Effect of Operating Pressure and Dent Depth on Burst Strength of NPS30 Linepipe With Dent–Crack Defect

Abstract

Buried linepipe can be exposed to various external interferences and corrosive environment and as a result, damage in the form of dent or corrosion or crack or gouge or combination of any of these damages can form in the pipe wall. A defect combining dent and crack, often known as dent–crack defect, which may lead to a rupture or leak in the pipe wall and hence, the pipeline operator becomes concerned about the performance and safety of the pipeline. A research was recently completed at the Centre for Engineering Research in Pipelines (CERP), University of Windsor to study the influence of dent depth and operating line pressure on the pressure capacity (burst strength) of 30 in. diameter and X70 grade linepipe. This study found that the dent depth of 12% with crack depth of 4 mm or more can reduce the pressure capacity by 38%. This paper discusses the test specimens, test setup, test procedure, test results, and data obtained from finite element analyses.