Numerical study on local scour characteristics around submarine pipelines in the Yellow River Delta silty sandy soil under waves and currents

Due to their high reliability and cost-efficiency,submarine pipelines are widely used in offshore oil and gas resource engineering.Due to the interaction of waves,currents,seabed,and pipeline structures,the soil around submarine pipelines is prone to local scour,severely affecting their operational safety.With the Yellow River Delta as the research area and based on the renormalized group(RNG)k-εturbulence model and Stokes fifth-order wave theory,this study solves the Navier-Stokes(N-S)equation using the finite difference method.The volume of fluid(VOF)method is used to describe the fluid-free surface,and a threedimensional numerical model of currents and waves-submarine pipeline-silty sandy seabed is established.The rationality of the numerical model is verified using a self-built waveflow flume.On this basis,in this study,the local scour development and characteristics of submarine pipelines in the Yellow River Delta silty sandy seabed in the prototype environment are explored and the influence of the presence of pipelines on hydrodynamic features such as surrounding flow field,shear stress,and turbulence intensity is analyzed.The results indicate that(1)local scour around submarine pipelines can be divided into three stages:rapid scour,slow scour,and stable scour.The maximum scour depth occurs directly below the pipeline,and the shape of the scour pits is asymmetric.(2)As the water depth decreases and the pipeline suspension height increases,the scour becomes more intense.(3)When currents go through a pipeline,a clear stagnation point is formed in front of the pipeline,and the flow velocity is positively correlated with the depth of scour.This study can provide a valuable reference for the protection of submarine pipelines in this area.

Theoretical and Numerical Studies on the Coupling Deformation of Global Lateral Buckling and Walking of Submarine Pipeline

Buckling initiation devices/techniques,including sleepers,distributed buoyancy,snake lay,and residual curvature method(RCM),have recently been widely applied in engineering.These initiated buckles may induce a long pipeline to transform into multiple short pipeline segments,which promote the occurrence of pipeline walking.Thus,a pipeline,which is designed to buckle laterally,may laterally and axially displace over time when subjected to repeated heating and cooling cycles.This study aims to reveal the coupling mechanism of pipeline walking and global lateral buckling.First,an analytic solution is proposed to estimate the walking of pipeline segments between two adjacent buckles.Then,the sensitivity of this method to heating and cooling cycles is analyzed.Results show the applicability of the proposed walking analytical solution of buckling pipelines.Subsequently,an influence analysis of walking on global buckling,including the capacity of buckling initiation,buckling amplitude,buckling mode,and failure assessment of the buckling pipeline,is performed.The results reveal that the effect of walking on the buckling axial force is negligible.However,pipeline walking will aggravate the asymmetry of the pipeline buckling and the failure parameters of the pipeline during the post-buckling.

Analysis on Buckling Performance of Submarine Pipelines During Deepwater Pipe-Laying Operation

Pipes inevitably encounter high ambient pressure and bending moment during the deepwater pipe-laying process,which can lead to elliptical buckling and even deterioration failure.For the safety of pipe-laying operation,available formulas for the pipe stability are established on the basis of the assumption of uniform deformation along the tube length and symmetrical buckling.This method can predict the nonlinear response of elliptical collapse of steel circular tubes for different ratios of diameter to thickness（D/t）under pure bending or combined bending and external pressure.In these formulas,the strain-displacement relationship is deduced from the nonlinear ring theory,and the Ramberg-Osgood constitutive model is applied to simulate the inelastic material behavior.Meanwhile,the principle of virtual work is adopted to derive the equilibrium equations.A set of equations is solved by the Newton-Raphson method,and the iterative scheme contains nested iteration for the constitutive relation.In order to check the effectiveness of this theoretical method,illustrative examples are presented in this paper.Besides,the numerical simulation is carried out by use of ANSYS.A comparison of the results shows that the theoretical method can provide reasonable prediction for engineering practice.

Experi mental Study on Vortex-Induced Vibrations of Submarine Pipeline near Seabed Boundary in Ocean Currents

Unlike most previous studies on vortex-induced vibrations of a cylinder far from a boundary, this paper focuses on the influences of close proximity of a submarine pipeline to a rigid seabed boundary upon the dynamic responses of the pipeline in ocean currents. The effects of gap-to-diameter ratio and those of the stability parameter on the amplitude and frequency responses of a pipeline are investigated experimentally with a novel hydro-elastic facility. A comparison is made between the present experimental results of the amplitude and frequency responses for the pipes with seabed boundary effects and those for wall-free cylinders given by Govardhan and Williamson （2000） and Anand （1985）. The comparison shows that the close proximity of a pipeline to seabed has much influence on the vortex-induced vibrations of the pipeline. Both the width of the lock-in ranges in terms of Vr and the dimensionless amplitude ratio Amax/D become larger with the decrease of the gap-to-diameter ratio e/D, Moreover, the vibration of the pipeline becomes easier to occur and its amplitude response becomes more intensive with the decrease of the stability parameter, while tire pipeline frequency responses are affected slightly by the stability parameter.

Study on Interaction Relationship for Submarine Pipeline with Axial Corrosion Defects

Corrosion is one of the main reasons to cause the operation accident of submarine oil and gas transmission pipelines. As the major corrosion pattern in submarine pipelines, the effects of corrosion clusters consisting of the adjacent corrosion defects on failure pressure are investigated through non-linear large-deformation finite element method. Typically, the failure behavior and limit strength of submarine pipeline with axial groove- groove corrosion defect pair exposed to interhal pressure are analyzed. The effects of corrosion depth and axial spacing between a pair of corrosion defects on failure pressure are concluded. An interaction relationship for corrosion defects in pipelines, as well as prediction formulations for assessing the remaining strength of corroded pipelines are proposed. The expressions based on the proposed interaction relationship give more accurate results than the methods used in the existing design guidelines.

Application of Tube-Packaged FBG Strain Sensor in Vibration Experi ment of Submarine Pipeline Model

Optical fiber sensors have received increasing attention in the fields of aeronautic and civil engineering for their superior ability to stand explosion, immunity to electromagnetic interference and high accuracy, especially fit for measureroent applications in harsh environment. In this study, a novel FBG （fiber Bragg grating） strain sensor, which is packaged in a 1.2 mm stainless steel tube with epoxy resin, is developed. Experiments are conducted on the universal material testing machine to calibrate its strain transferring characteristics. The sensor has the advantages of small size, high precision and flexible use, and exhibits promising potentials. Five tube-packaged strain FBG sensors have been applied to the vibration experiment of a submarine pipeline model. The strain measttred with the FBG sensor agrees well with that measttred with the electric resistance strain sensor.

Experimental Study on Free Spanning Submarine Pipeline Under Dynamic Excitation

Seismic load has a significant effect on the response of a free spanning submarine pipeline when the pipeline is constructed in a seismically active region. The model experiment is performed on an underwater shaking table to simulate the response of submarine pipelines under dynamic input. In consideration of the effects of the terrestrial and submarine pipeline, water depth, support condition, distance from seabed, empty and full pipeline, and span on dynamic response, 120 groups of experiments are conducted. Affecting factors are analyzed and conclusions are drawn for reference. For the control of dynamic response, the span of a submarine pipeline is by far more important than the other factors. Meanwhile, the rosponse difference between a submarine pipeline under sine excitation and that under random excitation exists in experiments.

Mechanism of local scour around submarine pipelines based on numerical simulation of turbulence model

The mechanism of local scour around submarine pipelines is studied numerically based on a renormalized group （RNG） turbulence model. To validate the numerical model, the equilibrium profiles of local scour for two cases are simulated and compared with the experimental data. It shows that the RNG turbulence model can give an appropriate prediction for the configuration of equilibrium scour hole, and it is applicable to this situation. The local scour mechanism around submarine pipelines including the flow structure, shear stress distribution and pressure field is then analyzed and compared with experiments. For further comparison and validation, especially for the flow structure, a numerical calculation employing the large eddy simulation （LES） is also conducted. The numerical results of RNG demonstrate that the critical factor governing the equilibrium profile is the seabed shear stress distribution in the case of bed load sediment transport, and the two-equation RNG turbulence model coupled with the law of wall is capable of giving a satisfying estimation for the bed shear stress. Moreover, the piping phenomena due to the great difference of pressure between the upstream and downstream parts of pipelines and the vortex structure around submarine pipelines are also simulated successfully, which are believed to be the important factor that lead to the onset of local scour.

Study on Model Tests and Hydrodynamic Force Models for Free Spanning Submarine Pipelines Subjected to Earthquakes

A test rig is built to model the dynamic response of submarine pipelines with an underwater shaking table in the State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, China. Model tests are carried out to consider the effects of exciting wave directions and types. Based on the experimental results, two hydrodynamic force models derived from Morisen equation and Wake model are presented respectively. By use of hydrodynamic force models suitable for free spanning submarine pipelines under earthquakes, diseretized equations of motion are obtained and finite element models are established to analyze dynamic response of free spanning submarine pipeline subjected to multi-support seismic excitations. The comparison of numerical results with experimental results shows that the improved Morison and Wake hydrodynamic force models could satisfactorily predict dynamic response on the free spanning submarine pipelines subjected to earthquakes.

WAVE-SOIL-PIPE COUPLING EFFECT ON SUBMARINE PIPELINE ON-BOTTOM STABILITY

Wave-soil-pipe coupling effect on the untrenched pipeline stability on sands is for the first time investigated experimentally. Tests are conducted in the U-shaped water tunnel, which generates an oscillatory how, simulating the water particle movements with periodically changing direction under the wave action. Characteristic times and phases during the instability process are revealed. Linear relationship between Froude number and non-dimensional pipe weight is obtained. Effects of initial embedment and loading history are observed. Test results between the wavesoil-pipe interaction and pipe-soil interaction under cyclic mechanical loading are compared. The mechanism is briefly discussed. For applying in the practical design, more extensive and systematic investigations are needed.

Girth weldability evaluation for submarine pipeline laying

Based on the offshore standard DNV-OS-F101-2010,girth welding tests and girth weldability evaluations were carried out for the X65 and X70 UOE submarine pipelines of 3 wall thickness gauges,in which semi-automatic gas metal arc welding （GMAW） was adopted matched with metal powder flux cored wire. The girth welding procedure specification （WPS） was optimized to obtain good quality and cold-crack-free girth weld joint without preheating and post-weld heat treatment. At the same time, porosities, inclusions and incomplete fusion defects were avoided. Girth weld joints were evaluated for tensile strength, bending, Vickers hardness, charpy impact toughness and crack tip opening displacement （CTOD） fracture toughness. Results show that all the girth weld joints have good mechanical performances,indicating that the irth weldabilitv of Baosteel＇ s UOE submarine pipelines is excellent in the case of semi-automatic GMAW.

Lateral Global Buckling of Submarine Pipelines Based on the Model of Nonlinear Pipe–Soil Interaction

With the increasing development and utilization of offshore oil and gas resources, global buckling failures of pipelines subjected to high temperature and high pressure are becoming increasingly important. For unburied or semi-buried submarine pipelines, lateral global buckling represents the main form of global buckling. The pipe–soil interaction determines the deformation and stress distribution of buckling pipelines. In this paper, the nonlinear pipe–soil interaction model is introduced into the analysis of pipeline lateral global buckling, a coupling method of PSI elements and the modified RIKS algorithm is proposed to study the lateral global buckling of a pipeline, and the buckling characteristics of submarine pipeline with a single arch symmetric initial imperfection under different pipe–soil interaction models are studied. Research shows that, compared with the ideal elastic–plastic pipe–soil interaction model, when the DNV-RP-F109 model is adopted to simulate the lateral pipe–soil interactions in the lateral global buckling of a pipeline, the buckling amplitude increases, however, the critical buckling force and the initial buckling temperature difference decreases. In the DNV-RP-F109 pipe–soil interaction model, the maximum soil resistance, the residual soil resistance, and the displacement to reach the maximum soil resistance have significant effects on the analysis results of pipeline global buckling.

Mechanical Analysis of Submarine Pipeline During off-Bottom Towing Operation

The off-bottom tow is an important method to lay pipeline for offshore oil and gas transportation in shallow water area. During the off-bottom towing operation, the actions such as sea current resistance, friction force of seabed, pontoon buoyancy, and tow force of tugboat can cause large deformation and fatigue damage to the pipeline. In order to keep the pipeline in safety, the lateral and vertical defomlations of pipeline must be controlled within an appropriate range. Theoretical study is carried out in the paper on the environmental forees acting on pipeline, pontoons and chaias, and the confimation of tow parameters including tow forces of tugboat, number of pontoons and length of chains. Then the pipeline in the off-bettom towing process may be simplified into a continuous beam with elastic supports under the concentrated and distributed forces. A finite element method is applied to achieve numerical solutions describing the distributions of deformation and stress along the pipeline. The results show that the lateral shape of the pipeline is like an arc with the maximal deformation appearing at the middle of the pipeline. The distributions of stress are similar between two arbitrary pontoons. Moreover, both deformation and stress have the inverse relation with the tow forces of tugboat.

Experimental Study of Hydrodynamic and Self-Buried Behavior of Submarine Pipeline with Perpendicular Spoilers

The spoiler is a kind of device to disturb current and promote burying.At present,all submarine pipeline spoilers at home and abroad are parallel spoilers,that is,the plane of the spoiler is parallel to the vertical plane of the pipeline axis.According to the results of indoor experiments,when the pipeline with the forward spoiler is installed perpendicular to the direction of water flow,the spoiler will accelerate the seabed erosion and cause the pipeline to endure downward pressure,which will eventually cause the pipeline self-buried to form a protection.However,when the pipeline direction is consistent with the flow direction,the self-buried behavior and protective effect is vanished.By aiming at the defect that the forward spoiler cannot be self-buried when the direction of the pipeline and the flow are basically parallel,the spoiler burying aid device perpendicular to the pipeline axis has been innovatively developed,and the hydrodynamic changes and sediment erosion characteristics near the pipeline after the installation of the device were studied based on the experiment.Results reveal that although the perpendicular spoiler cannot generate downforce,it can greatly increase the turbulent kinetic energy of the flow and the rate of sediment erosion.The larger the angle between the pipeline axis and the spoiler plane is,the larger the increase in turbulent energy will be.The increase in turbulent energy near the bed surface can reach up about 70%when the angle is 90°,while serious sediment erosion mainly occurs along both sides of the pipeline with a distance of about 2−4 times the pipe diameter.In the future,we can further explore the influence of the perpendicular spoiler size and installation position on the pipeline downforce and the effect of burying promotion.At the same time,field tests on the perpendicular spoiler burying aid device currently developed will conduct to observe the actual effect of perpendicular spoiler promoting pipeline scouring and burying,and improve submarine pipeline safety protection technology.

Laboratory investigation into the oil diffusion from submarine pipeline under water flow

A physical model test has been conducted to study the oil diffusion from the submarine pipeline under water flow.The crude oil in the flume is spilled from a leakage point of the pipeline and diffused from the seabed to the surface. By the non-contact optical measuring technology, an image acquisition and data analysis system is designed to explore the spilled mechanism and characteristic. The oil trajectory, velocity and the rising time to the surface are obtained through this system. The influence of the water flow and the spilled discharge on the behavior of the spilled oil are analyzed from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. The sensitivity study of the characteristic physical quantities to various factors are presented afterward. The spilled oil under water is mainly distributed in the form of the scattered particles with different sizes. The rising process of the oil can be divided into three stages: full, dispersion and aggregation period. The spilled discharge is the primary factor affecting the rising time of the oil particles. In the rising process of the oil particles, the vertical velocity of the oil is mainly affected by the spilled discharge, and the transverse velocity is more dependent on the water velocity. The deviation of the transverse oil velocity is much larger than that of the rising time and the vertical oil velocity. The study can provide a theoretical reference for the prediction system of oil spill emergency.

Prediction of Collapse Pressure of Submarine Pipelines in A Wide Range of Diameter–Thickness Ratio

Submarine pipelines play an important role in offshore oil and gas development.A touchy issue in pipeline design and application is how to avoid the local collapse of pipelines under external pressure.The pipe diameter-thickness ratio D/t is one of the key factors that determine the local critical collapse pressure of the submarine pipelines.Based on the pipeline collapse experiment and finite element simulation,this paper explores the pressure-bearing capacity of the pipeline under external pressure in a wide range of diameter-thickness ratio D/t.Some interesting and important phenomena have been observed and discussed.In the range of 16<D/t<80,both DNV specification and finite element simulation can predict the collapse pressure of pipeline quite well;in the range of 10<D/t<16,the DNV specification is conservative compared with the experimental results,while the finite element simulation results are slightly larger than the experimental results.Further parameter analysis shows that compared with thin-walled pipes,improving the material grade of thick-walled pipes has higher benefits,and for thin-walled pipes,the ovality f_(0)should be controlled even more.In addition,combining the results of finite element simulation and model experiment,an empirical formula of critical collapse pressure for thick-walled pipelines is proposed,which is used to correct the error of DNV specification in the range of 10<D/t<16.

Some Considerations in Design and Construction of the Wei-Liu Water Supplying Submarine Pipeline

The Wei- Liu water supplying submarine pipeline is at present the longest one of the kind in China. It is about 4 kilometers long from Weihai City to Liugong Island in Shandong province. It took only half a year to design and construct it. The project was of a high economic efficiency and some practical experiences were achieved. In this paper a general introduction to the design and construction of this pipeline is presented and such problems as the stability of the pipeline in very soft clay, design of curved slide for launching and estimation of dragging forces are expounded.

Hydrodynamic Forces and Instability of Submarine Pipelines Under Waves and Currents:A Review

Stability design of submarine pipelines is a very important procedure in submarine pipeline engineering design. The calculation of hydrodynamic forces caused by waves and currents acting on marine pipelines is an essential step in pipeline design for stability. The hydrodynamic forces-induced instabilities of submarine pipelines should be regarded as a wave/ current-pipeline-seabed interaction problem. This paper presents a review on hydrodynamic forces and stability research of submarine pipelines under waves and currents. The representative progress including the improved design method and guideline has been made for the marine pipelines engineering design through experimental investigations, numerical simu- lations and analytical models. Finally, further studies on this issue are suggested.

Design of Submarine Pipeline in BZ34-2/4 Oil Field

This paper presents the detail design conditions, design criteria and methods as well as design conclusions of the process, structure and corrosion of the production flowlines and high pressure water injection lines in BZ34-2 / 4 oil field in Bohai Bay. At present this design represents the design capability and level in the field of the submarine pipeline engineering of China.

Dynamic characteristics of the pipeline inspection gauge under girth weld excitation in submarine pipeline

Pipeline inner inspection technology based on Pipeline Inspection Gauge(PIG),is the primary means for ensuring the safety of submarine pipelines.The dynamic characteristics of a PIG can change abruptly with the excitation of obstacles such as girth welds inside the pipeline,which would result in failure or inaccuracy of the inspection results.This study establishes a dynamic model of the PIG sealing disc based on Kelvin spring damping in the circumferentially confined space.The axial vibration differential equations of the PIG is examined in detail.MSC/ADAMS is used to conduct the dynamic simulation of the PIG at different motion velocities and center of mass positions while passing through the girth weld process.Results indicate that the axial vibration caused by the girth weld intensifies substantially as the speed of the PIG increases,while the pitch and vertical vibrations exhibit a significant decline with an increase in the motion velocity.The change in the PIG’s center of mass positions has little effect on its axial vibration,while the pitch and vertical vibration conditions are significantly different in the same circumstances.