Simulation of influence of various technical systems on permafrost boundaries movement

Abstract

Prediction of dynamics of cryogenic processes in soil and foundations is of great importance in the development and operation of oil and gas fields in the Arctic and Subarctic regions. These processes are influenced by the thermal effects of various technical systems available on the well pads. The thawing of permafrost due to such impacts will be accompanied by subsidence of the earth's surface around engineering facilities and development of dangerous geological process called thermokarst. This may lead to major technological accidents at well pads with great harm to the environment. To simulate cryogenic processes in a specific geographical area, algorithms and programs are developed, taking into account the climatic factors and lithology of the soil. An algorithm for determining the features of the area under consideration in the computer simulation of the propagation of thermal fields in frozen ground is described and the results of numerical calculations are presented. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.