Experimental and numerical simulation study on the erosion behavior of the elbow of gathering pipeline in shale gas field

During the production period of shale gas, proppant particles and rock debris are produced together,which will seriously erode the elbows of gathering pipelines. In response to this problem, this paper takes the elbow of the gathering pipeline in the Changning Shale Gas Field as an example to test the erosion rate and material removal mechanism of the test piece at different angles of the elbow through experiments and compares the four erosion models with the experimental results. Through analysis, it is found that the best prediction model for quartz sand-carbon steel erosion is the Oka model. Based on the Oka model, FLUENT software was used to simulate and analyze the law of erosion of the elbow of the gas gathering pipeline under different gas flow velocities, gas gathering pressure, particle size, length of L1,and bending directions of the elbow. And a spiral pipeline structure is proposed to reduce the erosion rate of the elbow under the same working conditions. The results show that this structure can reduce erosion by 34%.

Stress corrosion cracking behavior of buried oil and gas pipeline steel under the coexistence of magnetic field and sulfate-reducing bacteria

Magnetic field and microorganisms are important factors influencing the stress corrosion cracking(SCC)of buried oil and gas pipelines. Once SCC occurs in buried pipelines, it will cause serious hazards to the soil environment. The SCC behavior of X80 pipeline steel under the magnetic field and sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB) environment was investigated by immersion tests, electrochemical tests, and slow strain rate tensile(SSRT) tests. The results showed that the corrosion and SCC sensitivity of X80 steel decreased with increasing the magnetic field strength in the sterile environment. The SCC sensitivity was higher in the biotic environment inoculated with SRB, but it also decreased with increasing magnetic field strength, which was due to the magnetic field reduces microbial activity and promotes the formation of dense film layer. This work provided theoretical guidance on the prevention of SCC in pipeline steel under magnetic field and SRB coexistence.

Novel Methodologies for Preventing Crack Propagation in Steel Gas Pipelines Considering the Temperature Effect

Using the software ANSYS-19.2/Explicit Dynamics,this study performedfinite-element modeling of the large-diameter steel pipeline cross-section for the Beineu-Bozoy-Shymkent gas pipeline with a non-through straight crack,strengthened by steel wire wrapping.The effects of the thread tensile force of the steel winding in the form of single rings at the crack edges and the wires with different winding diameters and pitches were also studied.The results showed that the strengthening was preferably executed at a minimum value of the thread tensile force,which was 6.4%more effective than that at its maximum value.The analysis of the influence of the winding dia-meters showed that the equivalent stresses increased by 32%from the beginning of the crack growth until the wire broke.The increment in winding diameter decelerated the disclosure of the edge crack and reduced its length by 8.2%.The analysis of the influence of the winding pitch showed that decreasing the distance between the winding turns also led to a 33.6%reduction in the length of the straight crack and a 7.9%reduction in the maximum stres-ses on the strengthened pipeline cross-section.The analysis of the temperature effect on the pipeline material,within a range from-40℃ to+50℃,resulted in a crack length change of up to 5.8%.As the temperature dropped,the crack length decreased.Within such a temperature range,the maximum stresses were observed along the cen-tral area of the crack,which were equal to 413 MPa at+50℃ and 440 MPa at-40℃.The results also showed that the presence of the steel winding in the pipeline significantly reduced the length of crack propagation up to 8.4 times,depending on the temperature effect and design parameters of prestressing.This work integrated the existing methods for crack localization along steel gas pipelines.

Impact Damage Testing Study of Shanxi-Beijing Natural Gas Pipeline Based on Decision Tree Rotary Tiller Operation

The North China Plain and the agricultural region are crossed by the Shanxi-Beijing natural gas pipeline.Resi-dents in the area use rototillers for planting and harvesting;however,the depth of the rototillers into the ground is greater than the depth of the pipeline,posing a significant threat to the safe operation of the pipeline.Therefore,it is of great significance to study the dynamic response of rotary tillers impacting pipelines to ensure the safe opera-tion of pipelines.This article focuses on the Shanxi-Beijing natural gas pipeline,utilizingfinite element simulation software to establish afinite element model for the interaction among the machinery,pipeline,and soil,and ana-lyzing the dynamic response of the pipeline.At the same time,a decision tree model is introduced to classify the damage of pipelines under different working conditions,and the boundary value and importance of each influen-cing factor on pipeline damage are derived.Considering the actual conditions in the hemp yam planting area,targeted management measures have been proposed to ensure the operational safety of the Shanxi-Beijing natural gas pipeline in this region.

Safety Length Simulation of Natural Gas Pipeline Subjected to Transverse Landslide

The safety of natural gas pipeline is often severely threatened by the transverse landslide. At home and abroad, it is the first time to study the safe length of the pipeline when affected by landslide, and take the safe length of the pipeline as an engineering practical index. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the influence of transverse landslide affecting the safety of natural gas pipeline when a certain length of pipeline is thrusted, and to establish practical index and simulation method for prediction and prevention of the landslide hazards to gas pipeline. Based on the current research results, this study could be divided into three steps: First of all, with the help of ANSYS finite element software, the model of transverse landslide acting on the gas pipeline can be set up, then the length value of gas pipeline safely withstanding transverse landslide can be calculated;Secondly, using the strength reduction method, which is commonly used in the research of landslide stability, can establish three-dimensional model of the landslide and pipes in the ABAQUS finite element software, next, under the same landslide pushed length, the calculation results will be obtained;Finally, to draw reliable conclusions, all calculated results of the former two methods will be linked to synthetically and comparatively analyze, then the length value of common X80 gas pipeline safely bearing transverse landslide can be got. All results can provide some references for engineering and design.

Prediction on Failure Pressure of Pipeline Containing Corrosion Defects Based on ISSA-BPNNModel

Oil and gas pipelines are affected by many factors,such as pipe wall thinning and pipeline rupture.Accurate prediction of failure pressure of oil and gas pipelines can provide technical support for pipeline safety management.Aiming at the shortcomings of the BP Neural Network(BPNN)model,such as low learning efficiency,sensitivity to initial weights,and easy falling into a local optimal state,an Improved Sparrow Search Algorithm(ISSA)is adopted to optimize the initial weights and thresholds of BPNN,and an ISSA-BPNN failure pressure prediction model for corroded pipelines is established.Taking 61 sets of pipelines blasting test data as an example,the prediction model was built and predicted by MATLAB software,and compared with the BPNN model,GA-BPNN model,and SSA-BPNN model.The results show that the MAPE of the ISSA-BPNN model is 3.4177%,and the R2 is 0.9880,both of which are superior to its comparison model.Using the ISSA-BPNN model has high prediction accuracy and stability,and can provide support for pipeline inspection and maintenance.

Behavior of transporting pipeline sections without and with hydrogen exposure based on full-scale tests

Pipeline transport of hydrogen is one of today’s economic and environmental challenges.In order to find safe and reliable application of both existing gas and build new pipelines,it is essential to carry out tests on full-scale pipeline section,including the potentially more dangerous places than the main pipe,the girth welds.For the investigations,pipeline sections of P355NH steel with girth welds were prepared and exposed to pure hydrogen at twice the maximum allowable operating pressure for 41 days.Subsequently,full-scale burst tests were carried out and specimens were cut and prepared from the typical locations of the failed pipeline sections for mechanical,and macro-and microstructural investigations.The results obtained were evaluated and compared with data from previous full-scale tests on pipeline sections without hydrogen exposure.The results showed differences in the behavior of pipeline sections loaded in different ways,with different characteristics of the materials and the welded joints,both in the cases without hydrogen exposure and in the cases exposed to hydrogen.

Improved AHP–TOPSIS model for the comprehensive risk evaluation of oil and gas pipelines

A comprehensive and objective risk evaluation model of oil and gas pipelines based on an improved analytic hierarchy process(AHP)and technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution(TOPSIS)is established to identify potential hazards in time.First,a barrier model and fault tree analysis are used to establish an index system for oil and gas pipeline risk evaluation on the basis of five important factors:corrosion,external interference,material/construction,natural disasters,and function and operation.Next,the index weight for oil and gas pipeline risk evaluation is computed by applying the improved AHP based on the five-scale method.Then,the TOPSIS of a multi-attribute decision-making theory is studied.The method for determining positive/negative ideal solutions and the normalized equation for benefit/cost indexes is improved to render TOPSIS applicable for the comprehensive risk evaluation of pipelines.The closeness coefficient of oil and gas pipelines is calculated by applying the improved TOPSIS.Finally,the weight and the closeness coefficient are combined to determine the risk level of pipelines.Empirical research using a long-distance pipeline as an example is conducted,and adjustment factors are used to verify the model.Results show that the risk evaluation model of oil and gas pipelines based on the improved AHP–TOPSIS is valuable and feasible.The model comprehensively considers the risk factors of oil and gas pipelines and provides comprehensive,rational,and scientific evaluation results.It represents a new decision-making method for systems engineering in pipeline enterprises and provides a comprehensive understanding of the safety status of oil and gas pipelines.The new system engineering decision-making method is important for preventing oil and gas pipeline accidents.

Impact of Improving Design Factor over 0.72 on the Safety and Reliability of Gas Pipelines and Feasibility Justification

Many years experience of the operation of high stress (>72% specified minimum yield strength, SMYS) gas pipelines and statistical analysis results of pipeline incidents showed that the operating pipelines at stress levels over 72% SMYS have not presented problems in USA and Canada, and design factor does not control incidents or the safety of pipelines. Enhancing pipeline safety management level is most important for decreasing incident rate. The application history of higher design factors in the U.S and Canada was reviewed. And the effect of higher factors to the critical flaw size, puncture resistance, change of reliability with time, risk level and the arrest toughness requirements of pipeline were analyzed here. The comparison of pipeline failure rates and risk levels between two design factors (0.72 and 0.8) has shown that a change in design factor from 0.72 to 0.8 would bring little effect on failure rates and risk levels. On the basis of the analysis result, the application feasibility of design factor of 0.8 in China was discussed and the related suggestions were proposed. When an operator wishes to apply design factor 0.8 to gas pipeline, the following process is recommended: stress level of line pipe hydro test should be up to 100% SMYS, reliability and risk assessment at the design feasibility or conceptual stage should be conducted, Charpy impact energy should meet the need of pipeline crack arrest; and establish and execute risk based integrity management plan. The technology of pipeline steel metallurgy, line pipe fabrication and pipeline construction, and line pipe quality control level in China achieved tremendous progresses, and line pipe product standards and property indexes have come up to international advanced level. Furthermore, pipeline safety management has improved greatly in China. Consequently, the research for the feasibility of application of design factor of 0.8 in China has fundamental basis.

Numerical simulation of a gas pipeline network using computational fluid dynamics simulators

This article describes numerical simulation of gas pipeline network operation using high-accuracy computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulators of the modes of gas mixture transmission through long, multi-line pipeline systems (CFD-simulator). The approach used in CFD-simulators for modeling gas mixture transmission through long, branched, multi-section pipelines is based on tailoring the full system of fluid dynamics equations to conditions of unsteady, non-isothermal processes of the gas mixture flow. Identification, in a CFD-simulator, of safe parameters for gas transmission through compressor stations amounts to finding the interior points of admissible sets described by systems of nonlinear algebraic equalities and inequalities. Such systems of equalities and inequalities comprise a formal statement of technological, design, operational and other constraints to which operation of the network equipment is subject. To illustrate the practicability of the method of numerical simulation of a gas transmission network, we compare computation results and gas flow parameters measured on-site at the gas transmission enter-prise.

Stress analysis on large-diameter buried gas pipelines under catastrophic landslides

This paper presents a method for analysis of stress and strain of gas pipelines under the effect of horizontal catastrophic landslides. A soil spring model was used to analyze the nonlinear characteristics concerning the mutual effects between the pipeline and the soil. The Ramberg–Osgood model was used to describe the constitutive relations of pipeline materials. This paper also constructed a finite element analysis model using ABAQUS finite element software and studied the distribution of the maximum stress and strain of the pipeline and the axial stress and strain along the pipeline by referencing some typical accident cases. The calculation results indicated that the maximum stress and strain increased gradually with the displacement of landslide.The limit values of pipeline axial stress strain appeared at the junction of the landslide area and non-landslide area. The stress failure criterion was relatively more conservative than the strain failure criterion. The research results of this paper may be used as a technical reference concerning the design and safety management of large-diameter gas pipelines under the effects of catastrophic landslides.

Dynamical Mechanisms of Effects of Landslides on Long Distance Oil and Gas Pipelines

According to the investigations on the oil and gas pipelines such as the Lan-Cheng-Chong pipeline and the Southwest pipeline, there are two ways of laying pipeline： pipelines paralleling （approximately） to the main slide direction and pipelines perpendicular （approximately） to the main slide direction. If earth-retaining walls have been built for pipelines paralleling to the main slide direction, they will prevent the lands from sliding; On the contrary, without earth-retaining walls, the sharp broken rocks in the backfilling soil will scratch the safeguard of the pipeline when the landslides take place. Pipelines perpendicular to the main slide direction can be classified into four types according to the relative positions between pipelines and landslides： Pipelines over the slide planes, pipelines inside the fracture strips of slide planes, pipelines below the slide planes and pipelines behind the backsides of landslides. The different dynamical mechanisms of the process in which landslide acts against pipelines are analyzed based on whether the pipelines are equipped with fixed frusta, because the sliding resistance depends on whether and how many fixed frusta are equipped and the distance between frusta.

Power optimization of gas pipelines via an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm

In past decades dynamic programming, genetic algorithms, ant colony optimization algorithms and some gradient algorithms have been applied to power optimization of gas pipelines. In this paper a power optimization model for gas pipelines is developed and an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm is applied. Based on the testing of the parameters involved in the algorithm which need to be defined artificially, the values of these parameters have been recommended which can make the algorithm reach efficiently the approximate optimum solution with required accuracy. Some examples have shown that the relative error of the particle swarm optimization over ant colony optimization and dynamic programming is less than 1% and the computation time is much less than that of ant colony optimization and dynamic programming.

A liquid loading prediction method of gas pipeline based on machine learning

The liquid loading is one of the most frequently encountered phenomena in the transportation of gas pipeline,reducing the transmission efficiency and threatening the flow assurance.However,most of the traditional mechanism models are semi-empirical models,and have to be resolved under different working conditions with complex calculation process.The development of big data technology and artificial intelligence provides the possibility to establish data-driven models.This paper aims to establish a liquid loading prediction model for natural gas pipeline with high generalization ability based on machine learning.First,according to the characteristics of actual gas pipeline,a variety of reasonable combinations of working conditions such as different gas velocity,pipe diameters,water contents and outlet pressures were set,and multiple undulating pipeline topography with different elevation differences was established.Then a large number of simulations were performed by simulator OLGA to obtain the data required for machine learning.After data preprocessing,six supervised learning algorithms,including support vector machine(SVM),decision tree(DT),random forest(RF),artificial neural network(ANN),plain Bayesian classification(NBC),and K nearest neighbor algorithm(KNN),were compared to evaluate the performance of liquid loading prediction.Finally,the RF and KNN with better performance were selected for parameter tuning and then used to the actual pipeline for liquid loading location prediction.Compared with OLGA simulation,the established data-driven model not only improves calculation efficiency and reduces workload,but also can provide technical support for gas pipeline flow assurance.

State of art of seismic design and seismic hazard analysis for oil and gas pipeline system

The purpose of this paper is to adopt the uniform confidence method in both water pipeline design and oil-gas pipeline design.Based on the importance of pipeline and consequence of its failure,oil and gas pipeline can be classified into three pipe classes,with exceeding probabilities over 50 years of 2%,5% and 10%,respectively.Performance-based design requires more information about ground motion,which should be obtained by evaluating seismic safety for pipeline engineering site.Different from a city＇s water pipeline network,the long-distance oil and gas pipeline system is a spatially linearly distributed system.For the uniform confidence of seismic safety,a long-distance oil and pipeline formed with pump stations and different-class pipe segments should be considered as a whole system when analyzing seismic risk.Considering the uncertainty of earthquake magnitude,the design-basis fault displacements corresponding to the different pipeline classes are proposed to improve deterministic seismic hazard analysis（DSHA）.A new empirical relationship between the maximum fault displacement and the surface-wave magnitude is obtained with the supplemented earthquake data in East Asia.The estimation of fault displacement for a refined oil pipeline in Wenchuan MS8.0 earthquake is introduced as an example in this paper.

Risk analysis and maintenance decision making of natural gas pipelines with external corrosion based on Bayesian network

Buried natural gas pipelines are vulnerable to external corrosion because they are encased in a soil environment for a long time.Identifying the causes of external corrosion and taking specific maintenance measures is essential.In this work,a risk analysis and maintenance decision-making model for natural gas pipelines with external corrosion is proposed based on a Bayesian network.A fault tree model is first employed to identify the causes of external corrosion.The Bayesian network for risk analysis is determined accordingly.The maintenance strategies are then inserted into the Bayesian network to show a reduction of the risk.The costs of maintenance strategies and the reduced risk after maintenance are combined in an optimization function to build a decision-making model.Because of the limitations of historical data,some of the parameters in the Bayesian network are obtained from a probabilistic estimation model,which combines expert experience and fuzzy set theory.Finally,a case study is carried out to verify the feasibility of the maintenance decision model.This indicates that the method proposed in this work can be used to provide effective maintenance schemes for different pipeline external corrosion scenarios and to reduce the possible losses caused by external corrosion.

Using acoustic technique to detect leakage in city gas pipelines

For solving the difficult problem of leakage detection in city gas pipelines, a method using acoustic technique based on instantaneous energy (IE) distribution and correlation analysis was proposed. Firstly, the basic theory of leakage detection and location was introduced. Then the physical relationship between instantaneous energy and structural state variation of a system was analyzed theoretically. With HILBERT-HUANG transformation (HHT), the instantaneous energy distribution feature of an unstable acoustic signal was obtained. According to the relative contribution method of the instantaneous energy, the noise in signal was eliminated effectively. Furthermore, in order to judge the leakage, the typical characteristic of the instantaneous energy of signal in the input and output end was discussed using correlative analysis. A number of experiments were carried out to classify the leakage from normal operations, and the results show that the leakages are successfully detected and the average recognition rate reaches 93.3% among three group samples. It is shown that the method using acoustic technique with IED and correlative analysis is effective and it may be referred in other pipelines.

Development of an integrated dynamic model for supply security and resilience analysis of natural gas pipeline network systems

An integrated dynamic model of natural gas pipeline networks is developed in this paper.Components for gas supply,e.g.,pipelines,junctions,compressor stations,LNG terminals,regulation stations and gas storage facilities are included in the model.These components are firstly modeled with respect to their properties and functions and,then,integrated at the system level by Graph Theory.The model can be used for simulating the system response in different scenarios of operation,and evaluate the consequences from the perspectives of supply security and resilience.A case study is considered to evaluate the accuracy of the model by benchmarking its results against those from literature and the software Pipeline Studio.Finally,the model is applied on a relatively complex natural gas pipeline network and the results are analyzed in detail from the supply security and resilience points of view.The main contributions of the paper are:firstly,a novel model of a complex gas pipeline network is proposed as a dynamic state-space model at system level;a method,based on the dynamic model,is proposed to analyze the security and resilience of supply from a system perspective.

A novel fuzzy approach to gas pipeline risk assessment under infuence of ground movement

The gas transport infrastructure is frequently localized in areas subjected to anthropogenic movements and strains.The potential impact of the ground movements on the gas pipeline in the aspect of its damage can be properly assessed e.g.by predicting strains,taking into account the causes of terrain movement.On the other hand,the hazard is also related to technological factors like design of the pipeline.The presented method is based on artifcial intelligence methods allowing for evaluation of probability of failure risk in gas supply pipeline sections.The Mamdani fuzzy inference was used in this study.Uncertainty of variables characterizing the resistance of the gas pipeline and predicted continuous deformations of ground surface were accounted for in the model by using triangular-shaped membership functions.Based on the surface deformations and gas pipeline resistance and the inference model one can make prediction when the gas pipeline is hazarded.There were estimated two the most hazarded parts for two pipelines.We proved that the proposed model can contribute to the protection,costoptimization of the designed pipelines and to the repairs of the existing gas pipelines.

Numerical forecasting surge in a piping of compressor shops of gas pipeline network

This paper presents a method of forecasting stable operation of gas compressor unit (GCU) centrifugal supercharger (CFS) installed on a piping of compressor shops servicing gas pipelines. The stability of superchargers operation is assessed in relation to the phenomenon of surge. Solution of this problem amounts to the development and numerical analysis of a set of ordinary differential equations. The set describes transmission of gas through a compressor shop as a fluid dynamics model with lumped parameters. The proposed method is oriented to wide application by specialists working in the gas industry. The practical application of this method can use all-purpose programming and mathematical software available to specialists of gas companies.