Full Scale Burst Test and Finite Element Analysis on Corroded Gas Pipeline

Abstract

Pipelines have the highest capacity and are the safest and least environmentally disruptive way for gas or oil transmission. Recently, failures due to corrosion defects became of major concern in maintaining pipeline integrity. A number of solutions have been developed for the assessment of remaining strength of corroded pipelines. However, these solutions are known to be dependent on material properties and pipeline geometries. In this paper, a Fitness-For-Purpose (FFP) type limit load solution for corroded gas pipelines made of X65 steel is proposed based on experimental results and finite element analyses. For this purpose, a series of burst tests with various types of corrosion defects was performed. Finite element simulation was carried out on burst test to derive failure criteria. And then, a series of finite element analyses were performed to obtain a limit load solution for a single corrosion defect on the basis of burst test simulation. As a result, an FFP type limit load solution for corroded X65 gas pipelines was proposed.