Wave forces on a pipeline in a trench

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering
• Main Authors: Skafel, M. G., Bishop, C. T.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1990
• Subjects: General Environmental Science; Civil and Structural Engineering; Beaufort Sea
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/l90-057; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/l90-057

Wave forces on a model pipeline have been measured. The pipeline was located in a trench, the configuration of which is similar to that proposed for oil and gas production in the Beaufort Sea. It was found that the drag and inertia coefficients were similar to the results reported in the literature for flat beds, assuming the water depth was that of the total water column including the trench. Flow visualization tests confirmed that the horizontal velocities were about the same as those that would be found on a flat bed with the same total depth. Key words: wave forces, pipelines, trenches.