Abstract
Spans occur when a pipeline is laid on a rough undulating seabed or when upheaval buckling occurs due to constrained thermal expansion. This not only results in static and dynamic loads on the flowline at span sections, but also generates vortex induced vibration (VIV), which can lead to fatigue issues. The phenomenon, if not predicted and controlled properly, will negatively affect pipeline integrity, leading to expensive remediation and intervention work. Span analysis can be complicated by: long span lengths, a large number of spans caused by a rough seabed, and multi-span interactions. In addition, the complexity can be more onerous and challenging when soil uncertainty, concrete degradation and unknown residual lay tension are considered in the analysis. This paper describes the latest developments and a ‘state-of-the-art’ finite element analysis program that has been developed to simulate the span response of a flowline under complex boundary and loading conditions. Both VIV and direct wave loading are captured in the analysis and the results are sequentially used for the ultimate limit state (ULS) check and fatigue life calculation.
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James WANG is a senior engineering specialist for J P Kenny, where he works in all areas of pipeline design and analysis. He holds an MS degree in mechanical engineering from Petroleum University China, an MS degree in petroleum engineering from University of Alaska Fairbanks, and an MS degree in computer science from Southwest Texas State University. He has eleven years of working experience in oil industry and his area of expertise is in mechanical analysis using computer modeling.
F. Steven WANG is presently the pipeline engineer for J P Kenny — Houston.
Gang DUAN is presently the pipeline engineer for J P Kenny — Houston.
Paul JUKES is a Chartered Engineer (CEng), and is a Fellow of The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST). Dr. Jukes has published over 45 journal and conference papers, and the design and analysis of offshore oil and gas pipelines
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Wang, J., Steven Wang, F., Duan, G. et al. VIV analysis of pipelines under complex span conditions. J. Marine. Sci. Appl. 8, 105–109 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11804-009-8109-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11804-009-8109-x
Keywords
- boundary condition (BC)
- fatigue limit state (FLS)
- force model (FM)
- kilometer post (KP)
- mode shape
- natural frequency
- response model (RM)
- vortex-induced vibration (VIV)
- ultimate limit state (ULS)
- unit stress