Free Span Assessment: Benchmarking and Parametric Study

Abstract The assessment of pipeline free-spans may involve non-linearities, including those arising from the mechanical behaviour of the pipeline, soil properties and hydrodynamic loading; as well as the interaction between these factors. Failure to properly quantify and account for these factors may lead to inadequate design outcomes, which can lead to failure (if unconservative) or result in costly remediation when unnecessary (if conservative). This paper is part of an ongoing study into the vibration response of free spanning subsea pipelines, including the development of a numerical model that highlights the value of modal and full fatigue analyses as tools for understanding span behaviour. For quality control and enhancing the reliability of assessment methodologies, the model has been benchmarked against published data in terms of modal analysis, and against industrial fatigue assessment packages in terms of fatigue analysis — and shows excellent agreement with both. Since verification, the model was used to conduct a sensitivity study on a single free span, to explore how pipeline response and fatigue damage is affected by the value of dynamic soil stiffness and damping.