Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Local Scour Around Submarine Piggyback Pipeline Under Steady Current

Abstract

As a new type of submarine pipeline, the piggyback pipeline has been gradually adopted in engineering practice to enhance the performance and safety of submarine pipelines. However, limited simulation work and few experimental studies have been published on the scour around the piggyback pipeline under steady current. This study numerically and experimentally investigates the local scour of the piggyback pipe under steady current. The influence of prominent factors such as pipe diameter, inflow Reynolds number, and gap between the main and small pipes, on the maximum scour depth have been examined and discussed in detail. Furthermore, one formula to predict the maximum scour depth under the piggyback pipeline has been derived based on the theoretical analysis of scour equilibrium. The feasibility of the proposed formula has been effectively calibrated by both experimental data and numerical results. The findings drawn from this study are instructive in the future design and application of the piggyback pipeline.