Exploring 3D wave-induced scouring patterns around subsea pipelines with artificial intelligence techniques

Subsea pipelines carry oil or natural gas over long distances of the seabed, but fluid leakage due to a failure of the pipeline can culminate in huge environmental disasters. Scouring process may take place beneath pipelines due to current and/or wave action, causing pipeline suspension and leading to the risk of pipeline failure. The resulting morphological variations of the seabed propagate not only below and normally to the pipeline but also along the pipeline itself. Therefore, 3D scouring patterns need to be considered. Mainly based on the experimental works at laboratory scale by Cheng and coworkers, in this study, Artificial Intelligent (AI) techniques are employed to present new equations for predicting three dimensional current- and wave-induced scour rates around subsea pipelines. These equations are given in terms of key dimensionless parameters, among which are the Shields’ parameter, the Keulegan–Carpenter number, relative embedment depth, and wave/current angle of attach. Using various statistical benchmarks, the efficiency of AI-models-based regression equations is assessed. The proposed predictive models perform much better than the existing empirical equations from literature. Even more interestingly, they exhibit a clear physical consistence and allow for highlighting the relative importance of the key dimensionless variables governing the scouring patterns.