproven, in many deepwater development regions. This paper explores the suitability of such models to represent a deepwater site offshore Brazil, in relation to the key oceanographic processes revealed within the in-situ data. 1 INTRODUCTION The objectives and methodology of the Worldwide Approximations of Current Profiles (WACUP) Joint Industry Project are described in a separate OMAE 2012 paper [1]. The key objective is quantitative assessment of different current profile reduction techniques for efficient and reliable riser design. The project considers current profile characterisation at four different offshore development sites, one of which is the Jubarte deepwater development offshore Brazil. The present paper explores the various data sources considered for representing the current profile at the Jubarte location. It has become established best practice to derive current profile data for engineering applications from site specific full water column measurement. This provides the most reliable quantification of the dominant oceanographic processes that impact the site in question. Sufficiently high vertical and temporal resolutions are required to capture the dominant oceanographic processes. However, in-situ measured current profile data have some disadvantages compared to the various numerical model sources that have become available in recent years. It is Proceedings of the ASME 2012 31st International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering OMAE2012 July 1-6, 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil OMAE2012-8 1 Copyright © 2012 by ASME