Study on the Erosion Damage Law in Mountain Flood Disasters Regarding the Exposed Section of Oil Pipelines

Oil pipelines are susceptible to significant hydraulic erosion from mountain torrents during the flood season when passing through the mountain valley area, which can lead to soil erosion on the pipe surface and expose the pipeline. Accordingly, this study centers on investigating the critical issue of the failure mechanism caused by flash flood erosion in the exposed section of oil pipelines. Both indoor testing and numerical simulation research methods are employed to analyze the flow field distribution characteristics of flash floods in proximity to an exposed pipeline. This study explores the patterns of soil loss around pipelines of varying pipe diameters, levels of exposure, and pipe flow angles. In addition, the spatial and temporal evolution mechanism of pipelines overhang development under the action of flash floods was elucidated. The experimental observations indicate that as the pipe diameter increases, the failure rate of the soil surrounding the pipe accelerates, while the erosion effect on the soil around the executives becomes more pronounced. Additionally, a larger pipe flow angle leads to a reduced soil loss in the downstream direction of the pipe. During flash flood events, the scouring action on the soil surrounding the pipe leads to rapid compression of the flow field around the pipe, while the vortex at the pipe’s bottom exacerbates soil corrosion. Additionally, the maximum pressure exerted on pipeline surfaces at pipeline flow angles of 30°, 60°, and 90° is 14,382 Pa, 16,146 Pa, and 17,974 Pa, respectively. The research results offer valuable insights into pipeline, soil, and water conservation projects in mountain valley regions.