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Petronas Technical Standards: Upheaval Buckling of Pipeline
Petronas Technical Standards: Upheaval Buckling of Pipeline
PTS 11.30.04
September 2013
FOREWORD
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PTS 11.30.04
UPHEAVAL BUCKLING OF PIPELINE September 2013
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ANNOUNCEMENT
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Table of Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION
This PTS provides the minimum technical requirements for upheaval buckling analysis during
design and operational stage. This PTS is developed to ensure optimum design and safe
operation of pipeline system to mitigate upheaval buckling risk.
1.1 SCOPE
The calculations in this PTS are used for offshore pipeline and can be applied for onshore
pipeline.
Please refer to PTS General Terms, Abbreviations & Specific Requirements PTS 00.01.03 for
General Definition of Terms & Abbreviations.
Please refer to PTS11.30.01 for pipeline and riser engineering general definition.
No Terms Description
1 Lateral buckling Pipeline buckles in sideways (snaking) direction
No Abbreviations Description
1 D Pipe outside diameter
2 E Young’s modulus
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No Abbreviations Description
3 F Flexural rigidity
4 f An uplift coefficient
5 FL Longitudinal force
6 Cover (from the top of the pipe to the surface of the soil
H
above the pipe centreline)
7 M Bending moment
9 p Operating pressure
13 t Wall thickness
14 TR Residual tension
19 ν Poisson’s ratio
Upheaval buckling is a condition where a buried pipeline arches upward out of seabed/soil.
Usually upheaval buckling occurs to pipelines operating at temperature and pressure higher
than ambient.
Upheaval buckling is driven by longitudinal compressive force in the pipe wall and the fluid
contents. The components that affect longitudinal compressive force are:
Assuming that the pipeline is restrained at both ends and remains fully elastic, the total
longitudinal force is expressed as:
Equation 2.1
FL Longitudinal force
ν Poisson’s ratio
R Mean R=radius, ½(D-t)
p Operating pressure
t Wall thickness
E Young’s modulus
α Linear thermal expansion coefficient
ΔT Difference between installation and operating temperature.
Taken as positive if operating>installation
TR Residual tension
Note that the calculation of longitudinal compressive force should be done along the
pipeline, hence the pressure and temperature profile should be used, instead of one
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maximum value at the inlet of pipeline. The design longitudinal compressive force should be
a combination of both maximum pressure and maximum temperature.
Residual lay tension can be calculated using laystress calculation programme, as per
calculated by the OIC. For shallow water installation, where the installation is by pulling or
towing, the residual tension should be taken as the tow or pull force.
There are conditions where pipelines are not fully constraint, such as an elbow connecting a
pipeline to a riser where the riser is free to expand towards the platform.
If the frictional force between the pipeline and the seabed is f' per unit length, the axial
force at a distance x from the platform is S+f'x, up to the point at which the axial force
becomes equal to the force in a fully-constrained line.
If the operating pressure and temperature are uniform along the length of the line, and the
residual tension TR is negligible, the distance z at which the axial force reaches the fully-
constrained value is
-S Equation 2.2
Accordingly, if x < z
Equation 2.3
Consider a section of pipeline with arbitary seabed and pipeline profile as figure below. In
the figure, FL is the longitudinal compressive force, q is the external vertical force per unit
length, and M is bending moment.
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M Pipeline M
y FL
FL
Seabed
Datum
From vertical and moment equilibrium of the element, the downward external force per unit
length required to hold the pipe in position is:
Equation 2.4
If the pipeline remains elastic, the bending moment is equivalent to the curvature, where F
is the flexural rigidity:
Equation 2.5
Equation 2.6
q is the external force needed to hold the pipeline in position. If the profile does not change
when the longitudinal force increased and the pipeline does not move, then upheaval does
not occur.
For a buried pipeline, the resistance to uplift movement is given by submerged weight and
the cover. The uplift resistance of a pipeline buried in cohesionless soil or rock is usually
calculated from:
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Equation 2.7
q’ Force per unit length that can be applied before the pipeline moves upward
γ Submerged weight of the soil
H Cover (from the top of the pipe to the surface of the soil above the pipe centreline)
D Pipe outside diameter
f An uplift coefficient determined experimentally, generally about 0.7 for rock and 0.5
for sand, but occasionally much smaller in looser sand
If
, Equation 2.8
where:
The upheaval buckling assessment method discussed in Section 2 of this PTS is simple and
conservative. To optimize the design and further refinement, assessment of upheaval
buckling is recommended using finite element analysis.
Alternatively, a geotextile can be placed on to of pipeline, and then followed by the rock
dumping. The weight of the rock on the geotextile on either side of pipeline will hold the
geotextile down, hence trapping the pipeline underneath the geotextile.
Offshore pipeline that buckles is vunerable to hooking by fishing trawl and anchors. If the
pipeline is not overstressed, the most economical solution is to stabilise the pipeline using
rocks and mattresses.
For onshore pipeline the pipeline needs to be stabilised by using set-on weight or any
appropriate method.
In other cases, where the pipeline is overstressed and the ovality of the pipe is exceeding the
limit, it is necessary to cut and remove the buckling section of the pipe, and replace with
new spool piece. Provision of extra cover or expansion spool must be incorporated to esure
the buckling will not re-occur.
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6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY
OTHER REFERENCES
Subsea Pipeline Engineering, Second Edition, PennWell Corporation (2008). Palmer, A.C.,
King, R.A.