Sacrificial piles as a countermeasure against local scour around underwater pipelines

Local scour around pipelines crossing rivers or in marine environments is a significant concern.It can lead to failure of the pipelines resulting in environmental side effects and economic losses.This study developed an experimental method to reduce local scour around pipelines with a steady flow of clear water by installing cylindrical and cubical sacrificial piles.Three sizes of sacrificial piles were examined in a linear arrangement.Sacrificial piles were installed on the upstream side of the pipeline at three distances.Maximum scour depth reduction rates below the pipeline were computed.The results showed that sacrificial piles could protect a pipeline from local scour.A portion of scoured sediment around the sacrificial piles was deposited beneath the pipeline.This sediment accumulation reduced the scour depth beneath the pipeline.Analysis of the experimental results demonstrated that the size of piles(d),the spacing between piles,and the distance between the pipe and piles(Xp)were the variables that reduced the maximum scour beneath the pipeline with a diameter of D.For the piles with d=0.40D and 0.64D,X_(p)=4OD was the optimal distance to install a group of piles,and cubical piles could mitigate scour more effectively than cylindrical piles under similar conditions.For the piles with d=D,the greatest reduction in scour depth was achieved at X_(p)=50D with any desired spacings between piles,and cylindrical piles in this dimension could protect the pipeline against scour more effectively than cubical piles.

A study of the effect of local scour on the flow field near the spur dike

The flow field near a spur dike such as down flow and horseshoe vortex system(HVS)are susceptible to the topographic changes in the local scouring process,resulting in variation of the sediment transport with time.In this study,large eddy simulations with fixed-bed at different scouring stages were conducted to investigate the changes in flow field.The results imply that the bed deformation leads to an increase in flow rate per unit area,which represent the capability of sediment transportation by water,in the scour hole.Moreover,the intensity of turbulent kinetic energy and bimodal motion near the sand bed induced by the HVS were also varied.However,the peak moments between the two sediment transport mechanisms were different.Hence,understanding the complex feedback mechanism between topography and flow field is essential for the local scour problem.

Numerical study on local scour characteristics around submarine pipelines in the Yellow River Delta silty sandy soil under waves and currents

Due to their high reliability and cost-efficiency,submarine pipelines are widely used in offshore oil and gas resource engineering.Due to the interaction of waves,currents,seabed,and pipeline structures,the soil around submarine pipelines is prone to local scour,severely affecting their operational safety.With the Yellow River Delta as the research area and based on the renormalized group(RNG)k-εturbulence model and Stokes fifth-order wave theory,this study solves the Navier-Stokes(N-S)equation using the finite difference method.The volume of fluid(VOF)method is used to describe the fluid-free surface,and a threedimensional numerical model of currents and waves-submarine pipeline-silty sandy seabed is established.The rationality of the numerical model is verified using a self-built waveflow flume.On this basis,in this study,the local scour development and characteristics of submarine pipelines in the Yellow River Delta silty sandy seabed in the prototype environment are explored and the influence of the presence of pipelines on hydrodynamic features such as surrounding flow field,shear stress,and turbulence intensity is analyzed.The results indicate that(1)local scour around submarine pipelines can be divided into three stages:rapid scour,slow scour,and stable scour.The maximum scour depth occurs directly below the pipeline,and the shape of the scour pits is asymmetric.(2)As the water depth decreases and the pipeline suspension height increases,the scour becomes more intense.(3)When currents go through a pipeline,a clear stagnation point is formed in front of the pipeline,and the flow velocity is positively correlated with the depth of scour.This study can provide a valuable reference for the protection of submarine pipelines in this area.

Experimental Study of Submergence Ratio on Local Scour Around a Square Pile in Steady Flow

Scour around a submerged square pile was realized experimentally in a steady flow to study the effects of flow depth on local scour.Flow depth to pile height ratios ranging from 1.5 to 5 in uniform sand and 2 to 5 in non-uniform sand were tested in the approaching flow velocity to critical velocity(larger than which the sediment particle is motivated)ratios of 0.56 and 1.03,respectively.The influences of flow depth were investigated on the basis of analysis of the three-dimensional topography,temporal maximum scour depth,bed profile development,and equilibrium scour depth.Results showed that the maximum scour depth was at the upstream corners of the pile other than at the stagnation point.The evolutions of the maximum scour depth data in non-uniform sand were well fitted with a recent exponential function,which characterized the initial,developing,and equilibrium stages of scour depth.The scour hole slopes upstream of the pile were found to be parallel to each other in the process of each test and were mainly governed by the sediment repose underwater.The equilibrium scour depth varied slightly with flow depth when the submergence ratio was larger than 1 in uniform sand while it was 2 in non-uniform sand.The armoring effects of coarse sediment particles markedly reduced the sediment transport in non-uniform sand despite the 0.34 increment in non-uniformity.

Full-Scale Numerical Simulation of the Local Scour Under Combined Current and Wave Conditions Based on Field Data

The monopile is the most common foundation to support offshore wind turbines.In the marine environment,local scour due to combined currents and waves is a significant issue that must be considered in the design of wind turbine foundations.In this paper,a full-scale numerical model was developed and validated based on field data from Rudong,China.The scour development around monopiles was investigated,and the effects of waves and the Reynolds number Re were analyzed.Several formulas for predicting the scour depth in the literature have been evaluated.It is found that waves can accelerate scour development even if the KC number is small(0.78<KC<1.57).The formula obtained from small-scale model tests may be unsafe or wasteful when it is applied in practical design due to the scale effect.A new equation for predicting the scour depth based on the average pile Reynolds number(Rea)is proposed and validated with field data.The equilibrium scour depth predicted using the proposed equation is evaluated and compared with those from nine equations in the literature.It is demonstrated that the values predicted from the proposed equation and from the S/M(Sheppard/Melville)equation are closer to the field data.

Experimental Study on Local Scour Around Bridge Piers in Tidal Current

Local scour around a bridge pier is an important parameter for the design of a bridge. Compared with the local scour in a mono-directional current, the local scour in a tidal current has its unique characteristics. In this paper, several aspects of local scour around bridge piers in tidal current, including the scour development process, the plane form of a scour hole and the maximum scour depth, are studied through movable bed flume experiments.

Mechanism of local scour around submarine pipelines based on numerical simulation of turbulence model

The mechanism of local scour around submarine pipelines is studied numerically based on a renormalized group （RNG） turbulence model. To validate the numerical model, the equilibrium profiles of local scour for two cases are simulated and compared with the experimental data. It shows that the RNG turbulence model can give an appropriate prediction for the configuration of equilibrium scour hole, and it is applicable to this situation. The local scour mechanism around submarine pipelines including the flow structure, shear stress distribution and pressure field is then analyzed and compared with experiments. For further comparison and validation, especially for the flow structure, a numerical calculation employing the large eddy simulation （LES） is also conducted. The numerical results of RNG demonstrate that the critical factor governing the equilibrium profile is the seabed shear stress distribution in the case of bed load sediment transport, and the two-equation RNG turbulence model coupled with the law of wall is capable of giving a satisfying estimation for the bed shear stress. Moreover, the piping phenomena due to the great difference of pressure between the upstream and downstream parts of pipelines and the vortex structure around submarine pipelines are also simulated successfully, which are believed to be the important factor that lead to the onset of local scour.

Experimental Investigation of Local Scour Around A New Pile-Group Foundation for Offshore Wind Turbines in Bi-Directional Current

The local scour around a new pile-group foundation of offshore wind turbine subjected to a bi-directional current was physically modeled with a bi-directional flow flume. In a series of experiments, the flow velocity and topography of the seabed were measured based on a system composed of plane positioning equipment and an ADV.Experimental results indicate that the development of the scour hole was fast at the beginning, but then the scour rate decreased until reaching equilibrium. Erosion would occur around each pile of the foundation. In most cases, the scour pits were connected in pairs and the outside widths of the scour holes were larger than the inner widths. The maximum scour depth occurred at the side pile of the foundation for each test. In addition, a preliminary investigation shows that the larger the flow velocity, the larger the scour hole dimensions but the shorter equilibrium time. The field maximum scour depth around the foundation was obtained based on the physical experiments with the geometric length scales of 1:27.0, 1:42.5 and 1:68.0, and it agrees with the scour depth estimated by the HEC-18 equation.

Experimental Study on Local Scour Around A Large Circular Cylinder Under Irregular Waves

A series of physical model tests are conducted for local scour around a circular cylinder of a relatively large diameter (0 15< D/L <0.5) under the action of irregular waves. The laws of change of the topography around the cylinder are systematically studied. The effects of wave height, wave period, water depth, sediment grain size and cylinder diameter are taken into account. The mechanism of formation of the topography around the cylinder is analyzed. A detailed analysis is given to bed sediment grain size, and it is considered that the depth of scour around the cylinder under wave action is not inversely proportional to the sediment grain diameter. On such a basis, an equation is proposed for calculation of the maximum depth of scour around a cylinder as well as its position under the action of irregular waves.

Numerical Simulation of Local Scour Around A Large Circular Cylinder Under Wave Action

A horizontal two-dimensional numerical model is developed for estimation of sediment transport and sea bed change around it large circular cylinder tinder wave action, The wave model is based on an elliptic mild slope equation. The wave-induced current by the gradient of radiation stress is considered and a depth integrated shallow water equation is applied to the calculation of the current. The mass transport velocity and the bed shear stress due to streaming are considered, which are important factors affecting the sediment transport around a structure due to waves, especially in reflective areas. Wave-current interaction is taken into account in the model for computing the bed shear stress. The model is implemented by it finite element method, The results of this model are compared with those from other methods and agree well with experimental data.

Investigation on the Local Scour Beneath Piggyback Pipelines Under Clear-Water Conditions

A piggyback pipeline consists of two pipes such that the secondary line rides on the main pipe with a fixed distance between two pipes in length.The novel strategy is utilized in offshore areas instead of a single flow line.In this regard,there are only a handful of experimental and numerical studies investigating the effect of scour below a piggyback pipeline under steady current.Hence,this study focuses on examining the influential factors on scouring due to steady current including the pipe diameter and the gap between pipes through numerical simulations and experimental tests.Accordingly,at the first phase of the research,a single pipe was established and tested in laboratory to compare the results with those of an empirical equation.After finishing experimental verifications,piggyback pipelines were also assembled to study the scouring under steady current conditions.It was concluded that by increasing the gap distance between the pipes,the maximum scour depth decreases;however,an increase in the small pipe’s diameter results in a larger maximum scour depth.Secondly,numerical simulations were carried out using the FLOW-3D software which was found to be a suitable tool for the numerical investigation of this study.Finally,the numerical results have been compared with the corresponding experimental data and a relatively good agreement was achieved between them.

Effect of Distortion Ratio on Local Scour Under Tidal Currents and Waves

Five generalized physical models of different distortion ratios were built according to DOU Guo-ren's similarity theory of total sediment transport modeling for estuarine and coastal regions. Experiments on local scour in front of groins were made under the actions of tidal currents and waves with clear and sediment entraining water. The scour depths under different dynamic actions are compared. The effect of the distortion ratio on the depth of scour hole is discussed. A relationship between scour depths for distorted and undistorted models is given.

Experimental Investigation of Local Scour Around Artificial Reefs in Steady Currents

Artificial reef is a man-made object that is deployed purposefully on the seafloor to restore the offshore fishery resources and the ecological environment.To secure its ecological effects,it is important to study the possible instability of artificial reefs,like drifting and reversing caused by burial and scour in different seafloor conditions.In the present study,experiments of local scour around an artificial reef are carried out in steady currents.The effect of the open-area ratios and the open-hole heights of the cubic reefs,and the bottom angles of the triangular reefs on the time-scale of the scour process and the equilibrium scour depth are investigated.The results indicate that for the cubic artificial reef,the scour depth decreases with the increasing open-area ratios,and increases with the increasing open-hole heights.In the present study,the optimal prototype of the cubic reef with an open-area ratio of 0.49 and open-height of 0.7 m produces the minimum scour depth.For the triangular reef,the scour depth increases when the bottom angle increases.Moreover,based on the experimental results,empirical equations of the effects of the cut-opening and the bottom angle on the maximum equilibrium scour depth are proposed.The formulas will provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the optimized design and construction of artificial reefs.

Local Scour Around Piles Under Wave Action

The model tests are performed with regular waves, and the effect of wave height, wave period, water depth, sediment size and pile diameter is evaluated. The shape and size of local scour around piles are studied. There are three typical scour patterns due to wave action. It is found that a relationship exists between the erosion depth and the wave number. An empirical formula of the maximum local scour is thus derived.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Local Scour Around Submarine Piggyback Pipeline Under Steady Current

As a new type of submarine pipeline, the piggyback pipeline has been gradually adopted in engineering practice to enhance the performance and safety of submarine pipelines. However, limited simulation work and few experimental studies have been published on the scour around the piggyback pipeline under steady current. This study numerically and experimentally investigates the local scour of the piggyback pipe under steady current. The influence of prominent factors such as pipe diameter, inflow Reynolds number, and gap between the main and small pipes, on the maximum scour depth have been examined and discussed in detail. Furthermore, one formula to predict the maximum scour depth under the piggyback pipeline has been derived based on the theoretical analysis of scour equilibrium. The feasibility of the proposed formula has been effectively calibrated by both experimental data and numerical results. The findings drawn from this study are instructive in the future design and application of the piggyback pipeline.

CFD prediction of local scour hole around bridge piers

In order to predict the local scour hole and its evaluation around a cylindrical bridge pier,the computational fluid dynamics(CFD) and theories of sediment movement and transport were employed to carry out numerical simulations.In the numerical method,the time-averaged Reynolds Navier-Stokes equations and the standard k-ε model were first used to simulate the three-dimensional flow field around a bridge pier fixed on river bed.The transient shear stress on river bed was treated as a crucial hydrodynamic mechanism when handling sediment incipience and transport.Then,river-bed volumetric sediment transport was calculated,followed by the modification of the river bed altitude and configuration.Boundary adaptive mesh technique was employed to modify the grid system with changed river-bed boundary.The evolution of local scour around a cylindrical bridge pier was presented.The numerical results represent the flow pattern and mechanism during the pier scouring,with a good prediction of the maximum scour hole depth compared with test results.

Prediction of the Local Scour at the Bridge Square Pier Using a 3D Numerical Model

In this paper, the problem on local scour around a single square pier was studied by using both the numerical and physical models. The numerical model for the study is FSUM based on a finite-difference method to solve the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) and the equations for suspended sediment concentration and bed morphology. The computed result was verified through data measured in the experimental flume with a sand bed. In general, the typical features of local scour around the pier were successfully simulated by FSUM, such as stream flow, bow flow, down flow, horseshoe vortex. The comparison between the computation and experiment data shows a quite good fitness. Both numerical model and experiment results show that the maximum scour depth occurs at two front edges of the pier. Although the computed result shows a little bigger scour depth in comparison with the measurement in the physical model, it still confirms the reliability of numerical model in some measure.

The influence of upstream slope on the local scour at drop structure

The drop structure will fail as a result of local scoring downstream.This paper discusses the influence of a drop structures' upstream slope to local scour.Empirical equations of the scour hole were developed by laboratory experiment,theoretical assumptions,and regression analysis.These equations include the maximum scour depth and length during the scouring period,the maximum equilibrium scour depth and length,and the unit width scour rate.The four channel slopes(0%,2%,4%,and 6%) before the drop structure has been included in the analysis.A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to obtain 48 groups of experiments and 419 scour hole profiles during the scouring period.The material used in the scour section is uniform non-cohesive and with a median diameter of d50 = 0.5 mm.The results have been used to develop empirical equations via regression analysis to determine the coefficients of theoretical equations.The high correlation coefficient indicates that the equations developed in this study are suitable for verifying the characteristics of a scour hole at drop structure in the sloped channel.The semi-empirical equation is more accurate than the empirical equation.Compared to a horizontal channel,a sloped channel tends to cause a greater equilibriummaximum scour length,shorter equilibrium maximum scour depth,and faster unit-wide scour rate.

Comparison of Three Commonly Used Equations for Calculating Local Scour Depth around Bridge Pier under Ice Covered Flow Condition

A precise prediction of maximum scour depth around bridge foundations under ice covered condition is crucial for their safe design because underestimation may result in bridge failure and over-estimation will lead to unnecessary construction costs. Compared to pier scour depth predictions within an open channel, few studies have attempted to predict the extent of pier scour depth under ice-covered condition. The present work examines scour under ice by using a series of clear-water flume experiments employing two adjacent circular bridge piers in a uniform bed were exposed to open channel and both rough and smooth ice covered channels. The measured scour depths were compared to three commonly used bridge scour equations including Gao’s simplified equation, the HEC-18/Jones equation, and the Froehlich Design Equation. The present study has several advantages as it adds to the understanding of the physics of bridge pier scour under ice cover flow condition, it checks the validity and reliability of commonly used bridge pier equations, and it reveals whether they are valid for the case of scour under ice-covered flow conditions. In addition, it explains how accurately an equation developed for scour under open channel flow can predict scour around bridge piers under ice-covered flow condition.

Experimental Investigation on the Shape and Depth of Local Scour Hole Downstream of the Release Structure

Local scour downstream of the release structure is a critical problem to the safe and stable operation of water resources and hydropower engineering. In order to investigate the shape and depth of the scour hole under the equilibrium state of erosion and deposition downstream of an apron, a group of 16 experiments from the hydraulic similarity model test of Dangka Hydropower Station?was conducted with the non-cohesive sediment of different median particle sizes under different flow rates in this study. The control variable method was?to?study the influence of the flow rate and sediment size on the shape of the scour hole to define the number of experiment times of each test group. The results showed that the plane shape of the scour hole was irregular ellipse or semi-ellipse. The depth and size of the scour hole increased with the increase of the flow rate, and decreased with the increase of the sediment size;?the downstream longitudinal slope ratio of the scour hole increased with the increase of the sediment size. The coefficients of the upstream and downstream slope ratio of the local scour hole were 1/2 to 1/6 and about 1/10, respectively.