Finite Element Analysis of the Installation Process of a Corrosion Protective Kevlar Reinforced Liner

Abstract

Internal corrosion in pipelines is a persistent problem in the oil and gas industry. To the conventional rehabilitation techniques used to stop corrosion losses and prolong the life of the pipeline uses an internal lining system to isolate the corrosive medium from the host pipe's inner surface. To overcome many of the shortcomings of the conventional lining technologies, recently Kevlar reinforced flexible polymer composite liner has been developed. The installation of this flexible liner takes place in several stages and it is of interest to understand the mechanisms behind the installation process, and more specifically determine the forces and stresses at each stage of the installation process. Hence, the objective of the current study is to build a non-linear finite element model to simulate the full installation process of this new liner. The FEA model is further validated with physical tests, making it a reliable tool for simulating the entire installation process of this liner in an arbitrary pipeline network.