Geotechnical Monitoring of Pipeline Systems Operating Under Conditions of Permafrost (Yakutia)

Abstract

Life safety on the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is directly related to the uninterrupted supply of energy and heat, which is caused by low climatic temperatures. Even in Central Yakutia, the average period of temperatures below 0 °C is about 210 days, below −20 °C—138 days. The minimum temperature is distributed in the range from −47.8 to −60.3 °C. Under such natural conditions, the release of any object in gas and heat supply chain leads to disastrous consequences. Several dozen emergencies of varying severity are recorded at gas and heat supply facilities throughout the year, mainly in winter. The system of oil and gas pipelines laid on the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), mostly located in the permafrost zone, is affected by dangerous geological processes, which significantly affects its reliability and safety. For stable operation of oil and gas complex (OGC) of the Republic, an assessment of pipeline state system, based on geotechnical monitoring, is necessary. The monitoring system provides heterogeneous data, the analysis of which helps to clarify the interaction between pipeline and permafrost in various geological conditions and allows to evaluate and predict the condition of objects and environment.