Abstract:
Inservice hydrocarbons must be transported at high temperature and pressure to ease the flow and prevented solidification of the wax fraction. High temperature and pressure induced addition stress in the pipeline, and its accumulation will cause upheaval buckling of the pipeline. If such expansion is resisted, for example by frictional affects of the foundation soil over a kilometer or so of pipeline, compressive axial stress will be set up in the pipe-wall. When the value exceeds the constraint of foundation soil on the pipeline, sudden deformation will occur to release internal stress, which is similar to the sudden deformation of strut due to stability problems. The upheaval buckling may jeopardize the structural integrity of the pipeline. Therefore, the effective engineering measure against this phenomenon plays an important role in submarine pipeline design. In terms of the pipeline installation and protection measures commonly used in Bohai Gulf, three engineering measures was investigated in great details. The analytical method was introduced and developed to consider the protection effect of anti-upheaval buckling of the pipeline. The analyzing results showed that the amplitude of initial imperfection had a great effect on the pipeline thermal upheaval buckling. Both trenching and burial and discrete dumping were effective on preventing the pipeline from buckling. The initial imperfection and operation conditions of the pipelines determined the covered depth and the number of layers of protection measures.