Abstract
Among the various geological disasters that threaten the safe operation of long-distance oil and gas pipelines, water-damage disasters are numerous and widely developed. Especially the pipelines crossing river channels or gullies are vulnerable to scouring hazards from storms and floods. A water-damage disaster physical model was established to investigate the characteristics of the riverbed scour profile and the pipeline force when the pipeline was buried at different depths under the condition of different particle size riverbed sediment. Results indicated that the equilibrium scour depth changed in a spoon shape with the gradual increase of the embedment ratio in general. The equilibrium scour depth formed by the fine sand riverbed was the largest, about 1.5 times the pipeline diameter. When the pipeline was half exposed, the clay riverbed was more resistant to the scour of the river than the riverbed of fine sand and very fine pebbles with a larger particle size. In the riverbed of three particle sizes, fine sand was more difficult to withstand the scour of the river. The scour profile formed by the sand bed around the pipeline and the force and deformation of the pipeline were related to pipeline location and riverbed sediment type. Results of this study might be useful for the safety warning and protection measures of underwater pipeline crossing.
Highlights
Oil and gas pipelines play an important role in the deployment of oil and natural gas resources [1]
When the embedment ratios were −2.0, −1.5, and −1.0, no scour holes were formed under the pipelines on the riverbed conditions of different particle sizes
When the embedment ratio was −0.5, scouring holes began to appear under the pipeline on the conditions of riverbed with other particle sizes except for the clay riverbed
Summary
Oil and gas pipelines play an important role in the deployment of oil and natural gas resources [1]. Two methods are generally adopted when oil and gas pipelines traverse a river: underwater crossing and water crossing. For the former, due to the effects of riverbed evolution, riverbed scour, and water current impact, the pipeline is partially suspended or exposed and is damaged, which increases the risk of damage to the oil and gas pipeline at the river bottom [3]. Once the oil and gas pipeline at the bottom of the river is damaged, it is very easy to cause dangerous situations such as leakage, poisoning, fire, or explosion. Once the oil and gas pipeline at the bottom of the river is damaged, it is very easy to cause dangerous situations such as leakage, poisoning, fire, or explosion. is is harmful to the environment, and can cause serious economic losses and even endanger human life [4]
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