Scour-Mechanism, Detection and Mitigation for Subsea Pipeline Integrity

Scour in the underwater pipeline is complex process which has not been fully understood. Scour is a major cause for the failure of the underwater pipeline. This process involves the complexity of three dimensional flow and sediment transport. A comprehensive study of the mechanism for the onset of scour and its subsequent development into two dimensional, three dimensional processes has been presented. The scour underneath the pipeline can expose the pipe to span and undermine its integrity. The importance of various factors affecting the scour, methods to detect the progress of scour and its effective remedial solution are examined.