In Arctic regions, ice scour imposes a potential danger to seabed facilities such as pipelines. The purpose is to define the subscour forces and displacements, and thus, create a soundly based design methodology. This work is an outgrowth of the Pressure Ridge Ice Scour Experiment (PRISE). This effort is an adjunct study to Project No. 191.
Investigate causes for the excessive damage experienced by the offshore pipelines during Hurricane Andrew and to develop recommendations or changes to current design and operating procedures that will mitigate damage to pipelines during future hurricanes and minimize the resulting pollution.
This is a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to evaluate industry practices and experiences in abandoning subsea pipelines in key, offshore regions. Guidelines and cost information were provided, based on the study findings. This information will serve as a reference for the company managers, engineers, and operating personnel that are interested in selecting the most cost effective alternative for pipeline abandonment.
The Minerals Management Service is one of six participants of this Joint Industry Project (JIP) to characterize the residual strength of dented and corroded pipelines applicable to offshore operations. Experimentally validated tools such as finite-element approach and a set of derived equations for the analysis of the residual strength of dented and corroded pipelines will be developed. Information of this type is needed for better safety and protection of the environment to prevent offshore oil and gas leaks from pipelines.
This is a Joint Industry Project (JIP). The most likely transportation mode, for oil and gas, in the Arctic and sub-Arctic offshore regions is a product pipeline laid on or under the seabed. Marine pipelines in areas frequented by ice are threatened by grounded or scouring ice masses which occur periodically through the ice season. Pipelines must be protected by trenching or burial to a safe, yet manageable and economical, depth below the seabed.
The objective was to investigate the feasibility of managing data from pipeline inspections and to determine how valuable the inspection data is to evaluate the overall integrity of the pipeline system. The results of this study aided in the development of effective inspection programs for individual pipeline systems of any age, dimension, control, etc. Methods for preventing impending failures through early detection were aided by the development of a working model of a pipeline database and techniques for the manipulation of simulated inspection information.
The objective was to evaluate the engineering feasibility of using new methods for rapid leak detection in offshore pipelines. The end product of this study will be the assessment of four candidate leak detection systems:
(1) fluid flow measurement and Systems Control Acquisition Data Analysis System (SCADA) based leak detection,
(2) acoustic emission monitoring for pipeline leaks,
(3) chemical leak detection systems, and
(4) fiber optic based pipeline strain sensing systems.
The objective was to organize and conduct an international workshop on current practices and future research requirements for safe operation of pipeline systems. The workshop focused on improving our understanding of offshore pipeline safety issues including an assessment of the current operating technology. The offshore pipeline infrastructure is aging, producing unknown risks that are difficult to assess or quantify. The workshop will provide a forum for representatives from industry, government, and the private sector to discuss these issues and make recommendations for improvements.
The objective was to assess deepwater pipeline technologies for installations in water depths from 3,000 to 6,000 feet. The project will outline:
(1) damage assessment techniques,
(2) repair concepts, and
(3) equipment limitations for ultra-deep pipeline installations.
In addition, the effects of wave and currents during installation and operation were reviewed. Techniques for intervention, both subsea and surface based, for pipelines and flowlines with principal emphasis on remotely operated vehicles (ROV's) systems were also summarized.
This was a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to update the results of an earlier study (Project No. 105), on the feasibility and cost of transporting oil and gas from potential discoveries in the Chukchi Sea. The two modes of transport considered were pipelines and tankers, as well as combinations of the two. The update followed the methodology in the original study, but incorporated the results of the environmental and operating data collected in the past five years since the initial study.
