ABSTRACT

Pipe-lines used for natural gas transfer are mainly operating at high pressure. The latter condition is associated with their wall thickness which determines construction cost. Currently, it is recognized that specific construction techniques that are based in reinforcing the pipe-line with rigid rings can result in significant reduction of material cost. This cost is strongly influenced by the mechanical parameters, material strength and material price. The objective of the present study is the derivation and optimization of the cost function [1, 2] versus mechanical parameters. In order to obtain the function that is to be optimized, a numerical procedure based on matrix analysis and theory of elasticity will be used.