Diverter berms are structures that are intended to control erosion by means of the reduction of the dragging forces due to runoff. In a hillside, as the slope and length increases, the towing capacity of the runoff increases; diverter berms aim to reduce the flow length and with this the water potential erosion.
In Colombia is common to determine the separation of diverter berms based in the graphics presented in the NIO 0802 standard (Ecopetrol, 2001), in which separation is function of the slope of the hillside, the type of soil and the rainfall intensity.
In this paper the equations proposed by Morgan (1995) and Mirtskhoulava (2001) are applied to determine the separation of diverter berms based on the maximum non-eroding velocity, the discharge flow, the surface roughness and the slope steepness.
In order to compare the results of the application of the Morgan (1995) and Mirtskhoulava (2001) models, with those curves of the NIO 0802 standard (Ecopetrol, 2001), an application was made to the right-of-way for the Medellín-Cartago pipeline, along the called Sinifana variant. The information regarding topography, soils and coverage was provided by Civil and Tech SAS.
