Investigation of the Stress-Strain Behaviour of Large-Diameter X100 Linepipe in View of Strain-Based Design Requirements

Author(s):  
Andreas Liessem ◽  
Jens Schro¨der ◽  
Martin Pant ◽  
Gerhard Knauf ◽  
Steffen Zimmermann ◽  
...  

The use of high strength steels is considered as the best economical option to transport large gas volumes under high pressure from remote areas to the market. Exploration of new energy resources located in areas of complex ground and ambient climate imposes strict requirements on pipeline material and design. One of the major research issues in such areas is differential ground movement, which may be associated with large longitudinal straining in addition to plastic circumferential elongation. Hence, common design principles need thorough re-consideration, notably with respect to strain hardening properties of both base metal and girth welds. The present paper addresses several characteristics of axial and circumferential stress-strain behaviour as it is encountered in high-grade UOE line pipe. Two delivery states are taken into account, namely the “as expanded” as well as the “as coated” state. In a first experimental step, the effect of thermal cycle of the anti-corrosion coating process on stress-strain behaviour is simulated subjecting pipe material to temperatures in the range of 180° up to 250° C. In a second experimental step, stress-strain behaviour in both axial and transverse direction is mapped along the pipe production process in order to assess when and to what extent plastic strain capacity is lost during cold forming. The experimental work is complemented by instrumented ring expansion tests and instrumented burst tests. In a third future step, stress-strain information measured in both directions will be analyzed using a theoretical model based on Hill’s plasticity in order to clarify in which way circumferential stress-strain behaviour may impose constraints on strain capacity of axial direction. Within the scope of this paper, first and foremost, underlying principles are outlined and discussed and indications with respect to modelling implications given. Based upon these three sequential investigatory steps, it will be possible to draw conclusions with respect to stress-strain behaviour of parent material and the pipe forming process and to show that unfavourable effects triggered by coating do not show within the structure while they might do in material tests.

Author(s):  
William Walsh ◽  
Sandeep Abotula ◽  
Bharath Konda

Abstract Ring expansion testing is one of the three accepted methods in API 5L for the measurement of yield strength for line pipe. The other two are flattened-strap tensile testing and round-bar tensile testing. A novel-concept ring expansion test machine has recently been commissioned which uses hydraulic pressure to clamp the top and bottom pressure-reacting plates rather than a traditional bolting arrangement. The benefit of hydraulic clamping is vastly reduced set-up times. This paper describes the design approach and the pitfalls that were overcome in commissioning the ring expansion test unit. Expansion measurements are taken using two different methods: a chain extensometer and an LVDT with a band wrapping the circumference of the pipe. Both approaches are used simultaneously to generate and compare two stress-strain curves for one pressure test. In addition, a 3-Point contact approach is developed to determine the hoop strain during pipe expansion. The 3-point contact approach is an attempt to infer the full hoop expansion behavior by measuring the radius change over a segment of the circumference. The device has two rollers which contact the pipe surface while a dial indicator midway between measures the radius change. As the pipe expands, the rollers maintain contact with the pipe surface while the dial indicator records the change in radius. Tests are performed on HFI, SAWL, and SAWH pipes ranging in outer diameter from 20-inch (508 mm) to 48-inch (1219 mm) and wall thicknesses from 0.375-inch (9.5 mm) to 0.969-inch (24.4 mm). The differences in the stress-strain behavior of these pipe forms are described and related to the residual-stress profiles generated by their respective manufacturing operations. The comparison to flattened-strap and round-bar tensile results are presented in a companion paper. The results of the 3-Point contact approach show that the radius change during early stages of expansion are not uniform around the pipe circumference and different patterns are observed in the HFI, SAWL, and SAWH pipe forms.


Author(s):  
Mario L. Macia ◽  
Justin Crapps ◽  
Fredrick F. Noecker ◽  
Nathan E. Nissley ◽  
Michael F. Cook

Abstract In 2018, the PNG LNG project sustained a Mw7.5 earthquake, and ca. 300 aftershocks, epicentered directly under key facilities. Around 150 km of high-pressure gas and condensate pipelines were affected. In anticipation of such an earthquake event and due to the challenging terrain that the pipeline traverses, two design methodologies were used in specifying the pipe and welds for the onshore pipelines: strain-based design and allowable stress design with robust materials selection. The strain-based design approach was used for segments crossing faults and was the subject of IPC2014-33550 [1]. In this paper, the robust allowable stress design that was used for the remainder of the onshore pipeline route will be discussed along with the performance of the pipeline designed with this methodology when it was subjected to the earthquake. Robust allowable stress design involved the selection of line pipe and welding procedures that would reduce the risk of failure during unanticipated ground movements. Lower grade, thicker wall pipe was selected, and enhanced weld properties were specified to increase weld strength overmatch and toughness. Additionally, enhanced testing of pipe and weld properties was performed in order to enable prediction of pipeline strain capacity and assessment of fitness for service of any portion of the pipeline that experienced longitudinal plastic strains due to ground movement. These efforts enabled the pipeline to safely sustain the ground movement experienced during the earthquake and allowed safe project operations to be rapidly restored. This paper provides details of the selection of pipe grade and wall thickness and the specification of material properties for pipe and girth welds. The property distributions achieved and the impact on strain capacity are presented along with estimates of the strain experienced by the pipeline due to the earthquake. The performance of the pipeline during the earthquake illustrate the benefits of the robust allowable stress design approach for pipelines in challenging environments.


Author(s):  
Andrea Di Schino ◽  
Lei Zheng ◽  
Chuanguo Zhang ◽  
Giorgio Porcu

Due to the increasing demand for natural gas, the construction of long-distance pipelines through seismically active regions or arctic regions with ground movement caused by permafrost phenomena will become more and more necessary. To guarantee the safe operation of those pipelines, the pipe material has to fulfil strain-based design requirements. Hence in longitudinal direction low yield-to-tensile ratios, high uniform elongation values and a roundhouse shape of the stress-strain curve combined with sufficient strength values in transverse direction are essential. Moreover, a satisfactory low temperature toughness has to be guaranteed. An adequate plate metallurgical design is fundamental for appropriate pipe properties achievement. As far as concerns the plate design the understanding and the control of microstructure are the key factors, achieved by an adequate steel chemical composition and proper process parameters. In the framework of a co-operation between Baosteel and Centro Sviluppo Materiali (CSM), a project has been started aimed at manufacturing X80 strain based designed pipes. As a starting point pilot trials have been carried out at Baosteel Research Center in order to produce different microstructures. Besides the steel chemical composition, the cooling process has the most significant influence on the formation of the microstructure: in order to assess the effect of the cooling process, the same rolling schedule was adopted for producing the different test materials, obtained varying the start cooling and finish cooling temperatures. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the different test materials were assessed and the best microstructure for the plates for X80 pipes with enhanced strain capacity has been identified.


Author(s):  
Hidenori Shitamoto ◽  
Masahiko Hamada ◽  
Shuji Okaguchi ◽  
Nobuaki Takahashi ◽  
Izumi Takeuchi ◽  
...  

The expansion of supply capacity of natural gas to market is expected from the concern of environmental conservation by less CO2 emission. Transportation cost has been focused for natural gas to be competitive in the market. High-pressure gas pipelines have constructed by large diameter and high strength line pipes to improve transportation efficiency of gas transmission pipelines. High strength line pipes have been developed to cope with high-pressure operation. Strength in circumferential direction on line pipe is the prime target to hold high pressure safely. In terms of pipe size, pipe diameter has been increased to lead larger D/t. Both of higher strength and larger D/t result in less favorable to deformability of pipeline. To apply strain based design to pipeline, the evaluation of strain capacity, which is related to deformability of line pipe, is required supposing the pipeline encounters large scale ground movement such as earthquake or landslide. It is not simple to find the criteria to prevent leak or rupture of pipeline in such events, as not only pipe property but also interaction between pipe and soil are needed to consider. Gas transmission pipelines are constructed by joint girth welding. The strain capacity of pipeline with girth weld has to be investigated for strain based design. Full scale bending test of joint welded pipe was conducted and FEA model to assess strain capacity of pipeline with girth weld is developed.


Author(s):  
Christoph Rivinius ◽  
Volker Schwinn ◽  
Andreas Liessem ◽  
Jens Schröder ◽  
Martin Pant

Due to the further increasing demand for natural gas, the construction of long-distance pipelines traversing through seismically active regions or arctic regions with ground movement caused by permafrost phenomena will become more and more necessary. To guarantee the safe operation of those pipelines, the pipe material has to fulfill strain-based design requirements in the coated condition. Hence in longitudinal direction low yield-to-tensile ratios, high uniform elongation values and a roundhouse shape of the stress-strain curve combined with sufficient strength values in transverse direction are essential. The basis for appropriate pipe properties is an adequate design of the plate material. To achieve these objectives the microstructure has become a central element. Nevertheless, it has to be taken into account that the cold deformation during the pipe manufacturing process and the heat treatment of the pipe during the subsequent coating have a major influence on the final line pipe behavior. The current paper describes recent development steps and approaches. The mechanical properties of the different concepts will be compared and the advantages and disadvantages will be highlighted.


Author(s):  
Brian N. Leis

Abstract The flow properties of line-pipe steels control the failure resistance of the pipe, and as such are key in successful pipeline design, and in understanding the factors controlling failures when they occur. As first-principals predictive models are challenged to quantify the flow response in typical line-pipe steels, engineers must rely on empirically developed properties to support numerical analysis for purposes of design and/or integrity management. Stress-based design logically relies on a limiting stress, whereas strain-based design used to address issues like ground movement relies on a limit strain. Post-yield these limits are coupled through the steel’s stress-strain curve and strain-hardening response. Because the burst-pressure of pipes has been shown to depend on the steel’s collapse stress as well as its strain-hardening exponent, n, engineers will need more that the yield stress, Y, or the tensile stress, T, to adequately characterize a pipeline’s resistance to failure. This paper presents results for the mechanical properties of line-pipe steels developed up to the ultimate tensile stress, or beyond. These stress-strain curves reflect 1) Grades ranging from vintage A25 through recent X100 production. These results have been analyzed to quantify n, Y, and T. These results have further been trended to relate commonly available metrics like Y/T and n, and provide a rational basis for the choice of properties input to numerical analysis. It is apparent from this work that current correlations between n and Y/T diverge from the trend for the lower-strength Grades. Further, these results show that within a Grade the value of n is a strong function of the ratio of the actual yield stress (AYS) normalized by SMYS, with this dependence indicative of differences in the chemistry and processing used to achieve the Grade. The effects of n and its dependence on the ratio AYS/SMYS are illustrated regarding the predicted response of line pipes subject to increasing pressure. These predictions have been validated by comparison with results for about 20 full-scale tests to illustrate the viability of this technology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onyekachi Ndubuaku ◽  
Michael Martens ◽  
J. Cheng ◽  
Samer Adeeb

Pipelines typically exhibit significant inelastic deformation under various loading conditions, making it imperative for limit state design to include considerations for the deformational capacity of pipelines. The methods employed to achieve higher strength of API X80 line pipe steels during the plate manufacturing process tend to increase the hardness of the pipe material, albeit at the cost of ductility and strain hardenability. This study features a simple and robust material stress-strain characterization model, which is able to mathematically characterize the shape of a diverse range of stress-strain curves, even for materials with a distinct yield point and an extended yield plateau. Extensive parametric finite element analysis is performed to study the relationship between relevant parameters and the deformational capacity of API X80 pipelines subjected to uniform axial compression, uniform bending, and combined axial compression and bending. Nonlinear regression analysis is employed to develop six nonlinear semi-empirical equations for the critical limit strain, wherein the shape constants of the material model are adapted as dimensionless parameters. The goodness-of-fit of the developed equations was graphically and statistically evaluated, and excellent predictive accuracy was obtained for all six developed equations.


Author(s):  
Junfang Lu ◽  
Ali Fathi ◽  
Nader Yoosef-Ghodsi ◽  
Debra Tetteh-Wayoe ◽  
Mike Hill

Abstract Strain-based design (SBD) method has evolved over the years for use in the construction of large-diameter, high pressure gas and liquid transmission pipelines. It has not been widely materialized for major construction projects because of the technical complexity which requires multidisciplinary expertise including, but not limited to, pipeline material properties, welding processes, mechanical testing, field construction, and weld inspection. The industry has been showing more interest in using this methodology for strain capacity assessment of in-service stress-based pipelines, especially those that are subjected to ground movement. The strain capacity assessment of the stress-based pipelines is essential to ensure structural integrity and operational safety of the pipeline. This has become more apparent due to recent incidents in pipeline industry caused by geotechnical hazards. This paper provides a case study of assessing the tensile strain capacity (TSC) of existing modern linepipes manufactured through thermomechanical controlled process (TMCP). The TSC was predicted using two main methodologies in the public domain: the CSA Z662-11 Annex C approach and the PRCI-CRES TSC model. Actual pipeline information and construction data are used to perform TSC assessment when possible. This includes pipe material properties, welding procedures qualified on the project pipe, and test weld properties. The predicted TSC and the estimated strain demand will allow for effective remediation decisions. This work helps to enhance pipeline strain management systems in response to the geotechnical and hydrotechnical issues and therefore fills the gaps in present day’s pipeline threat management programs in addition to crack, corrosion and mechanical damage threats. Through such a program, prevention, monitoring and mitigation strategies can be deployed to existing stress-based pipelines, especially in areas where pipeline strain is identified as a potential risk.


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