1.1 Biography

 Dr. Potchara Tangtragulwong earned his bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from Chulangkorn University in 2002. Then he worked as Industrialization Engineer for Michelin (Thailand) before pursuing master degree in Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, USA in 2004 with emphasis on Engineering Mechanics and Engineering Fatigue. In 2016, he continued his doctoral study in Structural Engineering under a full research assistantship by American Association of Railroads (AAR) and Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) at Civil Engineering department, Texas A&M University. His areas of research include application of numerical simulations to investigate mechanical behavior of structural components such as railroad rails and tie plates, and various aspects of engineering fatigue such as rolling contact fatigue and multiaxial fatigue. He has extensive experience using commercial finite element analysis (FEA) software—ABAQUS and Hypermesh—together with coding for data analysis, optimization using genetic algorithm, and FEA post-processing.

 After completing his doctoral study in 2010, Dr. Potchara Tangtragulwong started his career as Subsea Pipeline Consultant with Atkins’ Oil and Gas in Houston, USA. His primary responsibilities included 1) Conceptual and detailed studies of BP’s Gulf of Mexico subsea pipelines that have lateral buckle(s); 2) investigation of thermal expansions of pipeline and piping using advanced simulations; 3) Structural integrity assessment of subsea pipelines in term of fatigue and fracture; and 4) Life extension study of subsea assets. In 2013, he joined the Pipeline Group of INTECSEA (a Worley Parsons company) in Houston, USA, to broader his expertise to pipeline and subsea system design. He was a part of design teams that worked on several multi-billion subsea projects located worldwide from initial phases (e.g. conceptual or Front-End Engineering Design-FEED) to final phase of design (e.g. Detailed Design).

 In 2018, Dr. Potchara Tangtragulwong has become a faculty member of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Srinakharinwirot University and continued to provide professional services regarding subsea and energy engineering and advanced engineering simulation.

1.2 Education

• Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, USA, 2010
• M.E., Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, USA, 2006.
• B.E., Mechanical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, 2002.

1.3 Work Experiences

• Lecturer |Faculty of Engineering, Srinakharinwirot University | 2018 – present
• Pipeline Engineering Specialist | INTECSEA (Houston)| 2013-2017
• Subsea Pipeline Consultant | Atkins (Houston) | 2011-2012
• Research Assistant | Texas Transportation Institute | 2006-2010
• Industrialization Engineer | MICHELIN, Thailand | 2002-2003

1.4 Academic Positions

• Lecturer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Srinakharinwirot University, 2018 – Present.

1.5 Teaching Courses

• Undergraduate Program
  • ME 109 Engineering Drawing
  • PTE 104 Engineering Materials
  • ME 212 Engineering Mechanics I
  • PTE 203 Mechanics of Materials
  • CEM282 Concert Safety and Operation
  • CEM280 Integrated Stage Design for Concert Engineering
  • SWU 258 Arts of Speaking and Presentation
• Graduate Program
  • CVE 564 Advanced Civil Engineering Materials (selected modules)

1.6 Undergraduate/Graduate Theses Supervised

• Development of semi-automated FEA Framework for Subsea Pipeline Re-validation Analysis (2019-2020)

1.7 Major Consulting Activities

• TransCanada – SUR DE TEXAS – TUXPAN Pipeline Detailed Design (2017)
  • Cathodic protection design for bundled pipelines approaching landfall.
  • Pipeline stability assessment for bundled pipelines at shallow water depth.
  • Thermal expansion analysis for bundled pipelines grouted within a tunnel.

• Repsol – Pipeline Spans Mitigation (2016)
  • Fatigue assessment of spans detected during a survey using finite element analysis (ABAQUS) and DNV FatFree based on Trinidad’s metocean data. Recommendations on span mitigation.

• BP – Endymion Export Pipelines (2016)
  • Finite element analysis of span interaction of an export pipeline using ABAQUS.
  • Load capacity analysis of flowline spans during span remediation.
  • Impact analysis of internal pressure on tensile mechanical behavior of flowline spans.

• Chevron – Buckskin Moccasin (2015 – 2016)
  • FE lateral buckling analysis for pipe-in-pipe and single flowlines according to SAFEBUCK Guidelines, using buoyancy modules and sleepers.
  • Reeling calculations of pipe-in-pipe and single flowlines.
  • Buckle arrestor design, wall thickness calculation, thermal expansion analysis, and cathodic protection design.

• Anadarko – Golfinho (2014)
  • Design of buried profiles of a 22-inch pipeline at channel crossing using ABAQUS, SAGE 3D, and Pipelay.
  • FE analysis to analyze the behavior of piggy-back pipelines at channel crossing.
  • Mitigation study of pipeline experiencing escarpment failures, in order to determine bending stiffness of support structure required to maintain integrity of the pipeline.

• TransCanada – Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Pipelines (2014)
  • Wall thickness design and on-bottom roughness stability design of dual export pipelines.
  • Lateral buckling screening using Hobb’s analytical method. Sections of pipelines that are susceptible to lateral buckling were investigated using FEA.

• BP – Liberty (2014)
  • Development of an ABAQUS-based tool used to investigate prosperity of upheaval buckling based on field data (e.g. geo pigs).
  • FE analysis of upheaval buckling for an arctic pipeline using PRCI and ALA pipe-soil interaction, and calibrate analytical method against FE results.

• BP – Juniper (2013-2014)
  • Rigid riser and spool design.
  • Lateral buckling and thermal expansion analysis of dual in-field pipelines using analytical methods and finite element modeling.
  • MTOs, and specifications development.

• BP – Gulf of Mexico Subsea Flowlines (2011-2012)
  • Fatigue assessment for high-pressure/high-temperature (HPHT) subsea flowlines that are subject to lateral buckling.
  • Conceptual and detailed studies of flowline lateral buckling using resistance reduction concepts. Flowline’s submerged weight, soil berms, lateral & axial friction and buoyancy configuration were used as parameters to determine the remediation approaches that reduce the stress range at the buckle crown, in order to extend the fatigue life of the flowline.
  • Thermal transient study due to the start-up of new wells. Pressure and temperature transient profiles were used as inputs to analyze the changes in loads at the buckle crown in flowlines.
  • Impact of hydrotest loads on a flowline that has already formed a lateral buckle in operation.
  • FE analysis of a HPHT flowline fitted with buoyancy modules, which was susceptible to mode shape change (from Mode 2 to Mode 1). The objectives were to: 1) determine the maximum axial force and bending moment at the buckle crown, and 2) develop stress functions to define the stress range as a result of the pressure and temperature changes.
  • Full review of SURF system design documents and In-Line Inspection (ILI) results in order to estimate the remaining service life of subsea equipment and cost estimate to extend service life of the asset.

1.8 Publications

• Tangtragulwong P, Prurapark R. Improving Energy Efficiency in Government Agencies’ Project: Srinakharinwirot University Ongkharak., The 5th International Workshop on UI GreenMetric World University Rankings (IWGM 2019), Cork, Ireland, April 2019.
• Fry GT, Tangtragulwong P, “Rail Head Wear versus Rail Head Fatigue,” Railway Track & Structures, January 2018.
• Fry GT, Tangtragulwong P, Analysis of Rail Grinding as a Means to Optimize Rail-Head Fatigue Life under Heavy Axle Loads., 11th International Heavy Haul Association Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, September 2017.
• Tangtragulwong P, Fry GT, David D, Richard P. Tie-Plate Cracking on Wood-Composite Ties – A Parametric Study. Conference Proceedings, ASME/ASCE/IEEE 2011 Joint Rail Conference, Pueblo, CO, March 2011.
• Marsh C, Kessler D, Ascic M, Hays A, Jones BG, Alvarado J, Tangtragulwong P. Enhancement of Thermal Transport in Water and Ethylene Glycol using Al2O3 Nanoparticles. Conference Proceedings, Annual AIChE, Cincinati, OH, Oct 2005.