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Route selection is a complex procedure, which can be governed by several variables. Clearly,
the shortest distance between the terminal points is likely to be the most economic from a
material standpoint, but possible overriding factors must be considered. The key principles to take into account when performing
1. Safety of the public and personnel - the route must provide a safe and secure environment for the pipeline during
construction and over its operational life and ideally be routed away from populated areas
2. Economic the route should meet the projects economic objectives, without compromising safety and environment
and minimizing local economy impact on communities that the pipeline passes through, and have the smallest footprint
feasible (ideally the shortest distance between pipeline start and end points).
3. Land ownership related factors e.g. the number of landowners, anticipated ease and cost to obtain/purchase consents
4. Easement width
5. Contents of the pipeline and operating conditions, e.g. consideration of leakage of a high vapour pressure liquids.
6. Environmental impact the route must have a minimum negative impact on the environment and minimum land use
7. Terrain and subterranean conditions, including geotechnical, hydrographical, and meteorological conditions. This
includes ground stability, including other land uses which may create instability (e.g. mine subsidence, land
development/excavation)
9. Existing and future land plan usage. This can be determined by research of public records and consultation with land
o third-party activities
o agricultural practice
10. Existing and planned transport facilities and buried/above ground utility services
11. Construction, testing, operation and maintenance - the pipeline must be installable along the route
12. Permanent access the pipeline must ideally be accessible for inspection and maintenance all year round over its
operational life
13. Security The pipeline system should be routed to minimise security concerns, particularly due to trespass and
15. Follow existing linear disturbances where possible (roads). Use of existing linear routes (e.g. roads or power-lines) may
avoid or reduce impact to sensitive areas. Although using routes occupied by other infrastructure may affect safety and
Some or all of these activities will be present within the selected pipeline route. As a general rule the design should be performed
to:
Route Optimization
Optimization of pipeline routing is usually not performed as the route probably has no obstruction, is in an accessible water depth
and the seabed topography is flat: Hence a straight line between the two termination points would suffice. However, on seabeds
with onerous terrain significant savings on fabrication and installation costs can be made if route optimization is performed.
To perform a route optimization, reasonably accurate costs for the following activities are required:
Presweeping a corridor/unit length, including cost of reduced lay rate due to a smaller lay corridor;
Prelay freespan correction supports (each), again including cost of reduced layrate due to smaller lay corridor;
Based on the derived costs, a total cost for each route can be derived.It is worth noting that the optimization cannot be completed
until all the pipeline design parameters are finalized (for instance the number of freespan correction supports will not be known
Public safety, content of the pipeline, operating conditions and location class
The main operating conditions in pipelines that can affect route selection are:
Operational envelope
Location
Various codes categorise fluid as to their hazard potential, and the most hazardous flammable and toxic fluid should, where
practicable, avoid built-up areas or areas with frequent human activity. Consideration should be given to routing that minimises the
The pipeline route should be an appropriate distance from buildings in accordance with the codes being used. Codes also use a
system of area or location classification based on population densities or number of buildings. Design factors are stipulated
Pipeline material, diameter and content, affect the probability of failure and associated consequences:
Pipe fracture
The consequential impact of the above should be considered in the routing process, and ensuing QRA and risk and pipeline threat
assessments .