System Reliability Assessment of Offshore Pipelines

System Reliability Assessment of Offshore Pipelines

Mustaffa, Z.

Vrijling, J.K. (promotor)

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Hydraulic Engineering

2011-10-19

The title of this thesis, System Reliability Assessment of Offshore Pipelines, portrays the application of probabilistic methods in assessing the reliability of these structures. The main intention of this thesis is to identify, apply and judge the suitability of the probabilistic methods in evaluating the system reliability of offshore pipelines subjected to corrosion. The analysis was first emphasized on interpreting corrosion data as random variables and probabilistic functions, through which uncertainties of the corrosion inspection tool could be taken into account. The reliability of the pipeline was initially studied by treating the structure as an independent unit. The analysis was further elaborated for pipelines arrayed as a series system of units, with the consideration of length effects. A framework for the reliability-based maintenance model was also developed in this thesis, aiming at optimizing the pipeline system operations. Herein, the analysis was mainly focused on improving the practice of releasing corrosion inhibitors into the pipeline. The use of inhibitors is considered to be the most applied maintenance practice among pipeline industries because of its simple mechanism to fight against corrosions. Last but not least, the thesis also looked into interpreting corrosions in space using theories on hydrodynamics.

reliability assessment
probabilistic
corrosions
pipeline

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ddd336cf-5646-4207-a50b-53464c915b6f

9789085704218

Institutional Repository

doctoral thesis

(c) 2011 Mustaffa, Z.