Choosing an appropriate material grade for

the pipeline
The material properties are important in any
pipeline system
since it is important that the pipeline does not yield
under
stress or fail owing to fracture initiation and can
also be
easily welded. The basic relationship between
these factors is
shown in Fig. 2.3.
When deciding on the material to use for onshore
or
offshore pipelines, it is important to ensure that the
steel has
adequate strength, fracture toughness and
weldability.
Consequently, steel is often ordered to
specification using
codes such as the American Petroleum Institute
Standard
API 5L [9] or the European Standard EN10208-2
[2]. Tables
2.1 and 2.2 show the range of materials available
[2]. It
should be noted that these are minimum yield and
tensile
strength values according to specification, and that
the actual
measured strength values are normally higher.
A Quick Guide to Pipeline Engineering
12