ASME 2013 International Pipeline Geotechnical Conference

The IPG conference is an international event to promote knowledge sharing, technological progress and international co-operation for advancing the management of natural forces impacting pipelines with the intent of protecting the public, environment, energy infrastructure assets and ensure safe and reliable operations. The pipeline risk factors associated to natural forces such as: Landslides and mass movement Tectonics/seismicity – including fault crossings and liquefaction Hydrotechnical – including river scour and channel migration Erosion and upheaval displacement Geochemical – including karst and acid rock drainage Unique soil structure – including residual and sensitive soils Desert mechanisms – including dune migration Volcanic mechanisms Freezing of unfrozen ground Thawing of permafrost terrain have become critical in the integrity management of pipelines due to the occurrence of failures causing loss of human life and damage to the environment. These risk factors are known as Geohazards resulting from natural processes of a geotechnical, geological, hydrological, or tectonic origin that represent potential threats usually induced during the pipeline construction and operations. The suite of activities constituting geohazard management practice including: special design and construction; monitoring and inspection; risk assessment and associated data management have seen considerable advancements in recent years as the topic has gained prominence within the pipeline community With the purpose of contributing to the management of these challenges, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) together with the Asociación Colombiana de Ingenieros (ACIEM) are pleased to announce the first International Pipeline Geotechnical (IPG) conference to be held in Bogota Colombia 24 - 26 July, 2013. It is the organizers’ vision that the proceedings of this and subsequent conferences will serve as the basis for developing a Recommended Practice document. Having established such an overarching goal, authors are invited to submit substantive papers (may be more than 10 pages) for peer review and eventual integration into the Recommended Practice document. The papers in Spanish or Portuguese without financial support to be translated to English, IPG would evaluate these special cases.