Influence of unsteady pressure-flow conditions on strength of steel pipelines with volumetric defects reinforced by composite sleeves

Abstract

Structural integrity and risk management have a wide interest because of its practical applications, such as oil and gas pipelines, piping systems under pressure in power stations, urban water, and heating networks. The main goal of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to estimate the unsteady pressureflow variations in a gas transmission grid within the framework of sequential data assimilation. This technique enables to determine accurately the maximum pressure at the localized defect on the pipeline by merging measurements that contain random errors into the inexact numerical flow model. For this purpose, a particle filter is used. The semi-discretization approach is applied to convert the nonisothermal flow model into an initial value problem of ordinary differential equations. The spatial discretization is based on a five-point, fourth-order finite difference approximation and the time marching was done using a diagonally implicit Runge-Kutta scheme. Secondly, to study the strength of steel tubes reinforced with composite sleeves containing localized part-wall thickness losses caused by corrosion while taking into consideration a safe operating pressure. For a steel thin-walled cylinder containing a wrap of fiberglass with epoxy resin, the burst pressure and sleeve thickness are determined. Finally, the repaired pipeline with a fiber-reinforced composite sleeve is investigated. The results enable operators to handle problems of corroded steel pipelines and develop effective repair activities during operation. For this reason, current research is important for the maintenance of underground steel networks.