The reliability-based design and assessment (RBDA) methodology has gained increasing acceptance in the pipeline industry, largely due to a multi-year PRCI program aimed at establishing RBDA as a viable alternative for the design and assessment of onshore natural gas pipelines. A key limit state of buried pipelines that operate at elevated temperatures is upheaval buckling. The elevated temperatures generate large compressive axial forces that can cause Euler buckling susceptibility. The tendency to buckle is increased at vertical imperfections (i.e. a series of cold formed bends) that primarily occur due to topography. Upheaval buckling in itself is not an ultimate limit state but can lead to high strains, local buckling, high cycle fatigue, expensive remediation measures, and even loss of pressure integrity. The critical forces at which upheaval buckling occurs for typical hill-crest type imperfections present in onshore pipelines cannot be readily predicted using analytical methods. A parametric study is therefore undertaken using non-linear finite element analyses to generate a matrix of upheaval buckling responses. The critical force for the onset of upheaval buckling is then developed using a series of empirical relationships to capture the influences of all key parameters. An upheaval buckling limit state function is subsequently developed by comparing the critical buckling force with applied compressive force, which is a function of operating pressure and temperature differential between the operating and tie-in conditions. The limit state function can be readily implemented in a reliability analysis framework to calculate the pipeline failure probability due to upheaval buckling.
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2008 7th International Pipeline Conference
September 29–October 3, 2008
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Conference Sponsors:
- International Petroleum Technology Institute and the Pipeline Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4859-3
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
An Upheaval Buckling Limit State Function for Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines
Wenxing Zhou,
Wenxing Zhou
C-FER Technologies Inc., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Joe Zhou,
Joe Zhou
TransCanada Pipeline Limited, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Rick Gailing
Rick Gailing
Southern California Gas Company, Los Angeles, CA
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Ian Matheson
Atkins Boreas, Aberdeen, UK
Wenxing Zhou
C-FER Technologies Inc., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Joe Zhou
TransCanada Pipeline Limited, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Rick Gailing
Southern California Gas Company, Los Angeles, CA
Paper No:
IPC2008-64687, pp. 781-791; 11 pages
Published Online:
June 29, 2009
Citation
Matheson, I, Zhou, W, Zhou, J, & Gailing, R. "An Upheaval Buckling Limit State Function for Onshore Natural Gas Pipelines." Proceedings of the 2008 7th International Pipeline Conference. 2008 7th International Pipeline Conference, Volume 3. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. September 29–October 3, 2008. pp. 781-791. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IPC2008-64687
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