Flow around a pipeline and its stability in subsea trench

Offshore subsea pipelines must be stable against external loadings, which are mostly due to waves and currents. To determine the stability of a subsea pipeline on the seabed, the Morrison equation has been applied with prediction of inertia and drag forces. When the pipeline is placed in a trench, the force acting on it is reduced considerably. Therefore, to consider the stability of a pipeline in a trench, one must employ reduction factors. To investigate the stability of various trenches, we numerically simulated flows over various trenches and compared them with experimental data from PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) measurements. The present results were produced at Reynolds numbers ranging from 6×10³ to 3×10⁵ based on the diameter of the cylinder. Quasi-periodic flow patterns computed by large-eddy simulation were compared with experimental data in terms of mean flow characteristics for typical trench configurations (W/H=1 and H/D=3, 4). The stability for various trench conditions was addressed in terms of mean amplitudes of oscillating lift and drag, and the reduction factor for each case was suggested for pipeline design.