EVENT: Seminar

Title: Modelling of Submarine Slides and Their Impact on Pipelines

Abstract: Oil and gas developments off the coast of Australia are now catching up with other, more mature, regions of the world in respect of water depths and the resulting geohazards. New developments such as Gorgon, Pluto, Wheatstone and Browse are all situated in water depths of a few hundred metres or more, on the continental slope beyond the shelf break. One of the most critical geohazards is a submarine slide, initiating on the steep part of the shelf break and potentially running out for several tens or hundreds of kilometres, impacting infrastructure such as pipelines. The seminar will discuss elements of a three year project, sponsored by MERIWA and oil and gas majors, involving physical and numerical modelling of slide behaviour and the development of analysis approaches for assessing impact forces from debris flows and the structural response of pipelines