Buckling collapse of HDPE liners: Experimental set-up and FEM
simulations
F. Rueda
a,
n
, A. Marquez
a
, J.L. Otegui
a,b
, P.M. Frontini
a
a
INTEMA, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, B7608FDQ, Argentina
b
Presently at Y-TEC (YPF - CONICET), Baradero 777, 1925 Ensenada, Argentina
article info
Article history:
Received 2 February 2016
Received in revised form
14 June 2016
Accepted 9 September 2016
abstract
The purpose of this work is to provide a more complete framework for the development of short-term
thermoplastic models to improve the design of liners subjected to external pressure. A device to perform
short-term physical collapse buckling tests on HDPE liners to emulate in-service behavior under con-
trolled conditions was designed and constructed. Tests were performed to explore the effect of tem-
perature (in the range of 0–60 °C) on the buckling parameters of a HDPE pipe confined in a steel host
pipe. The constitutive model for this material was calibrated from compression and tensile tests, per-
formed at various strain rates and temperatures. The Three Network viscoplastic material constitutive
model was adopted to reproduce material behavior. Full 3D FEM simulations of collapse buckling tests
were conducted and validated against experimental data. Once the 3D full FE model was verified a
simplified 2D model was generated to perform an intensive parametric study considering many tem-
peratures and pipe aspect ratios. With data arising from the parametric study a predictive Glock’s type
function was derived, which takes into account the effect of temperature and the viscoplastic constitutive
behavior of HDPE.
& 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
1.1. Background to the technological problem
Relining deteriorated host pipes with polymeric liners has be-
come an increasingly cost-effective popular method of pipeline
rehabilitation. One of its main applications is for oil and gas pi-
pelines. These liners serve the function of providing internal pro-
tection of metallic tubes mainly in two different situations; namely
in providing enhanced corrosion resistance from aggressive che-
mical agents, and in rehabilitating already damaged pipelines [1].
In principle, any thermoplastic material can be used as a liner
for oilfield pipelines. However, because of its relatively low cost,
widespread availability, ease of production and installation and
long history of service in oil and gas applications, HDPE (high
density polyethylene) is the most frequently used thermoplastic
for oilfield pipeline liners [2,3].
Despite HDPE liners are regularly used in the oil and chemical
industry, they suffer one drawback: during normal operation gases
present in the conveyed fluid permeate into the annulus volume
between the liner and the host pipe. In the case of a sudden (in-
tentional or accidental) loss of pressure, this can cause the liner to
collapse due to external hydrostatic pressure if the wall thickness
and the mechanical properties of the liner are not suffi cient. When
the external pressure is higher than the internal one, the liner will
be subjected to a net external pressure that may destabilize the
liner once the net pressure exceeds a critical value. This external
pressure will induce deflections of the liner within the host pipe.
To prevent liner collapse, the thickness of a liner must be chosen to
resist this external pressure over the lifetime of the system [4].
Usually, buckling collapse of HDPE liners induced by external
pressure takes place by the combined action of two separate fac-
tors: i) the permeation of oil derived gases through the liner wall
for extended periods of time, and ii) the rapid decompression of
pipelines that can occur during service stoppages or maintenance
and inspection shutdowns [2,5].
Material failure is associated with the phenomenon known as
physical swelling [2,6–11] which occurred when pipe grade ther-
moplastic is in contact with low molecular weight hydrocarbons
(condensate) to result in a swell by weight of approximately 10%.
At typical operating temperatures the gaseous components, such
as the CO
2
and CH
4
dissolved in oil, aided by the high pressure
operating conditions can permeate throughout the liner wall and
gradually balance the pressure difference between the inside of
the liner and the annular region or gap between the liner and the
pipe wall. This permeation mechanism worsens recursively since
permeation rate increases with the severity of liner swelling.
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journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tws
Thin-Walled Structures
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2016.09.011
0263-8231/& 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
n
Corresponding author.
Thin-Walled Structures 109 (2016) 103 –112