Analysis of Undermining and Lateral Erosion to Maximize Designs of River Crossing of Pipelines

Erosion of the riverbank is one of the main issues that affect the oil lines in the world. Several studies, developed by the authors of this paper, in different basins of the country, identified the most common processes of instability and erosion of riverbanks in the affected areas. Concerning the characteristics of the problem, several alternatives have been considered to reduce the erosion rate and give priority to the mitigation of geomorphic processes and the stability of agricultural soils adjacent to the riverbank. The general goal of this article is to present several case studies and analytical tools that will allow estimating and evaluating the processes of lateral migration and undermining of the river-bed in the design of river crossing and outline of oil pipelines, in general. The experience of these authors in regards to erosion issues has allowed identifying the contribution of deposits suspended from the banks and that can be controlled combining stabilizing techniques according to the affected area. Usually, the lower half of the slope that is exposed to high shearing forces has to be protected through the use of strong and durable materials while the rest of the slope can be protected with native vegetation. Finally, the analytical alternatives presented by mathematical modeling are employed to predict hydraulic and mechanical effects from which can be exposed to margins in the construction stage and operation of the oil pipeline.