Finite Element Analysis of Lateral Buckling of Subsea Pipeline

Subsea pipelines which are used for oil and gas transportation, are subjected to high temperatures and high pressures which expand and increase the length of it. The friction of seabed is the factor that prevents this increase in length. Therefore, this friction causes the axial force in the pipeline which if not controlled, causes irregular lateral buckling and stresses in the pipeline, which can cause damage to the subsea pipeline. This paper investigates the lateral buckling of the subsea pipeline with finite element software (ABAQUS CAE). The influence of the effective parameters (such as temperature gradient and soil-pipe interaction) is evaluated on the lateral buckling of subsea pipelines on a rigid seabed. The important results indicate that by increasing the friction coefficient (μ) or decreasing temperature gradient the lateral displacement and the length of the buckling is reduced. However, increasing the friction coefficient increases the stress on the subsea pipeline.