Landslide and Land Subsidence Hazards to Pipelines

Abstract

Because of the long, linear nature of pipeline corridors, they often cross areas that are highly susceptible to landslides. Techniques to assess the hazard posed by the presence of landslides can be applied to these corridors provided certain minimum data requirements, such as slope and material properties, can be met within these areas. The level and sophistication of maps designed to portray landslide hazard or attributes that relate to landslide hazard vary widely. They range from maps that depict the qualitative judgment of the geologist, technician, or engineer to maps that display the percent chance (probability) of a landslide occurring in the future with respect to time, area, or both. Quantitative methods of depicting probability of landslides vary from the purely statistical correlation of various factors to physical process-based models that attempt to replicate the failure and, in some cases, the movement of slope materials. Depending on the type of landslides being considered, the type of analysis employed, and the accuracy of the data available, landslide-hazard maps are subject to considerable variation in their uncertainty. Due to the fact that datasets of the variables required for hazard assessments are often incomplete and include approximations, it is often difficult to quantify the uncertainty that exists in estimates of hazard levels.

Earthquake Risk of Gas Pipelines in the Conterminous United States and Its Sources of Uncertainty

“…If more detailed analyses are warranted, earthquake scenarios can be used to examine aspects such as spatial correlation of ground motions, potential service disruption from ground failures, or potential disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities (Davis et al 2018;Eguchi and Taylor 1987;De Risi et al 2018). Second, the presented earthquake risk is due to impacts from strong ground shaking only; it does not account for the possibility of higher risk from ground failures, even for post-1945 shielded electric arc steel pipelines (Baum et al 2008;O'Rourke and Palmer 1996). Third, the results described in this paper apply only to onshore gas transmission pipelines in the CONUS; risk from impacts on compressor stations, storage facilities, or distribution lines are beyond the scope of the paper.…”

Examining the effect of Debris Flow on Oil and Gas Pipelines Using Numerical Analysis

“…This method of construction/ installation usually decreases the entire cost of the projects, reduces the possibility of urban damages, and minimizes the bends in the path of pipelines [1]. However, intensive rainfall and the instability of rock and soil slopes contribute to exposing the buried pipelines to rockfall, sliding, soil slope failure, landslides, and debris flow hazards within time [2][3][4][5][6]. This will lead to corrosion defects on the exposed pipeline, significantly affecting its durability [7,8].…”

A new approach to mapping landslide hazards: a probabilistic integration of empirical and physically based models in the North Cascades of Washington, USA

“…Most mountain ranges are susceptible to landsliding due to their steep geomorphology, loose-soil development, geology, and high precipitation (e.g., Coe, 2016). Landslides disrupt aquatic habitats (May et al, 2009;Pollock, 1998), damage infrastructure such as roads, utilities, and dams (Ghirotti, 2012;Baum et al, 2008), and harm people (Wartman et al, 2016;Taylor and Brabb, 1986). Landslide hazards are expected to increase globally with growing climatic extremes (Coe, 2016;Haeberli et al, 2017;Crozier, 2010).…”