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Permafrost and cold-region environmental problems of the oil product pipeline from Golmud to Lhasa on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and their mitigation
AbstractThe 1076-km-long Golmud–Lhasa oil product pipeline is located closely parallel to the highway constructed 20years earlier within the relatively narrow north–south engineering corridor crossing the treeless central area of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Much of the corridor is at elevations exceeding 4500m and high-elevation, generally warm permafrost is encountered in more than one-half of the length. The pipeline, transporting mostly diesel, motor and aviation fuels at ambient temperatures, is 159mm in diameter, has a wall thickness of 6mm and was buried in a trench at a nominal depth of between 1.2 and 1.4m. The soils encountered, mostly periglacial sands, silts and gravels, often have elevated saline contents and are subject to severe wind erosion and occasional monsoon flash flooding conditions. During its first quarter century of operation, the pipeline suffered at least 30 significant leaks and four pipeline ruptures. About 337km of the pipeline was extensively rehabilitated, including relocations or replacements in major problem areas and, where feasible for an existing pipeline, improvements in pipeline protection during 2001–2004. It was supposed to safely operate for another 30years with proper checks and needed repairs. This paper provides a review on the history of the permafrost and cold regions environmental problems of the pipeline, and their major rehabilitation, repairs and problems in the future, which might have useful implications for similar oil product pipeline at high elevations or permafrost regions.
Permafrost and cold-region environmental problems of the oil product pipeline from Golmud to Lhasa on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and their mitigation
AbstractThe 1076-km-long Golmud–Lhasa oil product pipeline is located closely parallel to the highway constructed 20years earlier within the relatively narrow north–south engineering corridor crossing the treeless central area of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Much of the corridor is at elevations exceeding 4500m and high-elevation, generally warm permafrost is encountered in more than one-half of the length. The pipeline, transporting mostly diesel, motor and aviation fuels at ambient temperatures, is 159mm in diameter, has a wall thickness of 6mm and was buried in a trench at a nominal depth of between 1.2 and 1.4m. The soils encountered, mostly periglacial sands, silts and gravels, often have elevated saline contents and are subject to severe wind erosion and occasional monsoon flash flooding conditions. During its first quarter century of operation, the pipeline suffered at least 30 significant leaks and four pipeline ruptures. About 337km of the pipeline was extensively rehabilitated, including relocations or replacements in major problem areas and, where feasible for an existing pipeline, improvements in pipeline protection during 2001–2004. It was supposed to safely operate for another 30years with proper checks and needed repairs. This paper provides a review on the history of the permafrost and cold regions environmental problems of the pipeline, and their major rehabilitation, repairs and problems in the future, which might have useful implications for similar oil product pipeline at high elevations or permafrost regions.
Permafrost and cold-region environmental problems of the oil product pipeline from Golmud to Lhasa on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and their mitigation
He, Ruixia (Autor:in) / Jin, Huijun (Autor:in)
Cold Regions, Science and Technology ; 64 ; 279-288
04.01.2010
10 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Environmental Protection Experience of the Golmud-Lhasa Section, Qinghai-Tibet Railway Construction
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