Burst Tests on Pipeline With Nonuniform Depth Corrosion Defects

Abstract

PETROBRAS is conducting a research project with the purpose of investigating the behavior of pipeline with long nonuniform corrosion defects. In the first phase of this project, burst tests of two tubular specimens were carried out. Each of the two specimens had one external nonuniform depth corrosion defect, machined using spark erosion. The specimens were cut from longitudinal welded tubes made of API 5L X60 steel with an outside diameter of 323.9 mm and a nominal wall thickness of 9.53 mm. Each of the two tubular specimens was instrumented with 17 post-yield strain gages rosettes, one displacement transducer and two pressure transducers. This paper describes the tubular specimens tested and the instrumentation used. The measured burst pressures are compared with those predicted by the ASME B31G and the RSTRENG Effective Area methods. The material properties used were determined by tests of tensile specimens. Photographs of the fractured defects are presented along with comments about their differences in shape. Some values of strain measured during the tests are also presented and commented.