InSAR for risk-based asset management of pipeline networks (poster)

Pipeline networks for gas and water are the lifelines of our society. Most pipelines are buried, which impedes direct monitoring of the structural reliability of the networks. The behavior of the soil surrounding the pipes may impose hazardous loads or deformations threatening the integrity of the network or even cause failure of pipes. This is especially true for subsidence due to shallow compaction. We report on a Dutch joint research project that will run until 2018 with partners from applied research, consultancy, gas and drinking water suppliers. In this project the deformation of the terrain surface is measured by InSAR. This data is used in creating a risk map to assess the structural reliability of all pipe segments of the network. The risk mapping is based on heterogenous data sources like soil layering, information on civil works, and physical and structural properties of the pipelines. The mapping involves geological, geotechnical and structural models, and takes a probalistic approach. The addition of InSAR deformation data is expected to reduce the uncertainties of the results: fitting the predicted deformations to the InSAR measurements will allow improving the quality of the parameters that are used for modelling the subsoil. As the InSAR measurements relate to persistant scatterers, they are usually located in the vicinity of the pipe element, and not directly above it. Therefore, interpolation techniques have been investigated to derive the deformation at a location of interest.