Transient Thermal Modeling of a Rapid Sintering Process in a Natural Gas Pipe Environment

Abstract

The rapid sintering process of a steel paste (steel powder and polyvinylpyrrolidone binder mixture) onto the interior of an existing pipeline will provide structural reinforcement to natural gas pipelines, thus enabling pipeline rehabilitation. Methods currently exist for sintering metal powders. However, metal powder sintering within a pipeline is not typically addressed. The goal of this study was to develop a model to determine the optimal applied power and sintering time for a rapid sintering process of steel paste within 30 seconds. A two-dimensional transient, axisymmetric model simulated the sequential sintering of steel paste onto the interior of a 30-centimeter (O.D.) by 5-meter steel pipe, with nitrogen gas as the cooling agent. The steel paste exceeded the minimum target temperature of 1400 °C. However, full sintering within 30 seconds was unachievable. Further work on identifying the roles of conduction, convection, and radiation would lead to a more accurate sintering model.