Gas Speak Colloquium 2011

Determination of Soil Restraint Properties and Calculation of Virtual Anchor Lengths in Buried Pipelines
Daniel Tian Mechanical Engineer KBR

Introduction

What is Pipe Soil Interaction? Pipe-Soil

Behavior of buried pipeline in the surrounding soil Pipe and soil together form the engineered system

Soil Restraint Properties p

Relationship between soil resistance and pipe movement

Virtual Anchor Length

Pipe section moving relative to the soil near directional change

Why now? Risk based pipeline design approach (AS2885) Challenges facing pipeline design in Australia
Higher pressures Larger diameters

Telfer Pipeline Size (DN) Length (km) g ( ) MAOP (MPag) WT (mm) Material 250 443 10.2 4.7 API 5L X60

Brooklyn Lara Brooklyn-Lara Pipeline 500 65 10.2 7.9 API 5L X70

Iona Orford Iona-Orford Pipeline 450 101 15.3 9.1 API 5L X70

Queensland CSG Pipeline 1050 Over 1000 10.2 / 15.3 14.1 / 18.7 API 5L X70

Onshore Pipeline Uplift, Uzbekistan

Subsea Oil Pipeline Failure, Brazil, 2000

Purpose of Calculating Pipe-Soil Interaction

Soil restraint input into Pipe Stress Analysis (AutoPipe or Caesar II) Virtual anchor length to define model boundary
Above-Ground Facilities - Buried Pipeline Sections p (soil restraint is the fundamental part)

Compressor Station

Major Water Crossing

Determination of Soil Restraint Properties

Longitudinal Actual Transverse

Vertical Upward

Vertical Downward

Elastic-Plastic Soil Spring p g

Determination of Soil Restraint Properties

Soil and Pipe Properties:
Unit Weight () Undrained Shear Strength (Su) Angle of Internal Friction () Pipe Diameter (D) Depth of Cover (H)

Elastic-Plastic Soil Springs:

Soil Stiffness (K1) Ultimate Soil Resistance (P1)

ALA AutoPipe Peng

ALA Method for Calculating Pipe-Soil Interaction Widely recognised and applied Advanced soil modeller in Caesar II Based on laboratory and field experimental i i t l investigations ti ti Formulas available for design factors Limitation:
Under-estimate vertical upward resistance
(Appendix B)

AutoPipe Method for Calculating Pipe-Soil Interaction Detailed in AutoPipe Technical Reference Manual Based on laboratory and field experimental i i l investigations i i Li it ti Limitations:
Design factors need to be determined from tables and charts
(Pipe-Soil Appendix)

Pengs Method for Calculating Pipe-Soil Interaction First published in 1978 Basic Soil Modeller in Caesar II Limitations:
P li i Preliminary estimation ti ti Based on theoretical soil mechanics

(Chapter 10)

KBR Pipe-Soil Interaction Calculation Sheet

Each of the 3 established methods has strengths and weaknesses. Compare results from 3 methods and choose which method is suitable for a particular application Calculate input data for stress software package

Typical Soil Properties

Soil Type Dry Unit Weight (kg/m3) Undrained Shear Strength (kPa) (kP ) Internal Friction Angle () () Soft Clay y 1600 Normal Clay y 1800 Stiff Clay y 2000 Loose Sand 1600 Medium Sand 1800 Dense Sand 2000

25

100

25

30

40

To be used when soil data is not available for critical locations Soft clay worst design case for unknown soil y g

DN1000, 1.2m Cover, Soft Clay Condition, Various Methods

Vertical Upward

DN1000, 1.2m Cover, Soft Clay Condition, Various Methods

Transverse

DN1000, 1.2m Cover, Soft Clay Condition, Various Methods

Longitudinal Vertical Downward

Calculation of Virtual Anchor Length in Buried Pipeline Distance from bend, tee or A/G-U/G transition to the point where pipe axial strain is completely suppressed by soil.

La
Virtual Anchor Length La = Co A [ E + (0.5 - v) SHP] / Plong
Stress Thermal Expansion Stress Pressure Elongation Longitudinal Soil Resistance

Elastic Factor

Virtual Anchor Lengths under Different Soil Conditions DN1000, 1200mm Cover, 55C DT, 10.2MPag DP

Applications
Anchor Block Requirement at Pig Trap Major Water W t Crossing

Depth of Cover Change

Overbend at Top of Hill

Pipeline Design Engineers Responsibility

Know how to use the right engineering design tools Do some research and understand pipe-soil interaction Make sound engineering judgement

Questions?

Disclaimer
These materials contain information of a general nature and are p provided for discussion purposes only. They do not in any p p y y y way represent engineering advice and KBR does not warrant the accuracy, completeness or currency of the information in these materials. Any person who uses or relies on these materials does so entirely at their own risk.