Structural monitoring helps assess deformations in Arctic pipelines
Advanced structural monitoring systems can play an important role in the evaluation of arctic pipeline distortions along the alignment. These systems can influence pipeline design requirements, reduce capital costs, and improve operating reliability. Differential soil movements resulting from terrain instabilities are the main features which threaten a pipeline's structural integrity and affect the design of buried pipeline systems in the Arctic. Economic, aesthetic, and safety concerns make conventional buried construction an optimum design choice for an arctic crude-oil or gas-pipeline transportation system. However, variable frozen and thawed soil conditions underlying the pipeline along a discontinuous permafrost corridor pose a challenge to the design and operation of such systems. Crude-oil pipelines which must operate at elevated temperatures can be installed in unfrozen soils or in permafrost soils where initially frozen segments will exhibit limited settlement under the thawed conditions imposed by pipeline construction and operation. Ice-rich portions of the frozen alignment may have an unacceptable settlement potential for a warm buried pipeline. In contrast, natural-gas pipelines can be operated cold to increase throughput capability and to prevent the problems associated with thawing permafrost.
- Research Organization:
- ARCO Pipe Line Co., Long Beach, CA
- OSTI ID:
- 7052189
- Journal Information:
- Oil Gas J.; (United States), Journal Name: Oil Gas J.; (United States) Vol. 84:45; ISSN OIGJA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Analysis of gas chilling alternatives for Arctic pipelines
Pipeline integrity design for differential settlement in discontinuous permafrost areas
Related Subjects
022000* -- Petroleum-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
03 NATURAL GAS
032000 -- Natural Gas-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
42 ENGINEERING
420206 -- Engineering-- Mining & Drilling Equipment & Facilities-- (1980-1989)
423000 -- Engineering-- Marine Engineering-- (1980-)
ALIGNMENT
ARCTIC REGIONS
CAPITALIZED COST
COMPLEX TERRAIN
CONSTRUCTION
COST
DEFORMATION
DESIGN
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
LEVELS
MECHANICS
MONITORING
NATURAL GAS
OPERATION
PERMAFROST
PETROLEUM
PIPELINES
POLAR REGIONS
RELIABILITY
SOIL MECHANICS
THAWING
TRANSPORT
UNDERGROUND