TATNEFT Company Has Constructed an Oil Pipeline under the Kama River Bed

TATNEFT has put into operation a new pressure oil pipeline "Pervomaysky tank farm - "Naberezhnye Chelny" pumping station of NGDU "Prikamneft" having the designed throughput capacity of 1574.92 thousand tons of transported crude oil per year (135.0 tons per hour).

The project is a single 7.88 km long pipeline consisting of three sections. The length of the section from the right bank of the Kama River from the point of connection with the existing crude oil pressure pipeline "Pervomaysky tank farm - underwater piping" to the pipeline pig launching station is 1.13 km.

Construction of the underwater pipeline in the water area of the Nizhnekamsk reservoir and the Kama River was made under the river bed at a depth of 8 to 10 meters. The underwater pipeline is made from a steel tube 219 x 12 mm with external reinforced insulation thickness of 5 mm. It includes two pipeline strings (primary and standby) of 2.18 km long each from the pig launching station to the pig trapping one.

The length of the section on the left bank of the Kama River (from the pig launching station to the point of connection to the existing interconnecting pressure pipeline UPS "Kyzyl-Tau") made of steel tube 219 x 8 mm is 4.57 km. The pipeline is laid in concrete channel trays along its entire length and it includes a pig trapping station.

Start-and-adjustment chambers are provided in order to diagnose the pipeline and remove depositions. The approved scheme for collecting production, rain and melt water at the mentioned areal sites provides for networks of industrial sewage and open drainage systems with underground sewage tanks.

The pressure pipeline project has been designed by the General Designer: TatNIPIneft Research and Design Institute of the Company jointly with Giprorechtrans (Moscow). The customer is NGDU "Prikamneft". OOO "Glavneftegazstroyservis" Management Company acted as a "General Contractor" under the project.

This unique for the Republic project has been implemented with application of innovative technologies and equipment. It is distinguished by reliability, safety and environmental friendliness. The latest environmentally safe technologies of pipeline construction were applied when constructing this new facility, including directional drilling, which allowed drilling of a hole (with a length of over 2.1 km) from one bank to the another just below the bed of the Kama River exiting to the surface without inflicting any damage to nature and fauna of the river.

The technology of the new oil pipeline construction provides for effective environmental protection measures, including anti-corrosion protection of pipes, up-to-date diagnostic tools and automation, ensuring the control not only of the condition of the major equipment, but of the support equipment, as well as drainage, rainwater tanks, air pollution, etc.

All civil construction works, as well as the welding of pipes, insulation, fitting of piping units, mounting of the pig launching and trapping stations, cleaning and diagnostics equipment have been performed by the divisions of "Glavneftegazstroyservis": ARSU and "PrikamnefteStroyservis". The Automated Process Control System Project (ASTUP) has been implemented by "Energo-TechProekt" company, which is a structural division of OOO "Tatintek". The drilling operations have been carried out by OOO "S-I-V Intertrade" Company (Kazan). The construction was supervised by the Capital Construction Department of the JSC TATNEFT.