Integrated analysis approach for industrial structures and piping

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The Canadian economy is heavily reliant on resource-based industries. This is reflected in the large expansions in industrial petrochemical, power generation, synthetic oil manufacturing plants, and oil and gas refineries in Canada. Typically, an industrial plant consists of multiple processing units within a large area of the order of a few square kilometres. Multiple elevated pipelines run for hundreds of meters between various processing units within the plant. Throughout their trajectories, pipelines are supported by a large number of modular flexible moment frame steel structure. Within this context, the proposed research aims at developing an analysis and design tool for elevated pipeline systems and supporting steel structures within a single integrated model. The proposed analysis tool will a) realize a positive environmental impact by reducing the risk of pipeline failures that can release toxic chemicals into the atmosphere; b) provide designers a thorough and practical basis on which to strike an informed balance between the safety and economy for these structures; and c) benefit Canada, as a manufacturer of structural steel and steel pipes, from an improved understanding of their behaviour, and indirectly promoting the use of these Canadian products.