How does trenchless technology make pipeline construction greener? A comprehensive carbon footprint and energy consumption analysis

Abstract

Pipelines are the primary means of transporting energy or resources, such as oil, natural gas, or water. Nowadays, with the increasing demand for resources, the construction of pipelines is also increasing. Under the context of promoting green production, the open-cut method has been unable to meet the requirements of environmental protection. Therefore, trenchless technology has become an alternative to pipeline construction, which has the characteristics of fast construction speed and low carbon footprint. This paper briefly introduces a variety of typical trenchless installation and renewal methods. Based on the relevant theory of carbon footprint calculation during construction, the energy consumption and carbon footprint from the open-cut method and the trenchless construction methods under the same conditions are compared. Moreover, the sensitivity of different construction methods to different factors is analyzed. The main conclusions are drawn: (1) In most cases, the cured-in-place pipe method has less energy consumption and carbon footprint than other pipeline repair methods and is less affected by various design factors. (2) Various trenchless technologies have reduced construction energy consumption and carbon footprint to varying degrees relative to the open-cut method. (3) When the construction length is short or the depth is very shallow, the energy consumption and carbon footprint of the trenchless method may be higher than the open-cut method.