Projects per year
Abstract
Ploughing is a method used to bury pipelines beneath the seabed. In this method, a large purpose built plough is pulled by a support vessel to create a trench into which a pipeline is lowered. The soil that has been removed is then placed or back filled over the pipeline to provide thermal insulation, protective cover and to prevent upheaval buckling (UHB) due to pipeline thermal expansion. The majority of previous research effort has focussed on the behaviour of ploughs on level seabeds and has not investigated common geohazards such as sloping seabeds. There is also limited guidance available to industry on the limitations of ploughing on slopes. This paper reports a series of experimental tests conducted to investigate how ploughs may behave when seabed slopes are encountered and ploughing has to traverse cross-slope. The results show that ploughing operations can still be undertaken when traversing a slope but that the efficiency of operations is reduced with increasing slope inclination, leading to a reduction of trench depth and spoil heap sizes on steeper slopes. This may result in reduced pipeline cover depths on slopes if these effects cannot be mitigated.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 125-135 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Ocean Engineering |
Volume | 148 |
Early online date | 20 Nov 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 15 Jan 2018 |
Keywords
- Offshore pipeline ploughing
- Physical modelling
- Sand
- Slopes
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'The performance of pipeline ploughs traversing seabed slopes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Projects
- 1 Finished
Research output
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A CPT approach to cable plough performance prediction based upon centrifuge model testing
Robinson, S., Brown, M., Matsui, H., Brennan, A., Augarde, C., Coombs, W. M. & Cortis, M., 24 Nov 2020, In: Canadian Geotechnical Journal.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Comparative Assessment of Pipeline Plough Performance Prediction Models Against Field Experience in Sand
Brunning, P., Ashton, G., Brown, M., Robinson, S. & Lauder, K. D., 2020, Proceedings of the 30th International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference. International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers, 7 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
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Centrifuge testing to verify scaling of offshore pipeline ploughs
Robinson, S., Brown, M., Matsui, H., Brennan, A., Augarde, C. E., Coombs, W. M. & Cortis, M., 14 Nov 2019, In: International Journal of Physical Modelling in Geotechnics. 19, 6, p. 305-317 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)216 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
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ICONHIC 2019 Themed Invited Lecture: Geohazards prevention and mitigation, The influence of offshore geohazards and soil conditions on infrastructure installation approaches.
Michael Brown (Invited speaker)
25 Jun 2019Activity: Talk or presentation types › Keynote
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UPC Barcelona, Physical modelling insights into the performance of offshore pipeline and cable ploughs
Michael Brown (Invited speaker)
11 Apr 2018Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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DeepOcean, UK lunch and learn session, Physical modelling of seabed ploughing for cable and pipeline installation
Michael Brown (Invited speaker)
14 Dec 2018Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk