Modelagem e implementação de uma ferramenta computacional integrada para análise de fadiga em dutos submarinos de vão-livre

Abstract

Safety in the transportation of hydrocarbons and other fluids in pipelines is one of the topics of greatest attention in the oil and gas industry. Recently, this industry has had great concerns about how the phenomenon of Vortex Induced Vibration (VIV) affects the fatigue life of submarine components and pipes, especially free-span pipelines. Worldwide, there are several of these structures installed that have already reached the end or half of their design lifespan, which makes it imperative to revisit the initial predictions and assess the need for intervention in order to extend their lifespan, especially with regard to to VIV. These and other analyzes are based on the correct representation of the pipeline’s real behavior. The Finite Element Method is widely used to model this behavior. However, this is not a trivial task, since it depends on the use of various software for intermediate steps. In addition, these analyzes involve manipulation of large amounts of data related to the bathymetry of the seabed and material properties, pipe geometry, current, among others. Thus, this entire process is usually time-consuming and prone to errors. Simultaneously, the oil and gas industry has undergone a digital transformation in recent years. This scenario brought opportunities for the development of new tools for the professional responsible for these analyzes. This work presents the development and structure of a computational framework with functionalities from pre to post-processing of analysis data that aim to improve the flow of fatigue analysis in subsea pipelines subject to free spans. Developed based on the study of the work routine of PETROBRAS professionals, the tool is able to cover the pre-processing and post-processing stages by automating practically the entire flow of structural and fatigue analysis. Thus, in addition to reducing the total time of the pre-processing and post-processing steps from days to minutes, the tool was able to bring standardization and reduction in the learning curve for new professionals.