ANALYSIS OF BRIDLE OPTIONS FOR EFFECTIVE BALLASTING DURING LAYING OF OIL AND GAS PIPELINES

Design options for bridles are considered in order to increase the ballasting efficiency of oil and gas pipelines. The main method of laying main oil pipelines is underground, which can lead to displacing pipelines by groundwater to the surface due to the low density of the pumped medium. To prevent its ascent, the pipeline is ballasted, for example, with cast-iron ring weights. The tasks of this study are to conduct the analysis of variable designs of a bridle with a variable number of simultaneously movable half-rings and a variable position of the suspension points by evaluating its stress-strain state using computer modeling methods. To solve these tasks, technologies and tools for building 3D models of structures and calculating the stress-strain state of FreeCAD program are used. Double tee designs with adjustable clips and a combined bridle of variable length, a combined bridle with adjustable clips and a telescopic one are proposed, and options for their use for different loads are considered. Various structures are analyzed technologically for the ability to withstand loads from UCK-1420 ballasting devices; options for upgrading the bridle design are proposed, and the shape of its optimal cross-section is substantiated. The prospects for further research lie in optimizing the bridle designs for other ballasting devices, which differ in type, weight and location of the transported loads. The proposed technique and the obtained results of the engineering analysis of the bridle during pipeline ballasting can be used in carrying out lifting and transport operations for any purpose.