Modeling the Interaction of Subsea Pipelines with the Seabed

The interaction of a subsea pipeline with the seabed is a complex phenomenon. Operational  loads can cause a subsea pipeline to buckle or “walk” over the seabed, leading to very high pipeline stresses. In some cases however, the buckling phenomena can be beneficially used to

relieve excessive stresses by allowing the pipeline to deform at pre-determined locations. The understanding and prediction of these phenomena is therefore crucial for subsea pipeline design.