MODERN TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE BALLASTING OF UNDERWATER PIPELINES CONSTRUCTED IN THE ARCTIC ZONE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The paper considers the main methods of laying and ballasting the underwater crossings of trunk and gathering pipelines constructed in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The most optimal way of ballasting an underwater crossing is the use of a continuous concrete coating of pipes applied in factory conditions. The paper provides information on the design features and technology of applying concrete (ballast) coating to pipes, including pipes in thermal insulation, used in the construction of underwater crossings of trunk and gathering pipelines in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. It describes the main advantages of applying a concrete coating by injection under pressure. The key advantages are the possibility of using fiber as reinforcement instead of a reinforcing frame, which allows for the manufacture of coatings of small thickness (from 20 mm), and the exclusion of loss of part of the ballast coating due to the presence of an outer protective shell, which is extremely important when carrying out multiple loading and unloading operations during deliveries to far construction sites located in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation.