Comparison of computational and analytical methods for evaluation of failure pressure of subsea pipelines containing internal and external corrosions

Abstract

In the designing stage of subsea pipelines, the design parameters, such as pipe materials, thickness and diameters, are carefully determined to guarantee flow assurance and structural safety. However, once corrosion occurs in pipelines, the operating pressure should be decreased to prevent the failure of pipelines. Otherwise, an abrupt burst can occur in the corroded region of the pipeline, and it leads to serious disasters in the environment and financial loss. Accordingly, the relationship between the corrosion amount and failure pressure of the pipeline, i.e., the maximum operating pressure, should be investigated, and then, the assessment guideline considering the failure pressure should be identified. There are several explicit type codes that regulate the structural safety for corroded subsea pipelines, such as ASME B31G, DNV RF 101, ABS Building and Classing Subsea Pipeline Systems, and API 579. These rules are well defined; however, there are some limitations associated with describing precise failure pressure. Briefly, all of the existing rules cannot consider the material nonlinearity, such as elastoplasticity effect of the pipeline, as well as the actual three-dimensional corrosion shape. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to suggest a modified formula parameter considering the above-mentioned pipeline and corrosion characteristics. As a result, the material nonlinearity as well as the corrosion configuration, i.e., axial/circumferential corrosion length, width and depth, is reflected in a set of finite element models and a series of finite element analysis considering the operation conditions are followed. Based on the comparative study between the simulation and analytical results, which can be obtained from the classification society rules, the modified formulae for failure pressure calculation are proposed.