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DESIGN CHECK AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION CODE (DNV 2012) OF AN

OFFSHORE PIPELINE USING NUMERICAL METHODS

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ModTech 2016

DESIGN CHECK AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION CODE (DNV 2012) OF AN

OFFSHORE PIPELINE USING NUMERICAL METHODS

PhD, Liviu Constantin Stan, [email protected]

PhD, Ioan Călimănescu, [email protected]
PhD Student, Dorel Dumitru Velcea, [email protected]

Constanta Maritime University

ABSTRACT

The production of oil and gas from offshore oil fields is, nowadays, more and more important. As a result of the
increasing demand of oil, and being the shallow water reserves not enough, the industry is pushed forward to develop
and exploit more difficult fields in deeper waters. In this paper we’ll deploy the new design code DNV 2012 in terms of
checking an offshore pipeline as compliance with the requests of this new construction code, using the Bentley
Autopipe V8i. The August 2012 revision of DNV offshore standard, DNV-OS-F101, Submarine Pipeline Systems is
supported by AutoPIPE version 9.6. This paper provides a quick walk through for entering input data, analyzing and
generating code compliance reports for a model with piping code selected as DNV Offshore 2012. As seen in the
present paper the simulations comprise geometrically complex pipeline subjected to various and variable loading
conditions. At the end of the designing process the Engineer has to answer to a simple question: is that pipeline safe or
not? The pipeline set as an example, has some sections that are not complying in terms of size and strength with the
code DNV 2012 offshore pipelines. Obviously that sections have to be redesigned in a manner to met those conditions.

Keywords: Offshore Pipelines, Design check, Numerical methods

1. INTRODUCTION It was known from experimental research that the

hydrodynamic loads on a pipeline could be very much
The production of oil and gas from offshore oil higher than in the DNV ’76 model. In 1981, DNV’s
fields is, nowadays, more and more important. As a revised rules incorporated a much more realistic
result of the increasing demand of oil, and being the hydrodynamic model.
shallow water reserves not enough, the industry is This created an anomaly - the new approach
pushed forward to develop and exploit more difficult suggested many of the existing pipelines designed to
fields in deeper waters. DNV ’76 were unstable. However, annual surveys
Deepwater pipelines are used to carry oil and gas showed no evidence of a wide-spread problem. The
from wellheads and manifolds to platforms or to shore. explanation lay in the lateral resistance of a pipeline to
Figure 1 shows a simple representation of a deep-water movement also being very much higher than predicted
installation, with the flow lines on the seabed and the by the simple model. It was shown experimentally that
risers, a section of pipeline from the seabed to platforms during a storm a pipeline undergoes small displacements
or ships. under the action of wave forces, gradually digging itself
As a consequence of the extremely severe work into the seabed. The pipeline therefore had small soil
conditions, the constructors of deep-water pipelines need berms either side, providing increased resistance to
tubular products with enhanced resistance to withstand movement and greater hydrodynamic shielding. The
all the loads that will be applied to the pipeline, both results of this research were incorporated into AGA’s
during its construction and in operation; among them: suite of stability design software, providing a state of the
internal and external pressure, bending, fatigue, tension, art approach. The first pass approach to pipeline stability
compression, concentrated loads, impact and thermal is a simple force balance model in 2 dimensions. It is
loads, impact and thermal load. the basis of the design methodology used in:
If a pipeline is not stable then it will move under the  DNV ’76 + ’81
actions of waves and currents. This is a problem since  AGA Level 1 stability software
the movement will cause bending stresses in the
pipeline, which may then cause the pipe to fatigue and In this paper we’ll deploy the new design code
fail. Alternatively, it may cause damage to pipeline DNV 2012 in terms of checking an offshore pipeline as
coatings, such as cracking of concrete. compliance with the requests of this new construction
Submarine pipeline stability is governed by the code, using the Bentley Autopipe V8i. The August 2012
fundamental balance of forces between loads and revision of DNV offshore standard, DNV-OS-F101,
resistances. Submarine Pipeline Systems is supported by AutoPIPE
This approach to stability design of pipelines was version 9.6. This paper provides a quick walk through
incorporated into DNV’s Rules for Submarine Pipeline for entering input data, analyzing and generating code
Systems issued in 1976 and was the basis of design for compliance reports for a model with piping code selected
many pipelines around the world. as DNV Offshore 2012.
ModTech 2016

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.2 Pressures and temperatures

2.1 Structure Geometry selection The depth of the water is taken as 70 m and the
external pressure exerted upon the pipe calculated as a
In order to input the geometry of the offshore consequence. The fluid circulating inside the pipe will
pipeline the Bentley Autopipe V8i software will be used. follow three distinct cases:
Structure geometry shall be selected based on various Case 1-Pressure 0 MPa (r) and temperature 200C
requirement such as routing, sizing of the pipeline corresponding to the pipeline at rest with no fluid
considering various process parameter, thermal design circulating inside.
etc. The pipeline is part of an offshore field development Case 2-Pressure 1.379 MPa (r) and temperature
as seen in the figure below: 600C corresponding to the normal operation of the
pipeline.
Case 2-Pressure 2.7579 MPa (r) and temperature
900C corresponding to the upset operation condition of
the pipeline.

2.3 Soil Properties

The model of soil is the SND11A which is a sandy

type of soil. The process of defining a buried piping
system is a combination of user defined piping points,
and internally generated (by AutoPIPE) soil points. The
user only needs to define piping points for identifying
the following critical parts of a buried piping system:
 As required by changes in the system
geometry.
 For specification of piping components
(e.g. valves, reducers, flanges, anchors,
etc.).
 Where soil properties change.
 Where the maximum spacing (between the
internally generated soil points) defined for
the current soil identifier is to be changed.

Figure 1 The offshore pipeline field development

The model contains a pipeline with two vertical legs

and a buried horizontal pipe representing pipeline resting
on sea bed.
The pipe has three segments, one of the end of the Figure 2 Soil properties
second Riser2 (Nominal Diameter 200 mm), second is
the Raiser 2 and the rest of the flow line with the 2.4 Earthquake load cases
ND=300 mm. The Raiser 1 pipe has the ND=250 mm.
The material of the pipes is CMN-415 steel (as per DNV AutoPIPE can define a series of forces action on a
2012). structure to represent the effect of earthquake ground
The load cases are as per the construction code as motion. This method assumes that the structure responds
follows: in its fundamental mode. For this to be true, the structure
 Operating Pressure and Temperature data must be low-rise and must not twist significantly when
for 3 ‘T’ cases the ground moves. The acceleration is typically
 Earthquake loading cases: E1 and E2 calculated from the natural period of the structure, and
 Wind loading cases: W1 and W2 applied to the mass of structure to obtain a force.
 Wave loading cases: Wave2 and Wave 3 Static seismic loads are given in factors of gravity,
(One case for accidental) g. As an example, if a static seismic acceleration of 0.5
g's is applied on the x-axis, a force equal to half the
 User loads: U1 and U2 (Interference loads,
systems weight is turned into a uniform load in the x-
may be from trawling)
direction.
 Soil Properties: SND11A
AutoPIPE supports the custom creation of these
accelerations in the X-, Y- and Z-axes, or can generate
ModTech 2016

accelerations automatically using for instance ASCE The following fields/parameters are provided in the
2010 code: Wave Load dialog: Wave data name, Wave type , Load
case , Water - Elev. , Water Depth , Water density ,
Phase , Wave - Height and Period , Coeff. - Drag and
Inertia , Direction - DX, DY, DZ , Depth Fields .

Figure 3 Seismic cases

2.5 Wind load cases

Figure 5 Wave load cases

The load cases will be Wave 2 and Wave 3. For

instance Wave 2 deploys Stokes wave theory, with the
wave height of 15 m (under storm conditions) , period 12
sec. and the wave current velocity varying from 0.7
m/sec at 12 m depth to 0.25 m/sec at 70 m depth.

2.7 Buoyancy loads

The Load Buoyancy command enables us to model

the piping system as partially or fully submerged in a
fluid (usually sea water) by defining a height of fluid
(and related properties) in which the piping system is
partially or fully submerged. The buoyant force applies
an upward pressure on the system, effectively reducing
the weight of the submerged piping. AutoPIPE includes
the buoyancy load in the gravity load case (GR) for
analysis.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The goal of all the calculations is to identify

whether or not there are sections of the offshore pipeline
with a poor behaviour under the load combinations set
by the design standard.

3.1 The stress inside pipeline sections

The axial stresses act normal on the member section

being by all means a normal stress. For our calculated
platform these maximum stresses are shown in the figure
below:

Figure 4 Wind load cases

The wind loads cases are based on ASCE-7-98 code
and for instance the Wind load case W1 has the speed of
the wind of 136.7 km/h on the OX direction.

2.6 Wave loads

The Load/Wave are defined inside the simulation to

model the effect of ocean waves impacting a partially
submerged piping system.
 ModTech 2016

3.5 Soil reactions

During various loads acting upon the pipeline the

soil will oppose different reactions mainly in the Anchor
points. For example for the anchor point A32 near the
critical zone, the maximum reaction is 9587 N/mm in
longitudinal direction as seen in the figure below:

Figure 6 Stresses inside the pipeline

The maximum values are within the range of 400

MPa, far above of the allowable stresses imposed by the
code.

3.2 The displacements

The calculated displacements are following the load Figure 9 Soil reaction
cases considered in the simulation.
For instance for the Thermal loading case 3 with the
upset conditions the displacements are given in the 4. CONCLUSIONS
figure below:
The offshore pipelines designing is an intricate
enterprise following very demanding designing codes
since at stake is the integrity of multi-million dollars
investments in offshore oil and gas exploitation facilities.
The rupture of a live oil pipeline can have disastrous
effects over the environment and sea biota with serious
penalties coming from the regulatory.
As seen in the present paper the simulations
comprise geometrically complex pipeline subjected to
various and variable loading conditions.
At the end of the designing process the Engineer
has to answer to a simple question: is that pipeline safe
or not?
Figure 7 Thermal displacements for Case 3 The pipeline set as an example, has some sections
that are not complying in terms of size and strength with
For the point A41 for instance the displacement in the code DNV 2012 offshore pipelines. Obviously that
OX direction is 14 mm and in OY direction is 73 mm. sections have to be redesigned in a manner to met those
conditions.
3.3 Mode shapes

The pipeline structure has its own natural 5. REFERENCES

frequencies and mode shapes. For instance the first
natural frequency is 1.23 Hz and the mode shape is given [1] Ioan Calimanescu, Iulian Radu, Nicolae
in the figure below: Buzbuchi, Computer aided design of ofshore structures,
Editura Nautica 2015, ISBN 978-606-681-071-5
[2] API 2A-WSD-Recommended Practice for
Planning, Designing and Constructing Fixed Offshore
Platforms—Working Stress Design, Dec.2000
[3] Thomas H. Dawson (1983) Offshore
Structural Engineering.Prentice-Hall
[4] Ministry of Science & Technology (1985)
Development of Design Technology of Offshore
Platforms for Offshore Oil Production. Jacket Type
Tower StructureDesign.KAIST
[5] Ben C. Gerwick(1986) Construction of
Figure 8 The mode shape for the first natural
Offshore Structures.John Wiley & Sons, Inc
frequency

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