Pipeline structures are often very flexible and susceptible to vibrations induced by many sources, such as vortex, external flow, and internal fluid flow. The pounding tuned mass damper (PTMD) is one device that may be employed to absorb and dissipate these undesired vibrations. The PTMD is a combination of the tuned mass damper and the impact damper. It utilizes the tuned mass to absorb kinetic energy and dissipates the absorbed energy through collisions. To examine the vibration control effectiveness of the PTMD, both numerical analysis and experimental study were performed. In the numerical analysis, a pounding force model was established based on the Hertz contact element. The motion equation of a pipeline structure incorporated with a PTMD was derived. Free vibration analysis and forced vibration analysis were performed. In the experimental study, an M-shaped pipeline was fabricated and installed with the PTMD. Due to safety issues the pipe was kept empty during the experiments. A free vibrat...

Reports indicated that impact events accounted for 47% of offshore pipeline failures, which calls for impact detection and localization for subsea pipelines. In this paper, an innovative method for rapid localization of impacts on underwater pipelines utilizing a novel determination technique for both arrival-time and group velocity (ATGV) of ultrasonic guided waves with lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducers is described. PZT transducers mounted on the outer surface of a model pipeline were utilized to measure ultrasonic guided waves generated by impact events. Based on the signals from PZT sensors, the ATGV technique integrates wavelet decomposition, Hilbert transform and statistical analysis to pinpoint the arrival-time of the designated ultrasonic guided waves with a specific group velocity. Experimental results have verified the effectiveness and the localization accuracy for eight impact points along a model underwater pipeline. All estimations errors were small and were comparable with the wavelength of the designated ultrasonic guided waves. Furthermore, the method is robust against the low frequency structural vibration introduced by other external forces.

The continuously increasing demand for oil and gas and the depleting number of new large reservoir discoveries have made it necessary for the oil and gas industry to investigate and design new, improved technologies that unlock new sources of energy and squeeze more from existing resources. Shape memory materials (SMM), with their remarkable properties such as the shape memory effect (SME), corrosion resistance, and superelasticity have shown great potential to meet these demands by significantly improving the functionality and durability of offshore systems. Shape memory alloy (SMA) and shape memory polymer (SMP) are two types of most commonly used SMM’s and are ideally suited for use over a range of robust engineering applications found within the oil and gas industry, such as deepwater actuators, valves, underwater connectors, seals, self-torqueing fasteners and sand management. The potential high strain and high force output of the SME of SMA can be harnessed to create a lightweight, solid state alternative to conventional hydraulic, pneumatic or motor based actuator systems. The phase transformation property enables the SMA to withstand erosive stresses, which is useful for minimizing the effect of erosion often experienced by downhole devices. The superelasticity of the SMA provides good energy dissipation, and can overcome the various defects and limitations suffered by conventional passive damping methods. The higher strain recovery during SME makes SMP ideal for developments of packers and sand management in downhole. The increasing number of SMM related research papers and patents from oil and gas industry indicate the growing research interest of the industry to implement SMM in offshore applications. This paper reviews the recent developments and applications of SMM in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Compared to conventional concrete, polyvinyl alcohol fiber reinforced engineering cementitious composite (PVA-ECC) offers high-strength, ductility, formability, and excellent fatigue resistance. However, impact-induced structural damage is a major concern and has not been previously characterized in PVA-ECC structures. We investigate the damage of PVA-ECC beams under low-velocity impact loading. A series of ball-drop impact tests were performed at different drop weights and heights to simulate various impact energies. The impact results of PVA-ECC beams were compared with mortar beams. A combination of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thin-film sensors and piezoceramic-based smart aggregate were used for impact monitoring, which included impact initiation and crack evolution. Short-time Fourier transform (STFT) of the signal received by PVDF thin-film sensors was performed to identify impact events, while active-sensing approach was utilized to detect impact-induced crack evolution by the attenuation of a propagated guided wave. Wavelet packet-based energy analysis was performed to quantify failure development under repeated impact tests.