Optimum Burial Depth of Submarine Pipelines for Kuwaiti Marine Environmental Conditions

Submarine pipelines around the world are used for transporting crude and refined oil, treated sewage, transport purposes cable duct etc. in the marine environment. In Kuwait, steel carbon spirally welded pipelines manufactured by Kuwait Pipe Industries & Oil Services Co. (K.S.C.) is widely used for most of the pipeline projects. These pipelines are very suitable for Kuwaiti marine and submarine environmental conditions. These pipelines are usually either anchored on the seabed or buried. The exposed pipeline experiences forces and scour due to waves and currents action which lead to pipeline fatigue and reduced life span of the pipeline. Hence, pipelines carrying the hazardous cargos need to be buried for safety issues. The question here is "What is the optimum burial depth?" There is no straightforward answer for this question since the optimum burial depth depends upon the prevailing marine environment (waves, currents, soil characters etc). Laying a marine pipeline is a multi million-dollar activity. One can save significant investment by selecting the optimum burial depth. This can be determined by a detailed physical model study in the Hydraulics and Coastal Engineering lab of KISR by simulating the Kuwaiti marine environment. The optimum burial depth will be recommended based on the thorough study on the effect of the type of soil, depth of burial/exposure, and hydrodynamic condition on the in-line and uplift forces on the pipeline. The outcome of the study will be useful for the cost effective design of submarine pipelines in Kuwaiti territorial waters. The optimum burial depth also will ensure preventing the pipeline failure and leakage and hence protecting the marine environment which is the life nerve for the Gulf countries.