Seismic Influence on Subsea Pipeline Stresses

Abstract

The safety analysis of an earthquake is carried out during the operation of a subsea pipeline and an onshore pipeline. Several cases are proposed for consideration. In the case of a buried pipeline, permanent ground deformation by the earthquake and an increase of internal pressure by the acceleration of the earthquake should be considered. In the case of a subsea pipeline, a bending moment is caused by liquefaction of the backfill material on a trenched seabed, etc., which results in a high bending moment of the buried pipeline. The bending moment causes the collapse of the subsea pipeline or a leak of crude oil or gas, which results in economic loss due to enormous environmental contamination and social economic loss owing to operation functional failure. Thus, in order to prevent economic loss and operation loss, structurally sensitive design with regard to seismic characteristics must be performed in the buried pipeline in advance, and the negative impact on the buried pipeline must be minimized by conducting a thorough analysis on the seabed and backfilling material selection. Moreover, it is proposed to consider the selection of material properties for the buried pipeline. A more economical review is also required for detailed study.