This paper was produced for the 2019 NAFEMS World Congress in Quebec Canada

Resource Abstract

Pipeline repair operations often carry substantial safety risks that needs to be addressed in early stages of the engineering phase. An important aspect of this phase is design of products of which structural capacity is verified by the use of simulations. This paper addresses the simulation area in context of workflow processes and procedures, which ensure that designs of inline pressure-isolation equipment meet customer needs and design standards.



The first part of the paper shows a brief literature review of simulation governance, with parts relevant to design of pressure-sustaining applications discussed in further detail. Customer-focused simulation management framework at T.D. Williamson is then summarized and its elements are broken down to show quality assurance workflow in relation to applicable sections of NAFEMS QSS:2008. As a vital aspect of designing pressure-sustaining products, their compliance with relevant industry codes is also discussed. The second part of the paper shows how the established simulation management system addresses code compliance by requiring the analyst to perform simulations within boundaries of DNV GL recommendations and seek fulfilment of plastic collapse and serviceability criteria in accordance with ASME BPVC Section VIII Division 2.



In context of model validation two cases are shown for which results from numerical simulations are complemented by physical testing. The first case is a test of a newly designed isolation module for nonintrusive pressure isolations in offshore pipelines, which is required to be structurally tested before it can be used in field. The second case is a validation of a large-expansion sealing concept that was developed using a simulation-driven design process. The validation includes both building and testing a prototype and fine-tuning the numerical models by iteratively adjusting geometrical features and hyper-elastic material constants.