There is a veritable wealth of minerals locked away under the ocean and due to a high level of demand there is a race to unlock them˳ Two of the most sought after resources under the sea floor are natural gas and oil˳ In order to extract these resources, a lot of technology is required˳ One of the most complex aspects of this extraction is moving the gas or oil out of the ground and onto the shore˳ The ocean is a rough, wild place and there are many engineering challenges which must be overcome in order to pull off this amazing feat˳
The article below is designed to give you some insight into the challenges faced by engineering companies which specialise in sub-sea pipelines˳ With this increased understanding of the process it is hope you can come to respect the skills required to pull of these engineering masterpieces!
Pressure
Working under the water means a constant battle with pressure˳ You may have even experienced underwater pressure yourself – if you have gone down into a deep pool and felt pressure in your head, that’s just a small taste! For roughly every ten metres you go down under water the pressure on humans and machines increases by one level˳ In the deepest parts of the ocean, this pressure is enough to crush metal machinery, so it is definitely a force to be reckoned with˳
Dealing with pressure us a key challenge of laying subsea pipelines˳ The deeper the resources that need to be extracted are, the more difficult it becomes for engineers to compensate˳ Despite these difficulties, pressure is just one of the challenges faced when constructing subsea pipelines˳
Remote Locations
Unfortunately for mining companies, precious natural resources are rarely located in convenient locations˳ This presents a unique challenge in how to extract them and bring them to market˳ It is the job of pipeline engineers to install the infrastructure that is required to get the resources out˳
Remote locations present unique logistical problems for industrial construction˳ It takes the expertise of well trained and experienced construction crews and engineers to complete major subsea pipeline construction under such conditions˳
Extreme Weather
The ocean more than any other area on earth is prone to violent weather, which can change unexpectedly˳ These extreme weather conditions make the laying of subsea pipe a complicated affair˳ For certain phases of construction, there is a need for relatively calm seas˳
Reliance on the unreliable weather can lead to unavoidable construction delays, which is something that all experienced contractors will have factored into their quotes and timeline˳
Corrosion
Salt water is highly corrosive and most industrial pipes and machinery are made from metal˳ This means that there needs to be strategies in place to avoid the degradation of the pipeline˳ Any faults in a subsea pipeline can have disastrous environmental consequences and cost millions of dollars to fix˳ It is the job of the construction crews and engineers to ensure that there are a number of protective measures against corrosion built into the pipeline system˳ Failing to do so would irrevocably damage their reputation˳
These are just a few factors that come into the planning and construction of subsea pipelines˳ For a more detailed breakdown, contact a skilled contractor today˳
Source by https://ezinearticles˳com/?The-Engineering-Challenges-Of-Subsea-Pipelines&id=8110633
