A new pipelines example is now available on our website: M01 Pipeline lateral buckling and walking. The example demonstrates two possible use cases for several recent developments related to pipeline thermal expansion and line / seabed interactions.

The tabular line contents method, when combined with line type expansion tables allows lines to expand and contract in response to the changing temperature and pressure of the line contents, thus improving pre-existing capabilities related to pipeline buckling, walking and stability analyses. Similarly, seabed tangential resistance profiles can enhance line breakout or slip modelling, while line / seabed contact properties that can change on a per arc length basis allow for the modelling of local variations in seabed properties.

The two models in the example show a simplified pipeline buckling and walking analysis for an in-place pipeline with buckle initiator sleepers in deep water. The thermal expansion is driven by changes in the pipe contents temperature and density as slugs of hot fluid travel along the pipeline.

We hope that the example is informative and helpful.