Bentley > Case Studies > GEOMSA’s Innovative Subsea Pipeline Design Withstands Geological Shifts

GEOMSA’s Innovative Subsea Pipeline Design Withstands Geological Shifts

Technology Category

Cybersecurity & Privacy - Intrusion Detection
Sensors - Temperature Sensors

Applicable Industries

Marine & Shipping
Oil & Gas

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Behavior & Emotion Tracking
Structural Health Monitoring

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Grupo Especializado en Obras Marinas (GEOMSA) is a major developer of pipe-soil systems in the Gulf of Mexico. With over 18 years of experience in marine platform and submarine platform engineering projects, it designs pipeline routes and assesses the strength of subsea pipeline systems by determining the effect that expansion, lateral wear, and geological shifts have on their life expectancy. The organization specializes in terrestrial pipe and industrial installation projects for hydrocarbon collection and processing. On this multi-million dollar project, GEOMSA was contracted to design and install a piping system that could withstand the forces of a geological shift.

The Challenge

Grupo Especializado en Obras Marinas (GEOMSA), a major developer of pipe-soil systems in the Gulf of Mexico, was faced with the challenge of designing and installing a subsea pipeline system that could withstand the forces of geological shifts. The Gulf of Mexico is known for its active geological faults, which often test the structural integrity of oil production pipeline systems. The project involved designing and installing an 8-inch to 24-inch diameter piping system. The primary objective was to develop a solution that would maintain the reliability and safety of the system. The team needed to evaluate how the pipeline interacted with the surrounding seabed environment and produce a safe, realistic design to reduce the risk of marine pipeline failure, which would severely impact the local environment.

The Solution

GEOMSA used Bentley’s AutoPIPE software to evaluate how the pipeline interacted with the surrounding seabed environment and to produce a safe, realistic design. The software helped identify structural deformities in the pipelines, ground deformities resulting from changes in the pipeline configuration, load concentrations on the fault edges, and pipeline stresses that resulted from changes in its configuration. The technology also determined how the seabed that supports the pipeline would react to any geological shift. The team used AutoPIPE to model the support conditions and analyze how those conditions interacted with the pipeline during a shift. The analysis began with an initial slope at a unit value of 10 centimeters to identify the pipeline’s initial configuration based on the vertical deformity of the seabed. The model displayed the differences by applying a vertical gap in the pipe supports from the site of the fault. The team compared the pipe-stress analysis with what current regulations allowed, and increased the slope of the analysis cycle until it reached the top-end of these regulations.

Operational Impact

The use of AutoPIPE software allowed GEOMSA to accurately represent the actual conditions of the project, assess the structural behavior, and determine the structural safety of the pipeline system. The software facilitated the modeling of soil behavior, which can be difficult due to slopes along the pipeline route. It also enabled GEOMSA to assess the risk of having the pipeline route cross the geological faults or other infrastructure, such as cables, offshore platforms, FPSO moorings, and risers. The application helped the project team determine and implement the required local and international regulations and codes for submarine pipelines. The project had a positive impact on the local economy while working to prevent environmental disasters.

Quantitative Benefit

AutoPIPE improved productivity and enabled GEOMSA to represent the actual conditions of the project, assessing structural behavior and pipeline safety.
AutoPIPE reduced the time spent on flexibility analysis and displayed the results in a clear and user-friendly way, in a fully graphical environment.
The pipeline increased oil production in Mexico and provided job opportunities in the region.