Analysis of anchor force for pipeline walking induced by SCR tension

Abstract

The deep-sea pipeline exposed on the seabed is prone to pipeline walking under the influence of thermal loading cycles. Anchors are commonly used to prevent the pipeline walking from causing the end connection of the pipeline system to break. The development of a simple and practical method for calculating anchor force is essential for the preliminary design of the project. In this paper, a finite element model for calculating anchor force is established, and the factors affecting the accumulated length of effective axial force are analyzed. A strain diagram method is proposed for calculating the anchor force under partial accumulated length, and an analytical solution for the rigid anchor force is derived based on the strain diagram method. To address the problem of large anchor force at the end anchor, a flexible anchor is proposed to reduce the anchor force, and a formula for predicting the flexible anchor force is fitted. The study shows that the accumulated length proportion of anchor force increases with the increase of loading temperature and SCR tension, and decreases with the increase of pipeline length and friction coefficient. Flexible anchors can significantly reduce the anchor force. The proposed analytical solution for anchor force can comprehensively consider the influence of factors such as pipeline length, SCR tension, loading temperature, and friction coefficient, and has certain advantages over traditional analytical solutions.