Chapter List

Part Overview

Design of marine pipelines is usually carried out in three stages: conceptual engineering, preliminary engineering, and detail engineering. During the conceptual engineering stage, issues of technical feasibility and constraints on the system design and construction are addressed. Potential difficulties are revealed and non-viable options are eliminated. Required information for the forthcoming design and construction are identified. The outcome of the conceptual engineering allows for scheduling of development and a rough estimate of associated cost. The preliminary engineering defines system concept (pipeline size and grade), prepares authority applications, and provides design details sufficient to order pipeline. In the detail engineering phase, the design is completed in sufficient detail to define the technical input for all procurement and construction tendering. The materials covered in Part I fit mostly into the preliminary engineering.

Although sophisticated engineering tools involving finite element simulations (Bai, 2001) are available to engineers for pipeline design, for procedure transparency, this book describes a simple and practical approach. This part of the book includes the following chapters: