Platform, Pipeline and

Subsea Technology 403

Submarine Pipeline
Route Selection
Upheaval Buckling
External Pressure Collapse

Rod Pinna
 Route Selection

• The shortest distance between end points

may result in minimum material costs, but
may not necessarily be the optimum pipeline
route

• Other factors that need consideration

include:
– Water Depths
– Presence of features such as rock outcrops, other
pipelines, prohibited zones, trenches, etc.
– Presence of adverse environmental features:
breaking waves, high currents
– Shipping or fishing zones
– Suitability of shore crossing
 Route Optimisation

• For seabed with onerous terrain significant

savings on construction and installation costs
may be achieved by route optimisation

• Need accurate cost data for:

– Supply of linepipe
– Fabrication cost
– Free span correction
– Trenching, rock dump, weightcoat, anchoring

• Pipeline design must be reasonably complete

before route optimisation can be done
 Upheaval Buckling

Temperature changes in pipeline (due to high

temperature fluid) can cause compressive
longitudinal stresses:

Anchor
Axial Point
Displacement

Axial
Force

Unrestrained section of pipe

 Upheaval Buckling

The tension or compression in a fully restrained

pipeline can be estimated using the following
equation:

N  N LT  EAST  1  2  Pi  Pinst  Ai

Thermal Pressure Expansion &

Lay Tension
Expansion Poisson Contraction

N is tensile if positive in this equation

 Upheaval Buckling

• The previous equation for pipe compression is

the idealised maximum force that can be
generated

• In reality some sliding may occur at the ends

of the pipe and bends and spans are likely to
result in some relaxation of the compressive
forces

• Also unlikely that full lay tension strains will

be retained during burial

• However, provides a conservative starting

point for buckling calculations
 Upheaval Buckling

Picture of vertical and lateral buckling from

Hobbs:
 Upheaval Buckling

The analytical method of Hobbs (1984) is

described here:

Shape of a vertical buckle may be described by

the differential equation

d2y P
dx 2

EI
y
w
8 EI
 
4x  L  0
2 2

Compare with Euler

buckling equation
 Upheaval Buckling

The differential equation can be solved for the

first mode shape

A force balance between the buckled section of

pipe and the section in contact with the seabed
then leads to the maximum deflection and
bending moment

4
3 wL
ymax  2.408 10 M max  0.06938  wL2
EI
 Upheaval Buckling

If we take the axial force equal to the thermally

induced force, i.e. P = EAT then the buckle
length and amplitude versus change in temperature
can be plotted
 Upheaval Buckling
• Note bifurcation above equilibrium point B
• Temperatures above this point can lead to “snap-
through” – sudden instability
• Dashed lines represent different initial imperfections
 Lateral Buckling

Lateral buckling is similar to upheaval buckling

except that restraint is provided by friction
rather than weight

So equation becomes

w
d2y P
dx 2

EI
y
8 EI
 2 2

4x  L  0
 Lateral Buckling

Lateral buckling may also occur for a number of

mode shapes

So solutions for the first few mode shapes need to be

checked - see notes
 Upheaval and Lateral
Buckling

• Analytical approaches contain some

approximations

• Finite Element analyses may be useful for

more refined assessments of upheaval and
lateral buckling
 Upheaval and Lateral
Buckling

• Methods of mitigating upheaval and lateral

buckling include:

– Product cooling

– Rock dumping, anchoring, or mats

– Laying pipeline in snaked configuration

 Hydrostatic Collapse

• During installation a pipeline is often empty

• Deepwater pipelines can be subjected to high

external (hydrostatic) pressures and significant
bending

• This can lead to collapse of the pipeline and

propagation along significant lengths

• Bending/Hydrostatic collapse is the main

determinant of wall thickness in very
deepwater pipelines
 Hydrostatic Collapse

• The basic equation describing hydrostatic

collapse is:

Pel 

2E t D  3

1  2

• Design codes often modify this equation to

account for initial pipe ovality and material
plasticity

• Care should be taken to include ovalisation

induced during construction (e.g. reeling)
 Hydrostatic Collapse

• Hydrostatic collapse behaviour has been

investigated experimentally with full scale tests
in recent years

• Unfortunately the bulk of this work remains in

the commercial domain
 Buckle Arrestors

• If the pipeline is to be laid at depths where

buckling may occur Buckle Arrestors may be
installed at intervals along the pipe

• These are thick walled sections of pipe, or

sleeves welded on to existing pipeline