Session: 04-02-01 Stress Analysis & Data Analytics - Part I

Paper Number: 87250

87250 - Dynamic Stress Analysis of Multi-Section Curved Pipes Subjected to Moving Ili Tool 

Pipelines are susceptible to degradation over time due to different types of defects caused by environmental, loading and maintenance conditions. In-line inspection (ILI) is an assessment method widely used for pipeline degradation monitoring. The in-line inspection process relies on localized measurements and it can exert substantial forces on pipelines when ILI tool passes through the pipe. Thus, passing an ILI tool through a section of a pipeline can generate significant dynamic stress within the pipe, which can be sufficiently large to impose integrity concerns on the line. Pipelines often pass through empty spaces, bridges, water, and muskeg which provide less support for some sections along the pipelines. The partially-supported, excavated, exposed, and curved pipes are more prone to experience substantial stress due to the passage of an ILI tool. Potential threats of such pipelines to the environment are also larger, and reparation costs are higher upon failure. This research aims to study effects of the ILI tool passage through multi-section pipes constituted of straight and curved sections. A 3D finite element (FE) model based on Timoshenko beam theory is developed to model curved pipes subject to the passage of an ILI tool. Lab-scale experimental setups consist of multiple straight and curved sections are then designed and built to verify the developed model. The developed model is further verified by using FE simulations performed in ABAQUS software where the case studies consist of vertical and horizontal pipe configurations. The comparison of the simulation and experimental results shows that the proposed model is capable of predicting dynamic stress of multi-section pipes during the passage of an ILI tool, effectively and accurately. The deviation remains less than 10% for most of the simulation cases. The proposed methodology has the potential to be extended for long pipelines with a variety of boundary and loading conditions.

Presenting Author: Hamid Mostaghimi University of Calgary

Presenting Author Biography: Hamid Mostaghimi is currently a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical and manufacturing engineering at the University of Calgary, Canada. He has received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical-automotive engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Iran, respectively in 2011 and 2014. As a research assistant, he has collaborated on different industrial projects related to dynamic design, modeling, analysis and control of systems and structures. He is the author of more than 10 articles. His research interests include dynamics, vibrations, pipeline engineering, powertrain systems, hybrid and electric vehicles, control and mechatronics.