Failure Pressure Prediction for Pipeline Elbows Under Internal Pressure and Inner Corrosion Defects

Abstract

Abstract. A finite element (FE) model is developed to predict the burst pressure of internally corroded elbows with high accuracy and reliability. This model considers various parameters, including the length, depth, and width of the corrosion defect, as well as the pipe diameter and elbow bending radius. It is found that increases in the depth and length of the corrosion defect have a significant impact on the reduction of the corroded elbow burst pressure. Meanwhile, the corrosion defect width has a minimal effect. Corroded pipeline elbows with a smaller diameter or bending radius are more prone to burst than those with larger dimensions. A novel burst pressure prediction model for corroded pipeline elbows is proposed, and its predictions are compared with the FE simulations and several existing models. The mean value and coefficient of variation (COV) of the ratio between the FE results and the proposed model's predictions are 0.994 and 4.42%, respectively. These results demonstrate that the proposed model provides more accurate predictions than other models. This study offers a reliable foundation for predicting burst pressure and evaluating the integrity of pipeline elbows with internal corrosion defects.