Selection of underwater pipeline crossing design for construction in difficult natural conditions
Abstract
Selection of underwater pipeline crossing design for construction in difficult natural conditions
Incoming article date: 24.02.2025The design and construction of underwater pipeline crossings is a complex multifactorial task. Unfortunately, the existing recommendations on the design of these facilities, aimed at ensuring the reliability of structures, are not confirmed in operational practice. For example, with the trench method of building a single-pipe double-stranded structure, the distance recommended in the regulatory and technical documentation between the main and backup pipelines is often insufficient with intense deformation of the channel, which leads to a loss of bearing capacity of both strands of the underwater passage. Modern trenchless pipeline laying methods can minimize the risks of emergency situations. However, a number of factors, such as the pumping of corrosive products, the construction of oil and gas pipelines in difficult natural conditions (permafrost, increased seismic activity) require additional measures to ensure the reliability of underwater crossings. Our proposed option is to replace the single–pipe structure in trenchless pipeline laying with a two-pipe one. The objective of the study was to influence the fillers of the inter-tube space on the structural reliability of the pipeline and the feasibility of using the pipe-in-pipe construction method.
Keywords: underwater pipeline passage, pipe-in-pipe construction, trenchless technologies, inter-tube space filler