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FeedsHome: Issue 2 2008 › Lead Story › Pioneering FEA technologies
Pioneering FEA technologies
17/03/2008 | Channel: Technology
ABAQUS FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS SOFTWARE IS HELPING JP KENNY IN THE FIELD OF SEABED PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT
International pipeline and subsea engineering and management contractor JP Kenny is pioneering the application of finite element analysis (FEA) software in the upstream operations of one of its major Western Australian gas field projects.
Pipeline design challenges
With the gas field located in an area between 130km and 200km off the west coast of Western Australia, JP Kenny is applying state-of-the-art technologies to the design of the seabed pipeline, its route mapping and the proposed carbon dioxide sequestration project. In addition to the great length of the pipeline, other critical issues affecting the pipeline design are the depth of the sea bed at up to 1350m, the high temperature of the gas at up to 130°, and relatively high pressure at 360barg.
The addition of FEA technology to the computer aided design suite used by JP Kenny was driven by its ability to minimise the design time for components, minimise the number of prototypes that have to be fabricated, and provide a virtual test facility that can measure a number of criteria at once. Indeed, the application of the advanced technology is an important factor making the project economical at this time.
Key elements of the project are:
Other issues to be considered in the design of the pipeline are the effects of the local marine environment, which features steep escarpments at the continental shelf, the annual cyclone season, large tidal movements, and strong currents, which impact on the seabed and the pipeline itself. A number of design criteria and equations fall outside the current design codes, so specialised engineering assessments are being applied.
Meeting the challenges
To study the performance of alternative designs, JP Kenny is leveraging Abaqus, a complete suite of finite element analysis software from SIMULIA, the Dassault Systèmes brand for realistic simulation. Abaqus has a strong history with leading product development companies to optimise designs through virtual testing. Abaqus provides solutions for modelling and visualising a design's behaviour for structural integrity when the structure is subjected to loads and contact.
JP Kenny is pioneering the use of the software in seabed pipeline development. Abaqus is being used to evaluate conceptual designs, Front End Engineering Design (FEED) studies, and detailed design of the pipeline, because the software capabilities are readily applied to the deep water environment – its water and sea bed movements and pressures – and the high-temperature, high-pressure gas product.
The characteristics of the high-pressure/high-temperature gas flow and the natural seabed behaviour could combine to make predicted pipeline end expansions of 7m for the main line. The forces associated with this expansion include lateral displacement cycles of the pipe on the seabed of up to 10m. The Abaqus suite is helping the engineers develop and test designs to withstand the pipeline dynamics and the forces operating at the continental shelf crossing.
For example, detailed lateral buckling analyses are being done to assess forces, moments, strains, etc across the full range of behaviours, including ratcheting due to start up and shut down cycles, the cumulative effect that pressure and temperature fluctuations have on the highly stressed apex of the buckle, and to investigate the potential for pipeline creep or walking.
“Pipeline and pipeline-to-seabed interaction is being modelled using the Abaqus contact surface option, and is helping to define appropriate locations for built in buckle points. It is also helping to identify expansion spool sizes and Abaqus elbow elements are used to predict bending and ovalisation of the pipeline,” Gordon said.
In addition to helping the pipe lay team understand the loads on the pipeline due to pressure and seabed contact, Abaqus is being used to confirm the location where the pipeline should span the sea floor escarpment at the continental shelf, which drops from 200m to 800m water depth. Crossing the escarpment at the optimum point will reduce the pipe lay for the project by up to 40km – a significant cost saving.
The pipe lay team successfully integrated the Fledermaus interactive 3-D visualisation system with the Abaqus FEA tool to accurately map the escarpment. At the scarp crossing there is a potential pipeline span of 200 to 300m, so it is crucial that the pipeline has the structural integrity to span the escarpment. In addition to the usual lay tension, pressure, temperature, submerged pressure and axial spring tensions to be calculated, there were additional elements defining the local geo hazards, including mudflows on the scarp face.
FEA analysis is being done for a complete range of conditions, including with the pipeline empty, with operating contents, and with flushing media. The sensitivity cases being considered are different pipe outer diameters, wall thicknesses, addition of concrete coating and residual lay tension. Results from the span analysis reveal bending moment distribution, longitudinal strain profile and spanning pipeline profile along the route, and modal shapes and frequencies. The team is also exploring deepwater trenching to reduce this span.
“To make the undersea infrastructure more secure, we have used Abaqus FEA software to plan for major event scenarios, including the impact of cyclones on pipeline dynamics,” explained Gordon. “Abaqus has reduced simulation times, and improved the efficiency and accuracy of pipeline design and route mapping since the team switched from ANSYS as the standard FEA tool.”
The state-of-the-art technologies being applied to the design and development of these gas fields are helping to make these huge energy assets commercially viable. In addition to helping to identify the potential to reduce the pipeline length by 40km, the software is also helping to make this asset safer and more environmentally responsible as it supplies vital energy and earns valuable export income for Australia.
DASSAULT SYSTÈMES
Dassault Systèmes’ applications and services enable businesses in all industries around the world to digitally define and simulate products, as well as the processes and resources required to manufacture, maintain and recycle those products.
For further information please visit: www.3ds.com
Pipeline design challenges
With the gas field located in an area between 130km and 200km off the west coast of Western Australia, JP Kenny is applying state-of-the-art technologies to the design of the seabed pipeline, its route mapping and the proposed carbon dioxide sequestration project. In addition to the great length of the pipeline, other critical issues affecting the pipeline design are the depth of the sea bed at up to 1350m, the high temperature of the gas at up to 130°, and relatively high pressure at 360barg.
The addition of FEA technology to the computer aided design suite used by JP Kenny was driven by its ability to minimise the design time for components, minimise the number of prototypes that have to be fabricated, and provide a virtual test facility that can measure a number of criteria at once. Indeed, the application of the advanced technology is an important factor making the project economical at this time.
Key elements of the project are:
- Construction of a network of seabed manifolds and pipelines from the gas fields to an offshore island.
- The subsea structures will be large and require specialised installation technology.
- A gas processing facility on the island.
- Gas sequestration in formations deep below the island.
- LNG shipping facilities to transport products to international markets.
Other issues to be considered in the design of the pipeline are the effects of the local marine environment, which features steep escarpments at the continental shelf, the annual cyclone season, large tidal movements, and strong currents, which impact on the seabed and the pipeline itself. A number of design criteria and equations fall outside the current design codes, so specialised engineering assessments are being applied.
Meeting the challenges
To study the performance of alternative designs, JP Kenny is leveraging Abaqus, a complete suite of finite element analysis software from SIMULIA, the Dassault Systèmes brand for realistic simulation. Abaqus has a strong history with leading product development companies to optimise designs through virtual testing. Abaqus provides solutions for modelling and visualising a design's behaviour for structural integrity when the structure is subjected to loads and contact.
JP Kenny is pioneering the use of the software in seabed pipeline development. Abaqus is being used to evaluate conceptual designs, Front End Engineering Design (FEED) studies, and detailed design of the pipeline, because the software capabilities are readily applied to the deep water environment – its water and sea bed movements and pressures – and the high-temperature, high-pressure gas product.
The characteristics of the high-pressure/high-temperature gas flow and the natural seabed behaviour could combine to make predicted pipeline end expansions of 7m for the main line. The forces associated with this expansion include lateral displacement cycles of the pipe on the seabed of up to 10m. The Abaqus suite is helping the engineers develop and test designs to withstand the pipeline dynamics and the forces operating at the continental shelf crossing.
For example, detailed lateral buckling analyses are being done to assess forces, moments, strains, etc across the full range of behaviours, including ratcheting due to start up and shut down cycles, the cumulative effect that pressure and temperature fluctuations have on the highly stressed apex of the buckle, and to investigate the potential for pipeline creep or walking.
“Pipeline and pipeline-to-seabed interaction is being modelled using the Abaqus contact surface option, and is helping to define appropriate locations for built in buckle points. It is also helping to identify expansion spool sizes and Abaqus elbow elements are used to predict bending and ovalisation of the pipeline,” Gordon said.
In addition to helping the pipe lay team understand the loads on the pipeline due to pressure and seabed contact, Abaqus is being used to confirm the location where the pipeline should span the sea floor escarpment at the continental shelf, which drops from 200m to 800m water depth. Crossing the escarpment at the optimum point will reduce the pipe lay for the project by up to 40km – a significant cost saving.
The pipe lay team successfully integrated the Fledermaus interactive 3-D visualisation system with the Abaqus FEA tool to accurately map the escarpment. At the scarp crossing there is a potential pipeline span of 200 to 300m, so it is crucial that the pipeline has the structural integrity to span the escarpment. In addition to the usual lay tension, pressure, temperature, submerged pressure and axial spring tensions to be calculated, there were additional elements defining the local geo hazards, including mudflows on the scarp face.
FEA analysis is being done for a complete range of conditions, including with the pipeline empty, with operating contents, and with flushing media. The sensitivity cases being considered are different pipe outer diameters, wall thicknesses, addition of concrete coating and residual lay tension. Results from the span analysis reveal bending moment distribution, longitudinal strain profile and spanning pipeline profile along the route, and modal shapes and frequencies. The team is also exploring deepwater trenching to reduce this span.
“To make the undersea infrastructure more secure, we have used Abaqus FEA software to plan for major event scenarios, including the impact of cyclones on pipeline dynamics,” explained Gordon. “Abaqus has reduced simulation times, and improved the efficiency and accuracy of pipeline design and route mapping since the team switched from ANSYS as the standard FEA tool.”
The state-of-the-art technologies being applied to the design and development of these gas fields are helping to make these huge energy assets commercially viable. In addition to helping to identify the potential to reduce the pipeline length by 40km, the software is also helping to make this asset safer and more environmentally responsible as it supplies vital energy and earns valuable export income for Australia.
DASSAULT SYSTÈMES
Dassault Systèmes’ applications and services enable businesses in all industries around the world to digitally define and simulate products, as well as the processes and resources required to manufacture, maintain and recycle those products.
For further information please visit: www.3ds.com
