Numerical Simulation of Pipeline Failure Mechanisms Under Lightning Strikes, Capturing Electric Disruption and Thermal Damage

This study presents a computational analysis of pipeline failure and soil penetration when struck by lightning. A numerical method based on an electro-thermal coupled model is proposed for this purpose. The electric disruption of soil and the thermal damage of pipelines are used to represent engineering failures and calamities. The heterogeneity of the soil and the temporal-spatial distribution of lightning are considered when modelling natural lightning and the ground. Innovative numerical simulations illuminate the mechanisms and processes underlying electrical disasters and pipeline failure. The simulation results indicate that lightning strikes can induce electric penetration in soils and damage underground pipelines. Under the calculative conditions of this article, a cloud-to-ground lightning strike with a voltage of 10 kV can cause a thermal breakdown hole in an underground conduit with a wall thickness of 0.05 m and a depth of 1 m. At the same time, the temperature rises to 500 & DEG;C at the location of the pipe perforation opening and 200 & DEG;C at the location of the unperforated pipe. The novel numerical method may reveal the mechanism of pipeline failure and the electric penetration of soil during lightning impacts.