Modelling of pipeline under differential frost heave considering post-peak reduction of uplift resistance in frozen soil

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bipul C Hawlader ◽  
Vincent Morgan ◽  
Jack I Clark

The interaction between buried chilled gas pipelines and the surrounding frozen soil subjected to differential frost heave displacements has been investigated. A simplified semi-analytical solution has been developed considering the post-peak reduction of uplift resistance in frozen soil as observed in laboratory tests. The nonlinear stress–strain behaviour of the pipeline at large strains has been incorporated in the analysis using an equivalent bending stiffness. The predicted results agree well with our finite element analysis and also with numerical predictions available in the literature, hence the simple semi-analytical solution can be considered as an alternative to numerical techniques. A parametric study has been carried out to identify the influence of key factors that can modify the uplift resistance in frozen soil. Among them, the residual uplift resistance has been found to be the important parameter for the development of stresses and strains in the pipeline.Key words: pipeline, frost heave, discontinuous permafrost, semi-analytical solution, uplift resistance, frozen soil.

Author(s):  
Bill Liu ◽  
Karen Moffitt ◽  
J. F. (Derick) Nixon ◽  
Joe Zhou ◽  
Yuxing Xiao

A buried pipeline is subject to a variety of internal and external loads, one of which is the load induced by relative movement between the pipeline and the surrounding soils. Frost heave is one of the potential mechanisms that induce the relative movement for buried pipelines of chilled gas. The magnitude of the loads due to frost heave depends upon the amount of heaving and the load-displacement characteristics of the surrounding frozen soils, i.e., the uplift resistance of the soils. Under the sponsorship of Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI), laboratory uplift tests have been carried out to study the load-displacement characteristics of a frozen soil. In parallel, a series of laboratory geo-mechanical tests were conducted to define stiffness, tensile strain limits and time-dependent features of the frozen soil. A numerical model, using the geo-mechanical properties of the frozen soil as input parameters, has been developed. The numerical model is intended to be used as a tool primarily for sensitivity analyses and scaling of the results of the laboratory uplift tests to field operations, which are anticipated to have pipe diameters in a range of 5 to 10 times of the laboratory tests. A description of the numerical model is provided in the paper. The load-displacement relationships and failure mechanisms represented in the numerical model are compared with the measurements and observations made during the laboratory uplift tests (quantitative data on uplift resistance are considered proprietary and will not be presented, but detailed data may be obtained from technical publications of PRCI). After being calibrated, the numerical model can be used for sensitivity analyses, and also potentially used as a design tool for pipelines in discontinuous permafrost.


Author(s):  
Yan Di ◽  
Jian Shuai ◽  
Lingzhen Kong ◽  
Xiayi Zhou

Frost heave must be considered in cases where pipelines are laid in permafrost in order to protect the pipelines from overstress and to maintain the safe operation. In this paper, a finite element model for stress/strain analysis in a pipeline subjected to differential frost heave was presented, in which the amount of frost heave is calculated using a segregation potential model and considering creep effects of the frozen soil. In addition, a computational method for the temperature field around a pipeline was proposed so that the frozen depth and temperature variation gradient could be obtained. Using the procedure proposed in this paper, stress/strain can be calculated according to the temperature on the surface of soil and in a pipeline. The result shows the characteristics of deformation and loading of a pipeline subjected to differential frost heave. In general, the methods and results in this paper can provide a reference for the design, construction and operation of pipelines in permafrost areas.


Author(s):  
Joe Zhou ◽  
Gordon Craig ◽  
Beez Hazen ◽  
James D. Hart

Long distance pipelines are actively pursued by the industry to transport natural gas from remote arctic regions to markets. A chilled gas pipeline is one of the options to minimize the environmental impact resulting from operation of such pipelines. When a chilled gas pipeline crosses discontinuous permafrost areas, differential frost heave can occur. The result is pipe being subjected to potentially high strains, primarily in the axial direction. Reliable prediction of strain demands is one of the key components for a strain-based design process and it is essential for both ensuring pipeline integrity and facilitating life-cycle cost optimization for the design and maintenance of pipelines. The prediction of strain demands resulting from frost heave of chilled gas pipelines involves three fundamental engineering analysis processes. They are gas hydraulic analysis, geothermal analysis and pipeline structural analysis. Not only are these three processes complex, they are also mutually interdependent. To reliably predict strain demands and fully capture the interactions among these processes, TransCanada Pipelines Ltd. (TransCanada) and its partners developed an integrated engineering model on the basis of three well established programs for the three individual engineering processes. This paper will briefly review the integrated model for strain demand prediction.


Author(s):  
Bill Liu ◽  
Jack Crooks ◽  
J. F. (Derick) Nixon ◽  
Joe Zhou

A buried pipeline is subject to a variety of internal and external loads, one of which is the load induced by relative movements between the pipeline and the surrounding soils. Frost heave is one of the potential mechanisms that induce the relative movement for buried pipelines of chilled gas. The magnitude of the loads due to frost heave depends upon the amount of heaving and the load-displacement characteristics of the surrounding frozen soils, i.e., the uplift resistance of the frozen soils. Under the sponsorship of Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI), laboratory uplift tests have been carried out to study the load-displacement characteristics of a frozen soil and to assess the impact of loading rate, ice content and freezing direction. In addition to the measurements of the load and displacement of the pipe, deformations of the soil surface were also monitored at various locations. Parallel to the uplift tests, a series of laboratory geo-mechanical tests were conducted to define stiffness, tensile strain limits and time-dependent behavior of the frozen soil. Examples of the uplift test results are presented in the paper, together with detailed descriptions of soil material and test conditions. It is noted that quantitative data on uplift resistance are considered proprietary and will not be presented in this paper; however, detailed data may be obtained from technical publications of PRCI. Observations during the test with respect to the development of cracks in the frozen soil will be discussed. The load-displacement relationships measured in the uplift tests, together with the geo-mechanical properties of the frozen soil, will be used to the development and calibration of a numerical model, which will be presented in a separate technical paper to IPC2004.


2020 ◽  
pp. 248-248
Author(s):  
Xinze Li ◽  
Huijun Jin ◽  
Yanjing Wei ◽  
Zhi Wen ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
...  

Based on one planned arctic natural gas pipeline engineering which will cross continuous, discontinuous, sporadic and non-permafrost areas from north to south, with different pipeline temperatures set, a thermal model of the interaction between pipeline and permafrost is established to investigate the influence of pipelines on the freezing and thawing of frozen soil around pipeline and thermal stability of permafrost. The results show that different pipeline temperatures influence the permafrost table greatly. Especially in discontinuous permafrost areas the permafrost table is influenced in both positive temperature and negative temperature. The warm gas pipeline of 5?C could decrease the value of permafrost table about 1 to 3 times pipe diameter and aggravate the degradation of permafrost around pipeline; -1?C and -5?C chilled gas pipeline can effectively improve the permafrost table and maintain the temperature stability of frozen soil , but the temperature of soils below pipeline of -5?C decreases obviously, which may lead to frost heave hazards. In terms of thermal stability around pipeline, it is advised that transporting temperature of -1?C is adopted in continuous permafrost area; in discontinuous permafrost area pipeline could operate above freezing in the summer months with the station discharge temperature trending the ambient air temperature, but the discharge temperature must be maintained as -1?C throughout the winter months; in seasonal freezing soil area chilled pipeline may cause frost heave, therefore pipeline should run in positive temperature without extra temperature cooling control.


1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Nixon ◽  
N. R. Morgenstern ◽  
S. N. Reesor

As a chilled pipeline crosses a transition from frozen to unfrozen ground or shallow permafrost, a differential frost heave problem may develop causing strains in the pipe. Soil–structure interaction models that are currently available to handle this problem concentrate on the pipe as the dominant structural member and represent the soil mass as a series of unconnected springs. This paper considers the soil to be an elastic or nonlinear viscous continuum and imposes a nonlinear boundary condition to represent the frost heaving soil and the dependence of frost heave on applied pressure. The pipe is assumed to be a completely passive structural member and the soil strains at the pipe elevations are studied. The dependence of the maximum pipe strains on the length of the heaving section and on the thickness of frozen ground beneath the pipe have been established for a typical set of soil and frost heaving conditions. It is found that, for the conditions studied, when the thickness of shallow permafrost or frozen soil is greater than about 7–8 m, the strains that a flexible pipe experiences are less than the strain criteria currently in use on many pipeline projects. Keywords: frost heave, pipeline, interaction, stress analysis, finite elements, continuum mechanics, thermo-elasticity.


2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 1363-1375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Behrang Dadfar ◽  
M. Hesham El Naggar ◽  
Miroslav Nastev

Seismic site response of discontinuous permafrost is discussed. The presence of frozen ground in soil deposits can significantly affect their dynamic response due to stiffer conditions characterized by higher shear-wave velocities compared to unfrozen soils. Both experimental and numerical investigations were conducted to examine the problem. The experimental program included a series of 1g shaking table tests on small-scale models. Nonlinear numerical analyses were performed employing FLAC software. The numerical model was verified using the obtained experimental results. Parametric simulations were then conducted using the verified model to study variations of the free-field spectral accelerations (on top of the frozen and unfrozen soil blocks) with the scheme of frozen–unfrozen soil, and to determine the key parameters and their effects on seismic site response. Results show that spectral accelerations were generally higher in frozen soils than in unfrozen ones. It was found that the shear-wave velocity of the frozen soil as well as the assumed geometry of the blocks and their spacing have a significant impact on the site response.


Author(s):  
Shaoyang Dong ◽  
Xiong (Bill) Yu

Frost heave can cause serious damage to civil infrastructure. For example, interactions of soil and water pipes under frozen conditions have been found to significantly accelerate pipe fracture. Frost heave may cause the retaining walls along highways to crack and even fail in cold climates. This paper describes a holistic model to simulate the temperature, stress, and deformation in frozen soil and implement a model to simulate frost heave and stress on water pipelines. The frozen soil behaviors are based on a microstructure-based random finite element model, which holistically describes the mechanical behaviors of soils subjected to freezing conditions. The new model is able to simulate bulk behaviors by considering the microstructure of soils. The soil is phase coded and therefore the simulation model only needs the corresponding parameters of individual phases. This significantly simplifies obtaining the necessary parameters for the model. The capability of the model in simulating the temperature distribution and volume change are first validated with laboratory scale experiments. Coupled thermal-mechanical processes are introduced to describe the soil responses subjected to sub-zero temperature on the ground surface. This subsequently changes the interaction modes between ground and water pipes and leads to increase of stresses on the water pipes. The effects of cracks along a water pipe further cause stress concentration, which jeopardizes the pipe’s performance and leads to failure. The combined effects of freezing ground and traffic load are further evaluated with the model.


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