Development of a computational tool for immediate assessment of the structural integrity of corroded pipelines

Resumo

Pipelines are one of the safest ways to transport hydrocarbons however this type of transport is subjected
to severe damage that can be associated, mainly, with corrosion. Therefore, the structural integrity assessment of
corroded pipelines is of great importance for the oil and gas industry. For the prediction of the failure pressure of
pipelines with corrosion, semi-empirical and numerical methods are commonly used. Semi-empirical equations
are computationally inexpensive, but, in general, lead to more conservative results. On the other hand, the finite
element method (FEM) is more accurate and presents less conservative responses, but it is more expensive. In
this work, a system developed with a low computational cost equivalent to semi-empirical methods, but with more
accurate results will be presented. For this, a set of models, previously defined, that have a single idealized defect,
dimensions, and the material curve, were evaluated through the FEM and the results, together with the model data,
were stored in a database, where they can be accessed remotely via an API. These data can be used to estimate the
failure pressure of any new model. The obtained results were validated against experimental test results found in
the literature, finite element analysis, and semi-empirical models.