Numerical and Experimental Studies of Dual Subsea Pipelines in Trench

Offshore pipelines play an important role in the transportation of gas, oil, water and oil products. It is common to have a group of pipelines in the oil and gas field. To reduce the installation cost and time, dual pipelines are designed. There are great advantages in the installation of dual pipelines over two separate single lines. It can greatly reduce the cost for trench, back-filling and installation. However the installation of dual pipelines often requires technical challenges. Pipelines should be placed to be stable against external loadings during installation and design life period. Dual pipelines in trench can reduce the influence of external forces. To investigate the flow patterns and forces as trench depth and slope changes, number of experiments are conducted with PIV(Particle Image Velocimetry) equipment in a Circulating Water Channel. Numerical approaches to simulate experimental conditions are also made to compare with experimental results. The velocity fields around dual pipelines in trench are investigated and analysed. Comparison of both results show similar patterns of flow around pipelines. It is proved that the trench depth contributes significantly on hydrodynamic stability. The trench slope also affects the pipeline stability. The results can be applied in the stability design of dual pipelines in trench section. The complex flow patterns can be effectively linked in the understanding of fluid motions around multi-circular bodies in trench.