Project Number | 304 |
Date of Summary | January 24, 2007 |
Subject | Avoidance of Vibration Fatigue Failure in Process Piping Systems |
Performing Activity | Marine Technology Directorate (MTD) |
Principal Investigator | Rob Barrett |
Contracting Agency | Minerals Management Service |
Completion | Completed |
Description | This JIP was formed to investigate the recent
increase in early vibration fatigue failures to welded connections in
thin-walled piping on offshore installations. The project included data
collection, fatigue testing, and formulation of design guidelines. Current
design procedures for offshore piping considered static stress levels, and
sometimes, low frequency resonance modes. New materials used in piping made
these design criteria obsolete. Increasingly, thin walled piping, made of
new materials such as duplex* or stainless steels, was being installed
offshore. This piping not only weighed less (a very important consideration
for floating production facilities), but also permitted higher flow rates
and has increased resistance to erosion. * Duplex steels are a family of stainless steels. These steels have a high chromium content that makes them suitable for applications requiring high corrosion resistance and high stress corrosion cracking resistance. |
Progress |
MTD completed an assessment of the problem and developed a
set of guidelines. The guidelines are split into four sections. The first
section outlines the different vibration mechanisms and their effect on
piping systems and small bore pipe connections. The second section is the
methodology to assess the likelihood of failure of a piping system and the
third section outlines possible design solutions or best practices. The
fourth section outlines a simple way of determining if a small bore
connections is susceptible to vibration by the use of standard vibration
measurement tools and a series of simple nomograms. MMS has received an electronic copy of the developed guidelines. These guidelines may be purchased from the Marine Technology Directorate (MTD). The project was completed in 2000. Since MMS co-funded this study along with multiple participants, the information generated remains proprietary. However, you may be available for purchase the final reports and other information by contacting the contractor, Marine Technology Directorate, Limited (MTD). At the time of this study was funded in 1998, MTD's contact information was:
Marine Technology Directorate, Limited (MTD) Centre
for Marine
Petroleum Technology (CMPT) |
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