Submarine Pipeline

Hydraulic Design,
Internal Pressure Design
& Material Selection
Rod Pinna
Platform, Pipeline and
Subsea Technology 403
Generally need to deliver oil or gas at a
specified flow rate and pressure
Hydraulic design required for preliminary
selection of pipeline diameter
Fluid must be kept above a minimum velocity
Minimise surging
Prevent build up of solids
Fluid flow must be below a maximum velocity
Prevent erosion
Optimise pumping requirements
Hydraulic Design
Hydrocarbons for transport may be
Liquid (incompressible: straightforward to analyse)
Gas (compressible & properties vary along pipe:
more challenging to analyse)
Multi-phase (e.g. gas & condensate)
(highly complex)
Hydraulic Design
For liquid lines:
Max velocity ~ 4 m/sec
Min velocity ~ 1 m/sec
For gas lines:
Max velocity ~ 18-25 m/sec
Min velocity ~ 4-5 m/sec
Trade off between
- CAPEX (Large pipe diameter) and
- OPEX (Lower pumping costs)
Fluid Velocities
Pressure drop in liquid pipelines is principally
due to
Change in elevation
(described by change in hydraulic head,
or Pressure = pgAh )
Friction loss


Pressure Drop
The remainder of the section on hydraulic
design will be concerned with liquid pipelines
There are two equations that may be used for
calculating the friction loss
Darcy-Weisbach
Fanning
Friction Loss Calculation
2
2
L DARCY
L V
h f
D g
| |
| |
=
|
|
\ .
\ .
2
2
L FANNING
L V
h f
D g
| |
| |
=
|
|
\ .
\ .
Oil pipelines
Gas pipelines
So, f
DARCY
= 4f
FANNING

For Laminar Flow


For Turbulent Flow
use the Moody Chart
(Fig 2-3 in class notes)
Depends on pipe relative roughness
Friction Loss Calculation
64
Re
DARCY
f =
For Re < 2300
For Re > 4000
The results of the Moody chart can also be
described by the Colebrook Formula:


where: c/D = pipe relative roughness
Friction Loss Calculation
( )
( )
{ }
2
10
0.25
log / / 3.7 2.51/ Re
DARCY
DARCY
f
D f c
=

+

* This is an implicit equation, so iterative solution required
* Also, may have to iterate for large changes in Pipe Diameter
Centrifugal pumps most commonly used for
oil transport
Pump Power:



Pump Power
ft in head total
gal/min in US rate flow
3960
Units Imperial
=
=
=
h
Q
E
QhS
W
oil
hp
m in head total
/sec m in rate flow
9797
Units Metric
3
=
=
=
h
Q
E
QhS
W
oil
Watts
efficiency pump gravity specific Oil = = E S
oil
Gas compressors can be either centrifugal or
reciprocating
Compression is often carried out in stages
with interstage cooling to maximize
efficiency
Compressor Power calculations can be
complex and often need to refer to
manufacturers data

Compressor Power
Pipe wall thickness is
primarily driven by the
need for pressure
containment
Design for internal
pressure is based on
consideration of hoop
stress in pipe wall

Internal Pressure Design
Consider FBD of half of a thin-walled pipe
Calculation of
Hoop Stress
F F
P
t
R
Rdo
o
do
For a small element Rdo vertical force due
to pressure is: PRdo sin(o) (per unit length)
Calculation of
Hoop Stress
F F
P
t
R
Rdo
o
do
PRdo sin(o)
Also note that P is really
P
INTERNAL
- P
EXTERNAL
= AP
Integrating over the circumference gives

Calculation of
Hoop Stress
F F
P
t
R
Rdo
o
do
PR
d PR F
2
) sin( 2 2
2
0
=
=

t
o o
PR F =
Stress (per unit length) in circumferential
direction is:


or, rearranging:

Calculation of
Hoop Stress
F F
P
t
R
Rdo
o
do
t
PD
t
PR
A
F
HOOP
2
= = = o
HOOP
PD
t
o 2
=
Pipeline Design Codes usually have an
equation for calculating the pipe wall
thickness which is similar in form to this

F
D
is a design factor (safety factor)
SMYS is the material Yield Stress
Note there can be subtle differences as to
the diameter used (OD or mean diameter)
Calculation of
Hoop Stress
SMYS F
D P P
t
D
EXT INT


=
2
) (

Pipe Wall Thickness
Other factors which may add to wall
thickness:
Corrosion allowance
Design against accidental damage
Standard Sizes
Pipeline sizes (diameters and wall thickness)
have been standardized
Relevant standard is American Petroleum
Institute (API) Specification for Linepipe 5L,
42
nd
Ed., 2000
Often quoted in nominal diameter (inches) &
wall thickness (or SCHEDULE)
Nominal diameter not necessarily equal to OD
Some w.t.s more readily available (e.g. Schedule 40)
See Appendix A of class notes for listing of
standard pipe dimensions
Linepipe Sizes
Small diameter linepipe is usually seamless
i.e. no longitudinal weld
Larger diameter linepipe is rolled from plate
and has a longitudinal weld
Control of wall thickness is usually much better
on welded linepipe
For large linepipe orders (long pipelines) it is
possible to order a specific wall thickness
may results in $$$ savings
Standard pipe lengths are 12 or 18 metres
Material Selection
Selection of pipeline material can be
important in determining overall cost
Fundamental criteria include:
Corrosion resistance
Strength
Toughness
Ductility
Weldability
Availability
Cost
Material Selection
Key information for material selection
includes:
Maximum operating pressure
Pipe dimensions
Maximum and minimum operating temperature
Composition of fluids (including presence of
water)
Presence of H
2
S, CO
2
, Chlorides, etc.
Design life of pipeline
Material Selection
Important Material types include:
Low alloy (Carbon-Manganese) steels
X42 X65 X80


Duplex Stainless Steel (e.g. 22% Cr 5% Ni)
Austenitic Stainless Steel (e.g. 18% Cr 8% Ni)
Titanium (catenary risers only)
SMYS = 80ksi
Low Med High
Please read Sections 2.5 - 2.8 of notes
(Including Free Span and Stability
Analysis) over the next week

Homework