Quantification and comparison of carbon emissions for flexible underground pipelines

The life cycle assessment of underground gravity and pressured pipeline networks are studied to quantitatively calculate the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The life cycle of a pipeline can be classified into four phases that are fabrication, transportation, installation, and operation. Three typical flexible underground pipe materials, namely, steel, ductile iron (DI), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) have been considered. The most dominant phase of the life cycle is pipe manufacturing and fabrication process, resulting in large amounts of CO₂ emissions. The results indicate that PVC provides the best environmental savings compared to steel and DI pipes in terms of CO₂ emission and emission mitigation cost. This methodology in estimating life cycle carbon footprint and cost could be used as managerial decision support tool for management of any underground pipeline networks.