Design, Inspection and Repair of Oil and Gas Pipelines

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 August 2025 | Viewed by 1865

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Safety and Ocean Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Interests: safety monitoring and prognostics; crack, corrosion, or leak detection; predictive maintenance

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oil and gas pipelines are used for a number of purposes in the extraction of onshore and offshore hydrocarbon resources, and include single-pipe, pipe-in-pipe, and bundled systems.

The design process for each pipeline is generally the same and includes design engineering, load conditions, and stress analysis, developing strategies for minimizing costs, and providing operation and maintenance support to save on costs and ensure quality and safety.

Pipeline inspection is a part of pipeline integrity management, keeping the pipeline in good conditions. Safety regulations require the operator to ensure that a pipeline is maintained in an efficient state and working order, as well as in good repair.

Internal and external pipeline inspections are normally carried out through nondestructive testing techniques and equipment, such as magnetic flux leakage technology in axial and circumferential conditions, ultrasound technologies, eddy-current technologies, and others.

Damage to a pipeline can be repaired in different ways, depending on its type and extent. Onshore and underwater pipeline repair technologies are continuously developing to keep up with needs.

This Special Issue on the “Design, Inspection and Repair of Oil and Gas Pipelines” will include novel research advances using either modeling or simulation as an important component of oil and gas pipeline analysis and present the development of new and better design strategies for oil and gas pipelines, pipeline inspection technologies, and repair models. To maximize impact, contributing authors will be invited to deposit their process models in the open access repository for the process systems engineering community (PSEcommunity.org) and/or provide them as Supplementary Materials. These may include contributions such as process simulation or model files, computer and optimization codes, spreadsheets, and other relevant digital objects used for modeling and simulation purposes with either commercial or open source software.

The topics may include but are not limited to the following:

  • General design process and approach for onshore and offshore pipelines;
  • Internal and external nondestructive testing techniques and technologies;
  • Development of models or simulations of pipeline leak detection systems;
  • Simulation techniques, software, algorithms, or other tools for modeling and simulation;
  • Design, inspection, repair, operation, and scheduling of maintenance strategies, diagnostics, prognostics, lifecycle analyses, or other pipeline integrity management and safety issues.

Thank you and I hope that you will consider participating in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Wei Liang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • inherent safety design
  • load conditions and stress analysis
  • metal loss inspection techniques
  • crack, corrosion, or leak detection
  • intelligent monitoring and prognostics
  • pipeline and facility integrity
  • deepwater pipeline design, inspection, or repair
  • riser replacement or repairs
  • pipeline valve repairs or change-outs
  • deepwater maintenance and repair

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

33 pages, 6828 KiB  
Article
Acoustic Characterization of Leakage in Buried Natural Gas Pipelines
by Yongjun Cai, Xiaolong Gu, Xiahua Zhang, Ke Zhang, Huiye Zhang and Zhiyi Xiong
Processes 2025, 13(7), 2274; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13072274 - 17 Jul 2025
Viewed by 278
Abstract
To address the difficulty of locating small-hole leaks in buried natural gas pipelines, this study conducted a comprehensive theoretical and numerical analysis of the acoustic characteristics associated with such leakage events. A coupled flow–acoustic simulation framework was developed, integrating gas compressibility via the [...] Read more.
To address the difficulty of locating small-hole leaks in buried natural gas pipelines, this study conducted a comprehensive theoretical and numerical analysis of the acoustic characteristics associated with such leakage events. A coupled flow–acoustic simulation framework was developed, integrating gas compressibility via the realizable k-ε and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulence models, the Peng–Robinson equation of state, a broadband noise source model, and the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy. The effects of pipeline operating pressure (2–10 MPa), leakage hole diameter (1–6 mm), soil type (sandy, loam, and clay), and leakage orientation on the flow field, acoustic source behavior, and sound field distribution were systematically investigated. The results indicate that the leakage hole size and soil medium exert significant influence on both flow dynamics and acoustic propagation, while the pipeline pressure mainly affects the strength of the acoustic source. The leakage direction was found to have only a minor impact on the overall results. The leakage noise is primarily composed of dipole sources arising from gas–solid interactions and quadrupole sources generated by turbulent flow, with the frequency spectrum concentrated in the low-frequency range of 0–500 Hz. This research elucidates the acoustic characteristics of pipeline leakage under various conditions and provides a theoretical foundation for optimal sensor deployment and accurate localization in buried pipeline leak detection systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design, Inspection and Repair of Oil and Gas Pipelines)
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20 pages, 6221 KiB  
Article
Structural Health Prediction Method for Pipelines Subjected to Seismic Liquefaction-Induced Displacement via FEM and AutoML
by Ning Shi, Tianwei Kong, Wancheng Ding, Xianbin Zheng, Hong Zhang and Xiaoben Liu
Processes 2025, 13(7), 2163; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13072163 - 7 Jul 2025
Viewed by 331
Abstract
This study investigates the mechanical behavior and safety performance of buried natural gas pipelines crossing seismically active fault zones and liquefaction-prone areas, with particular application to the China–Russia East-Route Natural Gas Pipeline. The research combines experimental testing, numerical simulation, and machine learning to [...] Read more.
This study investigates the mechanical behavior and safety performance of buried natural gas pipelines crossing seismically active fault zones and liquefaction-prone areas, with particular application to the China–Russia East-Route Natural Gas Pipeline. The research combines experimental testing, numerical simulation, and machine learning to develop an advanced framework for pipeline safety assessment under seismic loading conditions. A series of large-scale pipe–soil interaction experiments were conducted under seismic-frequency cyclic loading, leading to the development of a modified soil spring model that accurately captures the nonlinear soil-resistance characteristics during seismic events. Unlike prior studies focusing on static or specific seismic conditions, this work uniquely integrates real cyclic loading test data to develop a frequency-dependent soil spring model, significantly enhancing the physical basis for dynamic soil–pipeline interaction simulation. Finite element analyses were systematically performed to evaluate pipeline response under liquefaction-induced ground displacement, considering key influencing factors including liquefaction zone length, seismic wave frequency content, operational pressure, and pipe wall thickness. An innovative machine learning-based predictive model was developed by integrating LightGBM, XGBoost, and CatBoost algorithms, achieving remarkable prediction accuracy for pipeline strain (R2 > 0.999, MAPE < 1%). This high accuracy represents a significant improvement over conventional analytical methods and enables rapid safety assessment. The findings provide robust theoretical support for pipeline routing and seismic design in high-risk zones, enhancing the safety and reliability of energy infrastructure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design, Inspection and Repair of Oil and Gas Pipelines)
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21 pages, 13188 KiB  
Article
Study on Acoustic–Vibration Characteristics and Noise Reduction Methods for Elbows
by Shi-Wan Zhang, Fei Wang, Cong Li, Si-Min Zhu and Hui-Qing Lan
Processes 2025, 13(2), 389; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13020389 - 31 Jan 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 862
Abstract
Fluid pipelines with large flow changes often result in noise due to multi-physical interactions (fluid–structure and acoustic–vibration interactions) between the pulsating fluid and the pipe wall, especially at the elbows. Therefore, the acoustic–vibration characteristics and noise reduction methods of elbows are studied in [...] Read more.
Fluid pipelines with large flow changes often result in noise due to multi-physical interactions (fluid–structure and acoustic–vibration interactions) between the pulsating fluid and the pipe wall, especially at the elbows. Therefore, the acoustic–vibration characteristics and noise reduction methods of elbows are studied in this paper. Firstly, a two-way fluid–structure interaction (FSI) model is established to analyze the vibration characteristics of the elbow under water excitation. Maximum stress occurs at the elbow inlet, with maximum deformation in the elbow. Experimental validation confirms the model’s accuracy. Secondly, the effects of water and structural parameters on elbow vibration are studied, revealing that increased water pressure, pulsating frequency, and flow rate intensify pipe vibration. Finally, an acoustic–vibration coupled model is built; the simulations suggest that increasing wall thickness and elbow radius and reducing elbow angle effectively reduce the noise level of the elbow. Using elastic supports and damping materials can reduce elbow noise by at least 26.3%. This study provides guidance for the noise reduction and structural optimization of elbows by coupled multi-physics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design, Inspection and Repair of Oil and Gas Pipelines)
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