The transportation of hydrocarbons and other environments along pipelines is an important element of technological processes; each year hundreds of millions of tons of fuel and other substances move along this network. But in case of emergencies of pipeline there occurs inevitable threat to the natural environment (air, water and soil, flora and fauna), technogenic environment (production, communications, buildings) and anthropogenic one.

The danger of this threat can be explained by a series of factors, first of all, by the fact, that emissions from the pipelines are characterized by high intensity and can reach the mass of several thousand tons, and can occur near the places of high concentration of people. It is practically impossible to avoid people getting into damage area in case of emergencies of pipelines because pipeline systems practically always cross traffic arteries because of their topology and at least suit customers which are often large corporations.

The solution of the task of provision of complex industrial safety under transportation of hydrocarbons by pipelines has significant federal-industrial meaning, because the RF is a country with a huge network of pipeline transport. It is planned to build new pipelines and spread new technologies in our country, for instance, natural-gas liquefaction and transportation of liquefied hydrocarbons with increased part of ethane fraction.

“Our project is dedicated to the development of physico-mathematical models of the emergencies at pipelines,” commented the supervisor of the project, the Head of MEPhI Department of Chemical physics S.A. Gubin. “Unlike usual approach to the risk analysis a new theoretical statement is introduced in the project – temporary change of risk characteristics. For example, the change of strength properties of the pipeline, creation and development of corrosion or cracks in pipeline walls, with the expansion of lifetime, lead to the running of risk of destruction of the pipeline over time”. The scientist has noted that the employees of the Department – project executives – have all necessary knowledge in fluid and gas dynamics, chemical dynamics and thermal dynamics, theories of combustion, detonation and shockwaves.

According to the words of the Head of the Department, as the result of conducted research, a universal model of transportation of hydrocarbons along pipeline system will be worked out, which will allow consider standard physical processes in the pipeline as well as the work of real devices and mechanisms, which take place in pipelines, including emergency modes.

The obtained results will allow, first of all, realise the scale and risks of emergencies at pipeline transport. The importance of the solved task can increase if the results spread into related fields of fundamental and applied sciences.

The recommendations on the lowering of consequences and risks of accidents, emergencies and technogenic catastrophies are in demand both in business and in the society.