Burst Strength Analysis of Corroded Pipelines by Finite Element Method

Corrosion has become one of the main treats towards maintaining pipeline’s integrity. At the point of corrosion,
the wall of the pipe becomes thinner and starts to lose its mechanical resistance. Methods for assessing metal loss defects have been available for many decades, as for instance the NG-18 equation and ANSI/ASME B31G code. Throughout the years many modifications to the original equations have been made and newer methods like Modified B31G and RSTRENG were adopted. These days, several in-house methods and commercial codes are available but they are known to be conservative. Therefore, pipeline operators need reliable defect assessment methodology not only to assure safe operation but also to implement optimum operation cost. Based on these motivations, in the recent years various alternative methods have been developed mostly based on finite element studies and burst tests. This study presents the application of nonlinear finite element analyses for burst strength analysis of corroded pipe.