Deformation in gas pipeline due to creep process in soil slope
Proceedings Publication Date
Presenter
Prof. Thiago da Costa Santos
Author
Santos, Thiago da Costa; Peixoto, Vinicius Carvalho; Kunitaki, Denise Margareth Kazue Nishimura;
Part of the proceedings of
Abstract
Petrobras Transporte S.A. - TRANSPETRO is a Brazilian logistics company of oil and gas transportation by pipelines. The company has about 14,000 kilometers of oil and gas pipelines that crosses a great variety of geological sites and geotechnical hazards. Nowadays, for risk management, TRANSPETRO has been applied a broad integrity program that includes procedures for identification, mitigation, monitoring and correction of geotechnical instabilities in pipelines right-of-way (ROW). One of the main geotechnical hazards for a pipeline ROW is the phenomenon of creep, which is characterized by slow and continuous movement of soil slopes, with high damage potential due to tension accumulation on the pipeline. Because of the creep process, a gas pipeline of São Paulo state had been exposed to high deformation level during some years that eventually caused its banding. The region where the event took place received treatment for tension relief in the pipeline and ground improvement for movement reduction. Moreover, a by-pass has been built and instrumented in order to monitor deformation caused by soil displacement. Therefore, this paper presents and shares the TRANSPETRO’s experience and lessons learned in creep process around pipelines, focusing on the improvement of company standards and inspection practices.