FLARE: A Framework for the Finite Element Simulation of Electromagnetic Interference on Buried Metallic Pipelines

Abstract

The functionality of buried metallic pipelines can be compromised by the electrical lines that share the same right-of-way. Given the considerable size of shared corridors, computer simulation is an important tool for performing risk assessment and mitigation design. In this work, we introduce an open-source computational framework for the analysis of electromagnetic interference on large earth-return structures. The developed framework is based on FLARE—an efficient finite element solver developed by the authors in MATLAB®. FLARE includes solvers for problems involving static electric and magnetic fields, and DC and time-harmonic AC currents. Quasi-magnetostatic transient problems can be studied through time-marching or—for linear problems—with an efficient inverse-Laplace approach. In this work, we succinctly describe the optimization of time-critical operations in FLARE, as well as the implementation of a transient solver with automatic time-stepping. We validate the numerical results obtained with FLARE via a comparison with the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics®. We then use the validated time-marching analysis results to test the accuracy and efficiency of three numerical inverse-Laplace algorithms. The test problem considered is the assessment of the inductive coupling between a 500 kV transmission line and a metallic pipeline buried in the soil.

Keywords

• numerical simulation
• pipeline integrity
• AC interference
• earth-return
• finite element analysis
• inverse-Laplace