3D PIPELINE ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

Bringing added value to pipeline engineers worldwide

SAGE Profile 3D has been specifically designed to assist pipeline engineers in the design, installation and analysis of offshore pipelines. The powerful finite element solver has been fine-tuned to provide an excellent tool for tasks like

Pipeline route optimization

Simulation of the pipelay process

On bottom stress calculations

Prediction of buckling

Expansion analysis

Free span evaluation

SAGE Profile 3D models the pipe laying process on a full 3D Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the seabed, using an elegant and realistic approximation of the real lay method.

The computational engine enables full 3D pipeline stress analyses with the ability to handle large deformation problems like lateral buckling, and accurate modeling of the pipeline-soil interaction by using of advanced plastic soil models.

“SAGE Profile is the market

leader software suite for offshore pipeline analysis”

The SAGE Profile 3D Viewer enables the results to be viewed and printed in different formats – in tables, graphs and in 3D illustrations. Simulation results can be cross-checked against the major design codes, including DNV-OS-F101, API1111, ASME 31.4 & 31.8. Free span evaluation can be performed according to DNV-RP-F105.

SAGE PROFILE 3D INTERFACE

Editor Module

The Editor is the SAGE Profile preprocessor, providing an easy and straightforward tool to set-up and solve complex pipeline problems.

3D PIPELINE ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

The selected pipeline route can easily be modified. The seabed profile properties are automatically updated, which allows for fast and efficient route optimization.

SAGE Profile 3D offers powerful capabilities to introduce load scenarios, covering lay tension, internal and external pressure, point loads, current and wave actions, soil cover, pressure and temperature profiles,…

Special nodal conditions allow End Terminations and various anchoring systems to be included in the Finite Element model.

Editor Module features:

Seabed definition using Seabed Profile or bathymetry: Kilometer Point versus elevation or Easting Northing Elevation

Bathymetry import from ASCII XYZ files or Fugro GRI-format;

Pipeline Route definition by manually drawn IP-points on the bathymetry with immediate update of the profile

Pipeline route import as list of Intersection Points, Easting Northing elevation points or Fugro line file format;

Soil properties along the route defined by tapping into Fugro’s vast experience in geotechnics

Pipe soil interaction modeled using enhanced soil springs

Plastic vertical spring defined as piecewise linear curve with support for static and dynamic lay factors

Axial and lateral soil springs defined using peak, residual friction factors, mobilization distance and adhesion, capturing plastic unloading and berm formation

Different pipeline properties input, including corrosion coatings and concrete weigh coatings. Pipe bending non-linearities can be taken into account using Ramberg-Osgood coefficients

Pipeline residual lay tension can be varied along the route

Option to apply point loads, line loads, pressures and temperature profiles

All load patterns are defined in templates that allow the user to easily add/remove them when defining simulations

Definition of advanced boundary conditions to include anchor systems and end termination units in the finite element model

An Input Summary is automatically generated from the Editor in a compatible MS Word file format

Analysis Module

The Analysis Module allows creating any sequence analyses to reflect the subsequent stages in the design life of the pipeline (laydown, empty, hydro-testing, variation of operational temperatures and pressures, …). Load templates can be added and removed, KP-ranges can be varied and element lengths can be reduced. This flexibility allows the user to easily create all stages in the pipeline design, create heat-up and cool-down cycles, focus on specific KP-ranges and compare the effects of varying load templates on the pipeline.

3D PIPELINE ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

All analyses that have been created are queued up, and batch running is supported. Analyses are represented by a tree structure – a clear outline of the relationship between all defined analyses.

Main features of the Analysis Module include:

Definition of analyses on various route lengths with varying element lengths and load templates

Queuing analyses to enable simulation in batch mode

Definition of post-processing integrity checks against major code and span checks

Monitoring every parameter in any node versus time

Viewer Module

The viewer allows displaying and interpreting the results of the analyses in three ways: tabulated numerical results, 2D graphs (e.g. KP vs elevation), and full 3D plots where a parameter is shaded onto the pipeline.

Results from several analyses can be loaded at the same time. If code and/or span check results are available, they will be loaded automatically.

The viewer uses templates for graphical representation: for every project, similar charts can easily be produced.

The Main features of the Viewer include:

Results for different analyses can be plotted simultaneously

Span and code checks results enable to assess whether the pipeline design is code compliant

Templates for chart definition can be saved, allowing the user to produce complex graphs in merely two mouse clicks.

Any output parameter can be plotted on any axis, allowing plots of KP versus elevation, force displacement, load versus time or Combined Loading vs KP plots.

Template for printed and exported output can be defined by the user. These templates include frames, Q&A boxes and client logos.

Option to export numerical results in CSV file format.

SIMPIPE FE ENGINE

SimPipe is the powerful computational engine of SAGE Profile: a transient dynamic, explicit finite element solver.

“Capabilities include 2D and 3D analysis, non-linear soil support properties, touch-down and lift-off modeling, non-linear pipe material in

bending and large deformation analysis.”

Main features include:

6 degrees of freedom (DOF) two-nodes beam elements assuming a single circular cross-section

Realistic pipe laying procedure on a full 3D seabed based on user-defined target pipeline path and specified residual lay tension

Variable mesh density and re-meshing capabilities for detailed pipeline analysis

Innovative algorithms to obtain stable solutions for highly non- linear pipeline problems

3D PIPELINE ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

Running of analyses in graphical mode or text mode;

Built-in plastic soil response including static and dynamic lay factor support, peak residual behaviour and plastic unloading in all springs

XSPIM plug-in for external soil models

Explicit solver can cope with non linearities in constitutive laws for steel and soil, large displacements, contact and pipe soil interaction

Definition of boundary conditions in any node of the model, using piecewise linear relations pointing in any direction;

Multithreading capabilities to computation time

SAGE PROFILE IS UP TO STANDARDS

Code Compliance

Since safety and reliability is of paramount importance, SAGE Profile supports the limit state design checks for the latest editions of all major offshore pipeline standards. The pipeline engineer can quickly assess whether his design is compliant with DNV-OS-F101, API1111, ASME 31.4 & 31.8, BS8010 or Lloyds rules.

Free Span Analysis

An updated and enhanced span check is available to analyze free spanning pipelines according to DNV-RP-F105. Free spanning pipes are automatically detected, and SAGE Profile evaluates whether a span is vulnerable to vortex induced vibrations or not.

Moreover, the span check performs a fatigue screening and calculates the maximum allowable span length. An estimation of the VIV amplitudes, stress ranges and remaining fatigue lifetime is provided as well.

When to use SAGE Profile 3D?

SAGE Profile 3D provides a competitive advantage whenever fast, efficient pipeline simulations are required for any of the following problems:

Pipeline route optimization

Simulation of the pipelay process

On-bottom stress analysis

Expansion analysis

Upheaval/lateral buckling

Free span evaluation

Susceptibility to pipeline walking

The Interface modules streamline the harvesting of input data to quickly set-up the model. In addition, they provide powerful visualization and reporting tools for interpreting output from the finite element engine.

A major advantage of SAGE Profile 3D is the accurate modeling of the pipe soil interaction and clear visualization of the effects on the pipe response (like virtual anchor length, buckling locations and frequency, effect of the end terminations, ...).

In areas where the pipe spans a depression or passes over a sand wave, SAGE Profile 3D can account for pipe settlement into the span shoulders. The plastic soil models provide a realistic indication of pipe embedment in all load cases.

The specifications in this technical brochure may be subject to modifications without prior notice.

SAGE Profile is developed by Fugro GeoConsulting SAGE Profile web site: www.sage-profile.com Avenue de Broqueville 12 Contact : support@sage-profile.com B-1150 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 776 03 10 – Fax: +32 2 776 03 19 Fugro GeoConsutling (Belgium) is a member of the Fugro Group

3D PIPELINE ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

SAGE Profile 3D produces printout of input and output data in graphical or tabular form suitable for engineering proposals, verification purposes and reporting. All output files (including the code check and span check reports) are stored in plain ASCII text format and can be easily formatted into any style preferred by the user.

Validity and Quality Assurance

SAGE Profile 3D was developed by Fugro GeoConsulting Belgium (FGCB). FGCB has

been approved by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance in accordance with ISO 9001:2000.

The Software Verification and Validation Reports (SVVR) include more than 50 test problems and worked solutions and cover all SAGE Profile 3D features. All SVVRs are provided together with the software package.

In addition, Bureau Veritas scrutinized the Software Verification and Validation Reports, and performed independent test problems to certify the software suite.

The features certified by Bureau Veritas include the SimPipe Finite Element Engine, the Editor Module, the Analysis Module, the Code/Span Checks and the Viewer Interface Module.

System Requirements

SAGE Profile 3D will run on MS Windows (2000/XP/7) based systems with as little as 512 MB RAM and processor speeds of 1 GHz. However, the following specifications should be considered as a practical minimum (quad core recommended):

- Pentium IV 3.0 GHz or

compatible;

- 4Gb RAM;

- 500Mb graphics card

supporting OpenGL

The multithreading capability allows

parallel processing, which significantly

reduces the computation time.