You didn’t mention if this was a subsea pipeline or not?
Design for the internal pressure is primarily based on the tensile hoop stress within the pipe wall, while external pressure is based on buckling phenomena of the pipe cross section.
The net ext presure is the pressure difference between the max ext pressure acting on the pipeline and the min internal pressure.
The potential for collapse of the pipeline is affected by 4 primary factors: 1) the net external pressure, 2) D/t ratio of the pipeline, 3), stresses other than external pressure within the pipe wall, and out of roundness of the pipe.
Our-of-roundness of thje pipe cross section is one that may be overlooked, but needs to be considered for external pressures. Internal pressure with its uniformly distributed pressure will tend to decrease the out-of-roundness of the pipe, but thw affect of external pressure is just the opposite. External pressure tends to increase the out-of-roundness or collapse the pipe surface.
You will also need to look at pipe stresses during installation as tipicaly and especially in deep water he stresses in the pipeline during installation are higher than those during operation. It is generally the installation stresses which determine the required pipe grade and wall thickness.
If it is offshore you will need ot factor in wind, waves, currents and what about seismic? bottom soil movements? These ar both installation factors. To determine the magnitude of these loads for design purposes it is important to know the method by which the pipeline will be installed and operated.
And don’t’t forget when determining the required strength of a pipeline - MAOP and temperature.
Greg Lamberson, BS, MBA
Consultant - Upstream Energy
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