SCOUR IN THE NORTH SEA

Two types of seabed erosion around platform legs and pipelines in the North Sea are experienced at installations of Amoco (U.K.) Exploration Co. in the Leman and Indefatigable fields. The first type is localized around platform legs and pipeline risers in the shape of an inverted cone; the second type is a general lowering of the seabed around and beneath the platform. Antiscour methods tried under North Sea conditions included sandbags, Antiscour Device (ASD) nets, the Sedimentary Deposition Device (SDD), gravel, the Sea Carpet of woven polypropylene, artificial seaweed made from nylon, and the Fabriform process, in which cement slurry is poured into a nylon apron laid in the scour hole. The ability of the SDD carpet system to prevent scour and replace lost seabed material at low installation and maintenance costs favors its continued use around southern North Sea structures.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at the 2nd AIME-Society of Petroleum Engineers European Spring Meeting, London, England, April 2-3, 1973.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Petroleum Engineers

  6200 North Central Expressway
  Dallas, TX  United States  75206
• Publication Date: 1974-3

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 289-293
• Serial:
  • Journal of Petroleum Technology
  • Volume: 26
  • Publisher: Society of Petroleum Engineers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Construction; Pipelines; Scour; Sedimentation; Underwater pipelines
• Old TRIS Terms: Pipeline construction
• Subject Areas: Construction; Marine Transportation; Pipelines; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00056402
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: American Petroleum Institute
• Report/Paper Numbers: SPE #4324
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 15 1974 12:00AM