Applicability evaluation technology for steel small diameter pipes containing external surface corrosion defects.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Petroleum Engineering

Background:

• Continuous operation of oil and gas stations and petrochemical equipment leads to external surface corrosion defects in steel small bore pipelines.
• These defects can result in pipeline cracking and medium leakage, posing significant risks to operational safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of corrosion defect size on the bearing capacity of small diameter steel pipelines.
• To analyze the damage mechanisms and failure modes of corroded pipelines.
• To develop a predictive formula for the failure pressure of pipelines with defects.

Main Methods:

• Utilized finite element analysis (FEA) to simulate pipeline behavior under corrosion.
• Employed test simulations to validate FEA results and analyze failure mechanisms.
• Performed regression analysis to fit a failure pressure prediction formula.

Main Results:

• Established a clear correlation between the size of external corrosion defects and the reduction in pipeline bearing capacity.
• Identified specific damage mechanisms and failure forms associated with different defect dimensions.
• Developed and validated a formula for predicting the failure pressure of corroded small diameter pipelines.

Conclusions:

• The size of external corrosion defects significantly impacts the structural integrity and load-bearing capacity of small diameter steel pipelines.
• The developed failure pressure prediction formula provides a valuable tool for assessing the safety and applicability of corroded pipelines.
• Findings offer crucial technical guidance for oil and gas and chemical enterprises to ensure the safe operation of their infrastructure.