Pipeline Performance Monitoring in a Geohazard Management Program Using Inline Inspection and Strain Gauges

Abstract The focus of a pipeline Geohazard Management Program (GMP) has often been on monitoring ground movement at geohazard locations using technologies such as Borehole Inclinometers (BIs), surface surveys, and ground inspections. Often geotechnical engineers drive the investigation and monitoring of a pipeline intersecting a geohazard; therefore, less emphasis is placed on monitoring the impact on the pipeline and more focus is on monitoring the geohazard directly. Two common methods of monitoring pipeline performance in geohazards are Vibrating Wire Strain Gauges (VWSGs) and In-Line Inspection Inertial Measurement Unit (ILI IMU) surveys. Vibrating Wire (VW) is a mature technology that has been used in a variety of monitoring applications, including monitoring strain in steel members such as pipelines, for nearly a century [1]. ILI IMU data analysis has been successfully used to detect landslide interactions in pipelines for over 25 years [2], with ongoing developments in technologies such as axial strain monitoring tools. This paper highlights two cases studies where the efficacy of these monitoring techniques is examined and compared. This paper includes a discussion of the limitations of both VWSGs and ILI IMU and how these technologies can be complementary in a pipeline GMP, including recommendations on strain gauge implementation.