Research on remaining bearing capacity evaluation method for corroded pipelines with complex shaped defects

Corrosion is an inevitable issue in oil and gas pipelines, making it critical to accurately evaluate the remaining bearing capacity of pipelines with corrosion defects. However, the existing research has encountered two problems: understanding the influence of simplified corrosion defect shapes on the analysis process and a lack of simple and precise methods for evaluating the remaining bearing capacity of corroded pipelines with complex-shaped defects. In response to the first issue, this research utilizes models with irregular pits to simulate pipes with realistic corrosion pits. The research verifies the effectiveness of shape simplification when the actual volume loss closely matches the simplified one. A modified method is proposed to address and rectify the discrepancy in a mismatch. The effects of dimensional and positional parameters in pipes with complex-shaped defects are analyzed to address the second issue. The results indicate that corrosion depth, length, and axial spacing are the primary factors influencing the capacity. Therefore, a method with higher accuracy in evaluating the remaining bearing capacity of corroded pipelines with complex-shaped defects is proposed.