Numerical analysis of the impact forces exerted by submarine landslides on pipelines

Submarine pipelines that transport crude oil and natural gas are often in a complex marine geological environment and may become unstable and fail upon impact by submarine landslides. Previous research has mostly focused on the impact forces exerted by submarine landslides on suspended pipelines, but the impact of submarine landslides on pipelines laid on the seafloor at various impact angles, theta, have been relatively infrequently discussed, and the effects of suspended height, H, on the impact forces exerted by submarine landslides on pipelines have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, based on the Herschel-Bulkley model, the impact forces exerted by a submarine landslide on laid-on or suspended pipelines at various impact angles theta were simulated using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach. Equations for calculating the axial and normal drag coefficients of a submarine pipeline were proposed. The CFD numerical simulation results were rearranged based on the soil mechanics approach. By comparing the parameters, an essentially corresponding relationship was found between the soil mechanics and CFD approaches when the equations were used to calculate the impact forces exerted by a submarine landslide on a pipeline. In addition, a semi-analytical expression for the failure envelope was provided. Furthermore, the effects of H on the forces on a pipeline were discussed, and an equation for calculating the acting forces on a pipeline along the flow direction of a submarine landslide that comprehensively accounts for the effects of theta and H was proposed. The lift force was discussed preliminarily and the results provide a basis for further investigation. The achievement of this study is applicable for selecting locations of submarine pipeline routes and for designing submarine pipelines.