Initial Approach to Assess Lateral Buckling Behavior: Comparison Between Design and Operational Condition of Offshore Pipeline

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Familiar Solano ◽  
Bruno Reis Antunes ◽  
Alexandre Santos Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Design Strategy ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Lateral Buckling ◽  
Campos Basin ◽  
Buckling Behavior ◽  
Offshore Pipeline ◽  
Route Length ◽  
Oil Export ◽  
Pipeline Route

Recently Petrobras has been developing a production module of Roncador field through the P-52 platform in the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. This platform is a floating production facility located in deep water and was tied back to the PRA-1 platform in shallow water by an 18-inch pipeline in order to export the oil production. This pipeline operates under high pressure and high temperature (HP/HT) conditions and was laid on the seabed. As a result of the extreme operating conditions, this pipeline is highly susceptible to lateral buckling and a buckle initiation strategy based on triggers to control the buckling behavior was designed. Thus sleepers and distributed buoyancies were designed and installed along the pipeline route. In addition to the buckles at the triggers, some additional, on-bottom, buckles were assessed in order not to compromise the design strategy. In recent geophysical data surveys carried out along the route length with the pipeline in operation, both engineered and on-bottom buckles were identified. This paper aims to present the thermo-mechanical design of the P-52 oil export pipeline, performing a comparison between some results obtained in design and observed during operation. Thus this paper intends to evaluate the pipeline as-built plus the operational pipeline configurations, and to assess the robustness of the design strategy applied regarding lateral buckling behavior.

Tangguh Project: Multidisciplinary and Challenging Design of a Novel Concept of Buckle Initiator

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Formentini Federico ◽  
Luigi Foschi ◽  
Filippo Guidi ◽  
Ester Iannucci ◽  
Lorenzo Marchionni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Liquefaction ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Operating Life ◽  
Foundation Design ◽  
Production Pipeline ◽  
Offshore Pipeline ◽  
Design Loads ◽  
Pipeline Route ◽  
Novel Concept

Abstract This paper is based on the experience made during the design and installation of an offshore pipeline recently completed in Indonesia, where a 24” subsea production pipeline (16km long in 70m water depth) was found susceptible during design to lateral buckling. To limit the development of excessive deformation within the acceptance criteria, a mitigation strategy based on interacting planned buckles has been adopted installing three Buckle Initiators (BI) along the pipeline route. Buckling is a well understood phenomenon. However, this project was characterized by major uncertainties mainly driven by soil characterization, soil-pipe interaction, seabed mobility and soil liquefaction. These uncertainties have played a key role in the in-service buckling design. A lot of engineering efforts have been spent to go through the screening between alternative concepts, the validation of the chosen solution and its detailed engineering phase. This paper discusses the main contributing factors and how the uncertainties have been tackled. The Buckle Initiators are quite large and heavy structures with two main bars: the first ramp has an inclination equal to 30° and the pipeline has been laid on it; a second horizontal ramp was used as sleeper to accommodate the development of the lateral buckle during the operating life. A rotating arm was also used to restrict the pipeline lay corridor on the inclined ramp guaranteeing a combined horizontal and vertical out-of-straightness in the as-laid configuration. The rotating arm has been released as soon as the pipeline passed the BI permitting the pipeline to slide freely over the two BI ramps. The foundation of the Buckle Initiator has a footprint surface of about 60m2 guaranteeing its stability for different soil types characterizing the three installation areas. This more complex solution was preferred with respect to a typical sleeper to increase the robustness of the system in terms of buckle mobilization. The design of the Buckle Initiator was a multidisciplinary activity where many novel concepts were developed and many issues were faced (i.e. pipeline laying on an inclined sleeper, anti-scouring system, foundation design, etc.). The Buckle Initiator design was focused on structural calculations against design loads expected during temporary and operating conditions, geotechnical verifications, installation analysis, pipeline configuration and fatigue assessment. This paper presents all main engineering aspects faced during design and first feedbacks from field after the pipeline installation.

Evaluation of Design Premises and Uncertainties on the Thermo-Mechanical Behavior of a Subsea Pipeline

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Reis Antunes ◽  
Rafael Familiar Solano ◽  
Alexandre Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Formation Process ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Stress And Strain ◽  
Lateral Buckling ◽  
Friction Factors ◽  
Global Buckling ◽  
Pipeline Route ◽  
Seabed Bathymetry ◽  
Subsea Pipelines

Buckle formation process is a key subject for the design of subsea pipelines laid on the seabed and operating under high pressure and high temperature (HP/HT) conditions. When the controlled lateral buckling methodology is adopted triggers are placed along pipeline route in order to increase the buckle formation probability in specific locations, sharing pipeline expansion between these sites and reducing the level of stress and strain in each buckle. Despite of its importance, buckle formation process is influenced by several parameters such as the seabed bathymetry, engineered triggers, lateral out-of-straightness (OOS) and pipe-soil interaction. While the first two items above can be defined with reasonable accuracy at previous stages of design, lateral OOS will only be known with tolerable confidence after pipeline installation. The level of uncertainty related to pipe-soil interaction is also considerable since pipeline embedment and friction factors are estimated using equations that include empirical correlations and field collected data. In addition these parameters are influenced by the installation process. Due to these uncertainties, conservative premises are usually assumed in order to obtain a robust pipeline thermo-mechanical design. After pipeline installation and/or start of operation an investigation can be performed in order to confirm the assumptions considered in the design. This paper presents a comparison of premises adopted during design stage of a pipeline based on the controlled lateral buckling methodology and the feedback obtained with the post-lay survey performed. After a brief introduction, pipeline embedment, global buckling at crossings, lateral OOS and sleepers’ height are some of the subjects addressed. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are presented in order to support future similar projects.

Thermo-Mechanical Design of Canapu PIP System

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Familiar Solano ◽  
Fa´bio Braga de Azevedo ◽  
Malcolm Carr ◽  
Leanne Tindall ◽  
Anderson Dolinski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Fast Track ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Lateral Buckling ◽  
High Pressure And Temperature ◽  
Operational Conditions ◽  
Buckling Behavior ◽  
Strain Limit

This paper discusses the thermo-mechanical design of the pipe-in-pipe (PIP) flowline installed in the Canapu field, located in Espi´rito Santo State, offshore Brazil. The pipeline is approximately 20km in length and connects the gas producing well 4-ESS-138 positioned in a depth of 1608m to Cidade de Vito´ria FPSO, located in Golfinho field. The Canapu PIP will operate under high pressure and temperature (HP/HT) conditions and is laid on the seabed. Due to the operational conditions, the thermo-mechanical design evaluated the susceptibility of the pipeline to the phenomenon of lateral buckling and pipeline walking in addition to free spanning and on-bottom stability. The lateral buckling behavior of the PIP is the major challenge for the design. It can be a safe and effective way to accommodate the thermal expansion of a hot pipeline, however high stress and strains can be developed in the buckles and a conventional stress based approach is not suited to design a pipeline that buckles laterally. The conventional stress limits are therefore relaxed and replaced by a strain limit. For this the methodology and recommendations of the SAFEBUCK JIP were adopted. The thermo-mechanical analysis selected a buckle initiation strategy based on distributed buoyancy. The strategy combines three distributed buoyancy triggers along the route together with the beneficial effect of the bathymetric out-of-straightness. The analysis shows that this initiation strategy is robust and highly reliable. From the start, this project represented a great challenge for Petrobras; it is the first PIP in Petrobras; has a low value specified for OHTC; and the pipeline is susceptible to lateral buckling. Besides all that, since the Canapu project was included among the priorities of Petrobras Plangas, it was executed as a fast track project.

Comparison of Design and Operational Behaviour of an Offshore Pipeline With Controlled Lateral Buckling

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael F. Solano ◽  
Bruno R. Antunes ◽  
Alexandre S. Hansen ◽  
Arek Bedrossian ◽  
Graeme Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Comparison ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
Lateral Buckling ◽  
Offshore Pipeline ◽  
Safety Margins ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Operational Behaviour

It is imperative to adopt some conservative premises in the engineering calculations undertaken during the design stage of an offshore pipeline susceptible to lateral buckling, in order to achieve a design with adequate levels of robustness and integrity throughout the pipeline’s design life. The conservatism can be attached to many uncertainties such as the pipe-soil interaction — interpreted as-soil friction factors — the seabed stiffness and profile and even the as laid lateral out-ofstraightness. Once in operation, these effects will come into play and the pipeline may behave slightly differently to that anticipated in design, depending on the relative strength of the natural uncertainties compared to the design features such as engineered buckling triggers. The over-riding intention in design is, of course, to enable the pipeline to withstand, with sufficient safety margins, the maximum stresses and strains anticipated to occur by realistic predictions in the design stage. In recent years, many kilometres of deepwater pipelines have been designed and installed along the Brazilian coast using the principle of controlled lateral buckling, in which engineered buckle triggers, such as sleepers and distributed buoyancy sections, are deployed at regular intervals along the pipeline. The purpose of these triggers it to initiate a sufficient number of benign buckles along the pipeline and thereby relax the compressive forces set up as a result of thermal expansion without violating safe limits on stress and strain in the pipelines. In addition to the engineered buckling sites, however, the natural seabed features and associated uncertainties will interact with the pipeline’s behaviour and create additional natural buckle sites. To anticipate these sites and discover their importance at the design stage is recognised as a real challenge, particularly as precise post-installed and in-operation surveys are not normally carried out with the intention of confirming such buckle sites and design assumptions. The work reported in this paper is a detailed comparison between the initial design and observed operational behaviour of an offshore HP/HT pipeline, mainly in terms of the engineered and natural buckles actually formed along the pipeline, the severity of these buckles and some conclusions concerning the effects of initial imperfections and pipe-soil interaction characteristics considered in detailed design. It is hoped that this rare feedback from real operating conditions on installed pipelines, will be of great interest to pipeline designers and lead to more efficient and better understood design processes and encourage Operators to undertake more regular and sophisticated surveys of operating and installed pipelines for the benefit of future projects.

Lateral Buckling and Walking Design of a Pipeline Subjected to a High Number of Operational Cycles on Very Uneven Seabed

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael F. Solano ◽  
Bruno R. Antunes ◽  
Alexandre S. Hansen ◽  
T. Sriskandarajah ◽  
Carlos R. Charnaux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Lateral Buckling ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
Temperature Conditions ◽  
Oil Export ◽  
Global Buckling

Global buckling is a behavior observed on subsea pipelines operating under high pressure and high temperature conditions which can jeopardize its structural integrity if not properly controlled. The thermo-mechanical design of such pipelines shall be robust in order to manage some uncertainties, such as: out-of-straightness and pipe-soil interaction. Pipeline walking is another phenomenon observed in those pipelines which can lead to accumulated displacement and overstress on jumpers and spools. In addition, global buckling and pipeline walking can have strong interaction along the route of a pipeline on uneven and sloped seabed, increasing the challenges of thermo-mechanical design. The P-55 oil export pipeline has approximately 42km length and was designed to work under severe high pressure and high temperature conditions, on a very uneven seabed, including different soil types and wall thicknesses along the length and a significant number of crossings. Additionally, the pipeline is expected to have a high amount of partial and full shutdowns during operation, resulting in an increase in design complexity. During design, many challenges arose in order to “control” the lateral buckling behavior and excessive walking displacements, and finite element analysis was used to understand and assess the pipeline behavior in detail. This paper aims to provide an overview of the lateral buckling and walking design of the P-55 oil export pipeline and to present the solutions related to technical challenges faced during design due to high number of operational cycles. Long pipelines are usually characterized as having a low tendency to walking; however in this case, due to the seabed slope and the buckle sites interaction, a strong walking tendency has been identified. Thus, the main items of the design are discussed in this paper, as follows: lateral buckling triggering and “control” approach, walking in long pipelines and mitigate anchoring system, span correction and its impact on thermo-mechanical behavior.

Proving the Labeled Interval Calculus for Inferences on Catalogs

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walid Habib ◽  
Allen C. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Formal System ◽  
Constraint Propagation ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
Entire System ◽  
High Level Language ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
High Level ◽  
Interval Constraint

Abstract The “labeled interval calculus” is a formal system that performs quantitative inferences about sets of artifacts under sets of operating conditions. It refines and extends the idea of interval constraint propagation, and has been used as the basis of a program called a “mechanical design compiler,” which provides the user with a “high level language” in which design problems for systems to be built of cataloged components can be quickly and easily formulated. The compiler then selects optimal combinations of catalog numbers. Previous work has tested the calculus empirically, but only parts of the calculus have been proven mathematically. This paper presents a new version of the calculus and shows how to extend the earlier proofs to prove the entire system. It formalizes the effects of toleranced manufacturing processes through the concept of a “selectable subset” of the artifacts under consideration. It demonstrates the utility of distinguishing between statements which are true for all artifacts under consideration, and statements which are merely true for some artifact in each selectable subset.

Lateral buckling behavior and strengthening techniques of coped steel I-beams

2015 ◽  
Vol 108 ◽  
pp. 11-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherif A. Ibrahim ◽  
Abdelrahim K. Dessouki ◽  
Seham A. El -Sa'eed
Keyword(s):  
Lateral Buckling ◽  
Buckling Behavior

scholarly journals Freezing Technique Applied to an Offshore Pipeline at Campos Basin in Brazil

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Ibajé O. Bueno ◽  
Philip B. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Gas Pipeline ◽  
The Other ◽  
Campos Basin ◽  
Offshore Pipeline ◽  
Conventional Methods

This paper describes an offshore pipeline freezing technique that was used to isolate a gas pipeline to effect repairs and to and perform associated tests. The freezing technique was used after evaluation and land testing and was successful in returning the pipeline to production much sooner that the other compared conventional methods. This technique reduced the amount of water used in the gas pipeline and enabled the repairs to be pressure tested prior to returning the pipeline to service.

In Pursuit of a Design Mathematics: Generalizing the Labeled Interval Calculus

1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walid Habib ◽  
Allen C. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Algebraic Equations

Abstract The Labeled Interval Calculus (LIC) is a formalism for reasoning about sets of design possibilities. Examples include toleranced objects, abstract descriptions involving many possible instantiations, and varying operating conditions. It has been successful in a “mechanical design compiler”, which accepts schematics and specifications and returns catalog numbers for optimal implementations. The LIC at present operates on monotonic algebraic equations and intervals of real values, but it now appears possible to generalize it to address arbitrary types of mathematical sets and relationships. The resulting family of formalisms is expected to be useful in design by feature and other design programs.

Northern Light Offshore Pipeline – Negative Transport Temperature Inside the HDD

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Blasioli ◽  
Furio Marchesani ◽  
Maurizio Badalini ◽  
Vincenzo Luci ◽  
Tove Bekkeheien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Water ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Water Circulation ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Ice Formation ◽  
Circulation System ◽  
Directional Drilling ◽  
Radial Temperature ◽  
Pressure Losses ◽  
Offshore Pipeline

Abstract The transport of CO2 through offshore pipelines is one of the last business that the Operators are beginning to face, in line with the coming needs for climate change mitigations. The scenario for CO2 Capture, Transport and Storage anticipates capture and treatment at local plants, the transportation by ships in a liquid phase at low temperatures (close to −30 °C) to a terminal for the following offshore submarine transportation in a pipeline up to an injection well, for the final (and permanent) storage underground. In order to optimize the operating costs for CO2 transport via pipeline, and to reduce energy consumptions, no heating is applied from ship to pipeline inlet. In such case, the pipeline will reach approximately a temperature of −30 °C in the initial landfall section. The design of the offshore pipeline subject to this operating conditions, very cold fluid inside and a sea water temperature slightly over 0°C outside (North Sea), must face the possibility of ice formation around the pipe. For the Northern Lights project, this possibility has been analyzed and the HDD (Horizontal Directional Drilling) at landfall resulted the only section where the ice formation could jeopardize the pipeline integrity. Detailed assessment for both normal operating conditions and contingency cases has been performed. In the former case, a steady state thermal analysis with analytical method (thermal resistances) has been applied to calculate both the longitudinal, along the pipeline axis, and radial temperature profile: all the water inside the HDD freezes. Therefore, a water circulation system has been studied to prevent the ice formation. The pumping system required to ensure enough water flow has been dimensioned considering pressure losses inside the HDD. Power consumption in the order of 3 kW is expected. The breakdown of the pumps has been analyzed in order to determine the available time before the sea water freeze inside the HDD obstructing any circulation. A transient analysis has been carried out simulating the temperature after water circulation arrest. Both analytical and Finite Element Model have been used to calculate the transient process causing water freezing.

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