FLEXIBLE VS RIGID PIPELINES Oil & Gas Trainings

by Dr. Al Taver

www.globalenergypanel.com

Pipeline Material options

Rigid Pipelines (Carbon Steel)
Flexible Pipes Composite Materials

Material Type
Carbon Steel Pipes
- Seamless
Longitudinal Submerged arc welded (LSAW)
- ERW (Electrical Resistance Welded)
- HSAW (Helical or Spiral Welded)
Flexible pipe
- Non-Bonded
- Bonded

Spec - Codes
Rigid Pipelines
- As per API 5L
Flexible Pipelines
- As per API RP 17B

Non-bonded Flexible pipe

1.Interlocked carcass
2.Thermoplastic Inner Tube
3.Zeta pressure Carcass
4.Double cross wound tensile Armors
5.Thermoplastic outer jacket

Bonded Type

Non-bonded Type

Criteria

Line pipe selected should fulfill the following technical

requirements of project:
Suitability for service conditions
strength
Corrosion Resistance
Design Condition
Design Life
Suitability for Installation
Routing
Fabrication and installation
Environmental Criteria
Proven track record
Availability of vendors

General Advantages
Flexible Pipe
- Easy to store, Handle, Transport, Install
retrieve.
- Adapts well to the seabed topography

and

Rigid pipes
- Characterized by its OD, wall thickness
and
material grade for a given dia,
thickness and
grade the mechanical behavior is fully defined.

Parameters for Technical comparison

Pipeline Design and engineering
Length/Routing
Throughput
Design Life
CP system
Free span correction and crossings
Installation
Operation, repair and maintenance
Reusability
Vendor availability
Safety

Pipeline Routing and Length

Major factors affecting pipeline routing is permissible
bend radius for direction changes
Permissible bend radius depends on
- Allowable bending stress
- Installation requirement
Normal Bend radius
- For Rigid pipes 700-1000m
- For Flexible Pipelines 10D

Throughput/Size

Friction Loss
* Rigid pipe
-

Surface roughness Rs=0.038mm

Parameters considered are velocity,
Reynolds number

* Flexible Pipe
Vendors recommendation for
smooth bore Rs=0.005mm

Design Life
Flow Material
Treated de-oxygenated sea water with oxygen scavenger
* Rigid Pipe
Corrosion for rigid option 2.0 mil/year average
Total corrsion/25 years = 2.0X25=50mil=1.3mm
Provide Corrosion allowance
* Flexible Pipe
Expected design life of non bonded pipe covering all
aspects 20-25 years.

10/15/2013

Corrosion Protection-Flexi pipe

Inner structural layers protected from environment
by thermoplastic sheathing and no external
corrosion coating required
Steel layers are protected by sacrificial anodes at
ends.
Any damage to external sheathing then requirement
of anodes increase

Corrosion Protection-Rigid Pipe

External surface provided with corrosion
coating along with sacrificial anode type CP
for corrosion control

10/15/2013

Pipeline Free Spans -Flexible pipe

Conforms generally to gradual variations in
sea bed profile and thus minimise free span
corrections
For steep seabed variations, free span
correction will be required such cases
allowable free span when compared with rigid
pipe is very small

Pipeline Free Spans-Rigid pipe

In order to control stress level, free span
lengths must be controlled with in design
values
Correction techniques involving installation of
grout bags.
Allowable span is more than Flexible pipes.

Crossings
For crossings, both flexible and rigid are
comparable and require similar correction
technique.

Installation
Flexible Pipe
- Smaller Installation Spread required
- Less Installation time
Rigid Pipe
- Installation spread requirements higher
- More installation time

Operation, Repair and Maintenance- Flexible

pipes
Once damaged, flexible pipes are rather expensive to
repair
- Any damage to external sheathing, water ingress into
structure of flexible pipe will cause damage to inner
layers.
- No known procedure for repairing flexible pipe in sub
sea condition.
- The damaged sections to be cut and ends of pipe
prepared to install new end fittings.
- Additional pipe lengths to be added so as to joint it on
board and lower it to sea bed.
- Repair jobs depends solely on the Manufacturer

Operation, Repair and Maintenance- Rigid pipes

Rigid pipes are less prone to mechanical

damage. Higher mechanical strength and
concrete coating provides mechanical
protection.
Repair jobs are simple, well proven,
permanent in nature and economical.

Reuse of pipes
An advantage normally associated with
flexible pipe is retrieval and reuse at new
location.
Rigid pipes it is not possible

Summary
Rigid Pipes
- Established and proven system.
Superior in:
Availability
Mechanical Design
Repair and Maintenance
Safety and Resilience

Summary
Flexible pipes
- Retrieval and reusability
- Less lay spread requirements
- Less installation time

Disclaimer

The information contained in these course/notes has been compiled from various sources and is
believed to be reliable and to represent the best current knowledge and opinion relative to the
subject.
Global Energy Panel offers no warranty, guarantee or representation as to its absolute
correctness or sufficiency.
Global Energy Panel has no responsibility in connection therewith; nor should it be assumed
that all acceptable safety and regulatory measures are contained herein, or that other or
additional information may be required under particular or exceptional circumstances.

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