Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Thermal and mechanical response of frozen soils and buried pipeline armed with thermosyphons and insulation layer

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Heat and Mass Transfer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In permafrost regions, permafrost degradation negatively jeopardizes the security of infrastructures, in which large pipeline deformation will happen owing to settlement disaster. Under the scenarios of climate warming and positive oil temperature, how to effectively alleviate permafrost degradation is a critical issue. Numerical evaluation is performed on the influences of the protective measures, which include insulation layer, two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT), and combined measures based on the thermo-mechanical coupled model. The numerical results show that most of the heat released from the warm-oil pipeline to soil is isolated by insulation layer, and the expected insulation thickness is 8 cm. On the other hand, TPCT can effectively cool underlying permafrost inhibiting the thaw bulb from growing over time by air-TPCT-soil heat transfer. The combination of insulation layer and TPCT has significantly reduced the pipe stress by more than 60% within 30 years, in which the maximum stress of pipeline is consistently lower than the yield stress. Consequently, the combined measure should be considered for application to ensure pipeline safety in permafrost.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  1. Andersland O, Ladanyi B (2004) Frozen ground engineering. John Wiley & Sons

    Google Scholar 

  2. Xu XZ, Wang JC, Zhang LX (2001) Frozen soil physics. Science Press, Beijing, China

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bhreasail ÁN, Lee PD, O’Sullivan C et al (2012) In-Situ observation of cracks in frozen soil using synchrotron tomography. Permafrost Periglac 23(2):170–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Zhang JM, Ruan GF, Su K et al (2016) Estimation on settlement of precast tower footings along the Qinghai-Tibet Power Transmission Line in warm permafrost regions. Cold Reg Sci Technol 121:275–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Lan TL, Luo XX, Ma QG (2022) Numerical analysis on hydrothermal process around oil pipeline in permafrost regions of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Heat Mass Transf

  6. Li GY, Wang F, Ma W et al (2018) Field observations of cooling performance of thermosyphons on permafrost under the China-Russia Crude Oil Pipeline. Appl Therm Eng 141:688–696

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Mo TF, Lou ZK (2020) Numerical simulation of frost heave of concrete lining trapezoidal channel under an open system. Water-Sui 12(2):335

    Google Scholar 

  8. Wu SC, Xiao TQ, Withers PJ (2017) The imaging of failure in structural materials by synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography. Eng Fract Mech 182:127–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Hjort J, Karjalainen O, Aalto J et al (2018) Degrading permafrost puts Arctic infrastructure at risk by mid-century. Nat Commun 9(1):5147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Dumais S, Konrad JM (2019) Large-strain nonlinear thaw consolidation analysis of the Inuvik warm-oil experimental pipeline buried in permafrost. J Cold Reg Eng 33(1):4018014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Wang YP, Jin HJ, Li GY (2016) Investigation of the freeze–thaw states of foundation soils in permafrost areas along the China-Russia Crude Oil Pipeline (CRCOP) route using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Cold Reg Sci Technol 126:10–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Razaqpur AG (1989) Beam-column element on weak Winkler foundation. J Eng Mech 115(8):1798–1817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Limura S (2004) Simplified mechanical model for evaluating stress in pipeline subject to settlement. Constr Build Mater 18(6):469–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Yatabe H, Fukuda N, Masuda T (2004) Analytical study of appropriate design for high-grade induction bend pipes subjected to large ground deformation. J Offshore Mech Arct Eng 126(4):376–383

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Wu YP, Sheng Y, Wang Y et al (2010) Stresses and deformations in a buried oil pipeline subject to differential frost heave in permafrost regions. Cold Reg Sci Technol 64(3):256–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Wen Z, Sheng Y, Jin HJ et al (2010) Thermal elasto-plastic computation model for a buried oil pipeline in frozen ground. Cold Reg Sci Technol 64(3):248–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Nixon JF (1990) Effect of climate warming on pile creep in permafrost. J Cold Reg Eng 4(1):67–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Nixon JF (1991) Thaw-subsidence effects on offshore pipelines. J Cold Reg Eng 5(1):28–39

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  19. Wang F (2019) Study on permafrost degradation surrounding the buried oil pipeline and application of thermosyphon. Ph.D. thesis. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

  20. Wang F, Li GY, Ma W et al (2019) Pipeline–permafrost interaction monitoring system along the China-Russia crude oil pipeline. Eng Geol 254:113–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Sykes J, Lennox W, Charlwood R (1974) Finite element permafrost thaw settlement model. J Geotech Geoenviron 100(11)

  22. Bayasan RM, Korotchenko AG, Volkov NG et al (2008) Use of two-phase heat pipes with the enlarged heat-exchange surface for thermal stabilization of permafrost soils at the bases of structures. Appl Therm Eng 28(4):274–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Li GY, Sheng Y, Jin HJ et al (2010) Development of freezing–thawing processes of foundation soils surrounding the China-Russia Crude Oil Pipeline in the permafrost areas under a warming climate. Cold Reg Sci Technol 64(3):226–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Loli M, Tsatsis A, Kourkoulis R et al (2020) A simplified numerical method to simulate the thawing of frozen soil. Geotech Eng 5:408–427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Mu YH, Li GY, Ma W et al (2020) Rapid permafrost thaw induced by heat loss from a buried warm-oil pipeline and a new mitigation measure combining seasonal air-cooled embankment and pipe insulation. Energy 203:117919

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Zhang JM, Qu GZ, Jin HJ (2010) Estimates on thermal effects of the China-Russia crude oil pipeline in permafrost regions. Cold Reg Sci Technol 64(3):243–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Fan ZS (2017) Cooling effect of thermosyphons and air ducts mitigating thaw settlement of permafrost under the China-Russia Crude Oil. Master. thesis. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

  28. Hou YD, Wu QB, Dong JH et al (2018) Numerical simulation of efficient cooling by coupled RR and TCPT on railway embankments in permafrost regions. Appl Therm Eng 133:351–360

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Guo L, Yu QH, You YH et al (2016) Cooling effects of thermosyphons in tower foundation soils in permafrost regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Power Transmission Line from Golmud, Qinghai Province to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Cold Reg Sci Technol 121:196–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Zhou YW, Guo DX, Qiu GQ (2011) Geocryological regionalization and classification map of the frozen soil in China (1:10,000,000) (2000). National Tibetan Plateau Data Center

  31. Zhou JW, Liang Z, Zhang L et al (2022) Thermal and mechanical analysis of the China-Russia Crude Oil Pipeline suffering settlement disaster in permafrost regions. Int J Pres Ves Pip 199:104729

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Li HW, Lai YM, Li L (2020) Impact of hydro-thermal behaviour around a buried pipeline in cold regions. Cold Reg Sci Technol 171:102961

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Hobiny A, Alzahrani F, Abbas I et al (2020) The effect of fractional time derivative of bioheat model in skin tissue induced to laser irradiation. Symmetry 12(4):1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Dahab SM, Abbas IA (2011) LS model on thermal shock problem of generalized magneto-thermoelasticity for an infinitely long annular cylinder with variable thermal conductivity. Appl Math Model 35(8):3759–3768

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  35. Abbas IA, Dahab SM (2014) On the numerical solution of thermal shock problem for generalized magneto-thermoelasticity for an infinitely long annular cylinder with variable thermal conductivity. J Comput Theor Nanosci 11(3):607–618

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Pei WS, Zhang MY, Li SY et al (2019) Laboratory investigation of the efficiency optimization of an inclined two-phase closed thermosyphon in ambient cool energy utilization. Renew Energ 133:1178–1187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Pei WS, Zhang MY, Lai YM et al (2019) Evaluation of the ground heat control capacity of a novel air-L-shaped TPCT-ground (ALTG) cooling system in cold regions. Energy 179:655–668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Su K, Zhang JM, Liu SW et al (2013) Compressibility of warm and ice-rich frozen soil. J Glaciol Geocryol 35(2) (in chinese)

  39. Vazouras P, Karamanos SA, Dakoulas P (2010) Finite element analysis of buried steel pipelines under strike-slip fault displacements. Soil Dyn Earthq Eng 30(11):1361–1376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Chen L, Yu WB, Lu Y et al (2021) Characteristics of heat fluxes of an oil pipeline armed with thermosyphons in permafrost regions. Appl Therm Eng 190:116694

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, Grant No. 2016YFC0802100. The distribution of frozen soil in China is provided by National Tibetan Plateau Data Center (http://data.tpdc.ac.cn)

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 610500, Sichuan, China

    Jiawei Zhou, Zheng Liang, Liang Zhang & Ting Zheng

  2. Pipe China Southwest Pipeline Company, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China

    Siyang Zhang

Authors
  1. Jiawei Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zheng Liang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Liang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ting Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Siyang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Jiawei Zhou: Conceptualization; Methodology; Software; Investigation; Formal analysis; Writing – original draft. Zheng Liang: Data curation; Writing – original draft. Liang Zhang: Visualization; Investigation. Ting Zheng: Resources; Supervision. Siyang Zhang: Software, Validation.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zheng Liang.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhou, J., Liang, Z., Zhang, L. et al. Thermal and mechanical response of frozen soils and buried pipeline armed with thermosyphons and insulation layer. Heat Mass Transfer 59, 1591–1599 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-023-03352-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-023-03352-0

Search

Navigation