Application of Strain-Based Design for Pipelines in Permafrost Areas

The pipeline industry in United States and Canada is actively pursuing major pipeline development opportunities in arctic and sub-arctic regions. The discontinuous permafrost in the arctic and sub-arctic regions poses significant challenges to design, construction and operation of transmission pipelines and facilities. Dependent on the temperature ranges that a pipeline is operating within, the pipeline may be subjected to significant amounts of frost heave and thaw settlement which could potentially induce excessive stresses and strains into the pipeline. To ensure pipeline safety and integrity and to maintain project economics, an alternative design methodology is required based on a strain-based approach. This paper describes the strain based design methodology, the progress made in past years on its application and the need for future development.