Modeling of Natural Hazards Impact on the Safety of Gas Pipelines

The consideration is given to methodological approach of modeling of natural hazards impact on the gas pipelines, The natural hazard processes that influence negatively on the safety of the gas pipelines are as follows: (i) gravitational and water-gravitational processes related to the ruggedness of the relief (landslides, debris flows etc.) ; (ii) the water-erosive processes related to the temporary and permanent streams; (iii) cryogenic processes and existence of the perpetually frozen and seasonally frozen grounds; and (iv) tectonic and seismic processes in the different rheological conditions. The proposed integrated technique for modeling of natural hazards processes and assessment of their impact on the gas pipeline systems includes: consistent analysis of geological processes and geological situations within the territories of transpipeline systems; research of natural risks, determination of input parameters of modeling on the basis of theoretical, empirical, experimental data and GIS analysis; the formulation of complex tasks of qualitative and quantitative assessment of the impact of geological processes and environments on the functioning of pipelines, and calculations of the stress-strain state of the environment with the pipeline; development of physical, geological mathematical models of the geological processes; prediction of the impact of natural hazards on the pipelines; assessment of risks.