Our team of qualified engineers is ready to assist you
Fugro GeoConsulting Belgium offers a wide range of consultancy services related to onshore, nearshore and offshore geotechnical engineering. Our office is a Fugro Group centre of excellence for offshore pipeline and we have worked on numerous pipeline projects worldwide.
Pipeline Geotechnics
Our experienced geotechnical experts have in-depth knowledge of pipeline geotechnics.
- Seabed geomorphology
- Review and integration of soil data along pipeline route
- Selection of design soil parameters
- Assessment of pipe-soil interaction: selection of the most appropriate models and assessment of friction factors or more advanced pipe-soil reaction factors (e.g. following SAFEBUCK JIP recommendations)
- Foundation design of pipeline auxiliary structures (e.g. in-line and end termination structures)
- Sediment transport and scouring analysis
- Pipeline trenching assessment and recommendations on trenching operations (ploughing and jet-trenching)
- Assessment of backfill soil uplift resistance
- Liquefaction analyses
Subsea Pipeline Engineering
Our subsea pipeline consultancy services cover a broad range of analyses.
- Pipeline route engineering
- Limit state design of offshore pipelines
- Out-of-straightness analysis
- Span prediction and evaluation
- Simulations of vortex-induced vibrations and fatigue analysis
- Pre-sweeping analysis
- Plough pick-up analysis
- Upheaval and lateral buckling assessment, including rock dump optimisation
- Development of special features in SAGE Profile (customised output data file format for example), advice on modelling strategy including selection of finite element parameters.
Advanced Consultancy Services
Challenges that required a multidisciplinary approach are managed by our team of expert consultants.
- Debris flow impact on a pipeline: debris flow characterisation (volume and velocity), run-out distance assessment using an in-house developed model and pipeline impact assessment using SAGE Profile 3D
- Forensic analysis following pipeline failure: review of all the external conditions that may have led to a pipeline failure (seabed morphology, subsea current, sediment transport, soil instability, etc.) and recommendations for pipeline rerouting
- In situ pipe-soil interaction measurement: Fugro SMARTPIPE® is Fugro tool for in situ pipe-soil interaction measurement. Our engineers ensure the quality of the data and provide data interpretation.
- For complex problems related to soil-structure interaction which cannot be solved analytically, we use the following finite elements software packages:
- PLAXIS 2D/3D: finite element code for soil and rock analyses
- FLAC 2D/3D: finite element code for soil and rock analyses
- ABAQUS 2D/3D: general-purpose non-linear finite element software