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Offshore Geotechnics - Research and Practice Beyond The Boundaries of Traditional Soil Mechanics

Professor David White will give a lecture on novel geotechnical technologies supporting offshore oil and gas development. He will discuss how infrastructure on the seabed is mobile during installation and operation, disturbing and healing the seabed soil. New methods characterize the seabed during disturbance and physical modeling simulates pipeline and infrastructure behavior. The research explores soil failure and large deformations, opening new areas of research and design challenges. Professor White leads research at the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems on characterizing seabeds, analyzing foundation and pipeline response, and blending physical and numerical modeling with field data.

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Evan Buntoro
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37 views

Offshore Geotechnics - Research and Practice Beyond The Boundaries of Traditional Soil Mechanics

Professor David White will give a lecture on novel geotechnical technologies supporting offshore oil and gas development. He will discuss how infrastructure on the seabed is mobile during installation and operation, disturbing and healing the seabed soil. New methods characterize the seabed during disturbance and physical modeling simulates pipeline and infrastructure behavior. The research explores soil failure and large deformations, opening new areas of research and design challenges. Professor White leads research at the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems on characterizing seabeds, analyzing foundation and pipeline response, and blending physical and numerical modeling with field data.

Uploaded by

Evan Buntoro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Offshore geotechnics - research and practice

beyond the boundaries of traditional soil


mechanics

Professor David White MEng MA PhD (Cantab) FIEAust
Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems University of Western Australia
Australian Geomechanics Society WA Chapter
712 Murray Street, West Perth WA 6005
Phone: (08) 9321 3340 | Fax: (08) 9481 4332
Website: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/wa

This lecture will describe novel geotechnical technology that is supporting the
frontiers of offshore oil and gas development, with a focus on the boundaries of
traditional soil mechanics.

Offshore developments involve a variety of infrastructure placed on the seabed
or anchored to it, including extensive networks of on-bottom pipelines. A
particular challenge is often the mobility of the infrastructure and the seabed
during installation and operation. For example, anchors are dragged to their
operational position, pipelines sweep laterally and axially over the seabed during
operation and catenary risers dig deep trenches where they touch down on the
seabed. The consequent disturbance and healing of the seabed soil leads to
changes in topography and strength.

Novel technologies to characterise the seabed through such episodes of
disturbance are described, as well as physical modelling that simulates the in-
service behaviour of pipelines and seabed infrastructure. A recurrent theme
through these design challenges is the beneficial effect of soil failure, and the
requirement to predict the load-displacement response through gross
deformations that invoke changes in the strength and stiffness of the soil.

These new regimes of geotechnical behaviour open up refreshing new avenues
of research, and provide exciting challenges to the designer.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

David White is a Professor at the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems at the
University of Western Australia. His research encompasses many aspects of
offshore geotechnics and soil behaviour, from the initial characterisation of the
seabed using novel laboratory and in situ test techniques, to analysis tools to
quantify the response of foundations and pipelines for design. His research
blends physical modelling, using the UWA centrifuge facilities, with numerical
analysis and field observations. He has a particular interest in large deformation
problems involving changing geometry and soil properties, such as pile
penetration, pipeline buckling and submarine slide run out. He is also active in
industry practice, as a Principal Consultant for the Perth-based company
Advanced Geomechanics.

Professor White has authored 7 invited conference keynotes and book chapters
on piled foundations and pipeline geotechnics. His >150 career publications
have won 5 prizes. He was awarded the 2010 Anton Hales Medal by the
Australian Academy of Science and the 2011 Western Australia Tall Poppy
Science Award. He was the 2011 Western Australian Early Career Scientist of
the Year and his research projects have attracted 4 industry awards including
the WA Engineers Australia 2012 award for research and innovation.
EVENT DETAILS

Date:
Tuesday, 27 November 2012

Time:
5.30 pm - Light refreshments
6.00 pm - AGM
6.10 pm - Presentation

Pizzas and drinks will be
provided after the AGM and
presentation

Venue:
Geography & Geology: 1.07
Woolnough Lecture Theatre
University of Western Australia
Hackett Drive
Crawley (see map)

Cost:
Free

RSVP:
Not required



















Australian Geomechanics Society
Western Australian Chapter



Offshore geotechnics - research and practice
beyond the boundaries of traditional soil
mechanics

Professor David White MEng MA PhD (Cantab) FIEAust
Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems University of Western Australia

Australian Geomechanics Society WA Chapter

712 Murray Street, West Perth WA 6005
Phone: (08) 9321 3340 | Fax: (08) 9481 4332
Website: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/wa



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