The VII International Conference “GAS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS: PRESENT AND FUTURE” (GTS-2017)

RESOLUTION

VII International Conference “Gas Transportation Systems: Present and Future” (GTS-2017) 26–27 October 2017

Gazprom’s Conference “Gas Transportation Systems: Present and Future” (GTS-2017) hosted by Gazprom VNIIGAZ on 
26–27 October 2017 brought together more than 400 leading specialists from 132 companies and 9 countries: Brazil, Republic of Belarus, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Russia. The total of 144 presentations were made on the following topics:

· Technologies of main gas transportation;

· Design, construction and operation of compressor stations;

· Management of GTS technical condition and integrity;

· Line pipe production, welding and allied technologies, protective coating of plant extrusion;

· Construction, repair and corrosion protection of gas transportation facilities.

The conclusions of the Conference:

Trunk pipeline transport continues to be a key element of the global energy sector, the reliable operation of which depends on the energy stability and safety of the economies of Russia, European and Asian countries.

The GTS system of Russia and its new main gas pipelines (Bovanenkovo-Ukhta, North-European Gas Pipeline, Power of Siberia) have no world analogs, integrate the advanced technical and technological achievements on production capacity and efficiency for operation under harsh natural climatic conditions.

The optimal development of pipeline transport depends significantly on research-based policy, integrated development of projects for construction and reconstruction of GTS facilities covering all stages of the life cycle, and the introduction of innovative technical solutions, materials, equipment and technologies. The system complex approach based on methodical, theoretical and experimental researches provides the required quality of facilities design and construction, highly reliable and safety GTS operation on long terms of service.

The system approach in cooperation between the managing companies, operating gas transport companies, designers, builders and manufacturers-suppliers of the equipment and services with the scientific centers, including in the area of technical regulation, development, tests and production certification, increases efficiency of using of innovative pipe production, gas pumping equipment, compressor station junction points and systems, etc.

Long-term partner relations of gas transmission companies, national supervisory and certification bodies, research centers, manufacturers-suppliers of equipment and services for construction and repair of GTS facilities established within the frames of joint projects (Nord stream, Yamal, Eastern Siberia and the Far East, Sakhalin, etc.) apart from direct mutual profits for the companies allow to increase reliability, efficiency and environmental safety of hydrocarbon supplies in shorter term and with less expenses.

Based on discussions the Organizing Committee of the Conference has decided:

1. To approve the work of GTS-2017 and underline the high level of delivered presentations.

2. To acknowledge the effectiveness of the achieved and the prospects for the continuation of scientific and technical cooperation in development, certification and application of:

· state-of-the-art domestic gas pumping and processing equipment for gas transportation with high reliability, efficiency and environmental safety;

· the advanced pipe products, insulation materials, including innovative monolayer coatings, means for lining and protection of insulating coatings and tubular products from large fractions of the soil (including composite covering material used for construction and repair of pipelines under extreme natural operation conditions (polar, seismically active and offshore regions, severe laying conditions in macrofragmental soils);

· means for protection of the pipe biodegradation plugs cavity, the contribution of Gazprom PJSC into the Year of Ecology in Russia;

· new welding technologies and non-destructive testing of welded joints, wide application of engineering assessment of defects at gas pipeline construction;

· efficient construction and repair methods and technologies, including for special conditions of the High North, Western Siberia and the Far East;

· results of theoretical and experimental researches of stress-corrosion cracking processes by physical and probabilistic-statistical methods in laboratory and field conditions;

· methods and tools of reliability and risk for the development of systems of GTS technical condition and integrity management;

· the main approaches and evaluation criteria for the implementation of the risk control system during the operations management, including in the field of production, transportation, gas distribution and processing, capital construction of Gazprom`s facilities;

· results of full-scale and computational experiments to study the carrying capacity and deformation characteristics of pipes with an external weighting coating;

· results of application of the latest methods of machine learning and data analysis in relation to the tasks of construction of the most loaded sections of underwater transitions from pipes with an external weighting coating;

3. To recommend to the following conference to discuss topics relevant for new conditions and new challenges: integrated approaches of the GTS development forecasting, the development and implementation of innovative technologies and equipment, construction and operation under extreme conditions, technical regulations in the field of safety and environment, maintaining the work capacity of the «aging» pipelines, improving the efficiency of the GTS operation, the «intellectualization» of the GTS facilities, alternative technologies of gas transportation.

4. Prospective directions of further research and topics for scientific and technical discussion of the next conferences:

in the direction of development of gas transportation systems and technologies:

· new methods, technological and technical solutions during the design, construction and operation of compressor stations;

· experience in scientific and technical support of the life cycle of GTS facilities;

· application of geoinformation technologies during the design of main gas pipelines;

· integration of Gazprom's methods and standards for risk analysis of trunk pipeline transport facilities into the Federal and interstate regulatory documents;

· low-cost technologies for technical re-equipment of the GTS;

· development of risk-based approaches to ensure the reliability of the GTS based on the assessment of potential damage from failures;

· innovative technical developments in the field of energy efficient and non-volatile gas pumping equipment (gas-compressor unit, gas turbine engine, centrifugal compressor etc., including for LNG production);

· development and implementation of a unified system for monitoring parametric performance indicators and technical condition of gas-compressor units at Gazprom PJSC;

· optimization of methods and systems for organization of compressor stations equipment maintenance and repair;

· ensuring the unity of methodological approaches in the process of monitoring of indicators of reliability, technical condition, risk, energy and environmental efficiency of the CS technological equipment in the systems of automatic process control system (APCS) and dispatching control.

in the direction of management of technical condition and integrity of gas transportation systems:

· methodical research in order to extend the functionality of the control system of technical GTS facilities condition and integrity in the following directions:

o development on a mid-term horizon (until 2020) of the Gazprom`s regulatory framework in the field of the technical condition and integrity management of the entire complex of the gas main pipelines linear part facilities;

o development and implementation in the control system of technical GTS facilities condition and integrity of algorithms of technical condition assessment and end-to-end ranking of all gas main liner parts facilities (including crossings of roads and railways, underwater passages, block valve stations, inline inspection tools launcher-receiver, etc.) about the priority out of service for repairing or diagnostic testing;

o development of a set of Gazprom PJSC normative documentation in the field of management of the CS technological pipelines technical condition and integrity.

· The development of technology and equipment for equipment diagnosing:

o pilotless and aerospace technology for remote monitoring;

o smart pigging and instrumentation test on the basis of new technologies (electromagnetic — acoustic, with dry point contact, eddy current, wave, etc.) for detection and identification of defects of the main pipe metal, including defects of stress-corrosion cracking, defects in welded joints, changes of the stressed-deformed state of the pipeline;

o technologies of ground diagnostic (magnetometric, radio wave, etc.) inspection and monitoring of the technical condition of the pipeline and its geotectonic environment;

o tele-controlled automated diagnostic systems for inspection of hard-to-reach pipeline structures;

· Development and implementation of Intelligent technical diagnostics support system for improvement of reliability, speed of processing and reduction of the human factor influence on the results of technical diagnostics, including:

o unified approaches to the collection, digital description, transmission, storage and processing of primary data obtained by various diagnostic complexes;

o probabilistic methods of estimation and increase of reliability of gas pipelines diagnostic inspections data;

o algorithms for predicting corrosion and stress corrosion damage of pipelines using machine learning methods;

· distribution of experience of complex methodology for estimation of criticality of defects of gas pipelines circular welded connections for other types of gas pipelines defects and damages;

· development of diagnostic equipment testing and certification system;

· continuation of large-scale experimental studies of the bearing capacity, strength and durability of pipe products at pilot sites of Gazprom subsidiaries- gas transportation companies (including those with stress-corrosion cracking defects, dents, protruding burrs, etc.);

· studying the influence of structural and technological features of the concreted pipes on the stress-strain state of the most loaded sections of the main gas pipelines linear part;

· studying the conditions and mechanisms of development of the stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) with the aim to revise the criteria for the rejection and taking pipelines with SCC defects with depth up to 10% out of service for repair;

· development of scientific and technical cooperation with research institutes and R & D departments of oil and gas companies in the field of methodology:

o formation of technical diagnostics programs;

o experience of using new diagnostic equipment;

o development of normative documentation on technical diagnostics and technical condition assessment;

o prediction of defects development, etc.

· studying the models of proactive management, early warning of occurrence of emergency events on the basis of integration of effective methods of intellectual analysis of technical and parametrical diagnostics data.

In the direction of tubular products, welding and related technologies, factory-applied coatings:

· studying of the technical possibilities of manufacturing cold bend curves with increased bending angles. The use of cold-bent bends with large bending angles in the design of main gas pipelines requires clarification of strength calculations;

· actualization of STO Gazprom 2-3.7-050-2006 «Offshore Standard DNV-OS-F-101. Submarine pipeline systems» in the version of DNV-OS-F-101 2017 standard;

· completion of tests and organization of implementation of unparalleled technologies of laser and hybrid laser welding in the manufacture of pipes and welding of clumsy circular welded joints during the construction and repair of gas pipelines;

· coordination completion of Gazprom`s technical requirements to a new type of import — substituting pipe products — split tees for pipeline junction and line shut-down...) under pressure. The creation of a competitive environment in their production among the domestic manufacturers;

· continuation of work on the development of technical requirements, development and implementation of pipes for the transportation of gas with high CO2 content of alloy steels. Development of technical requirements for their installation welding in the field;

· improvement of regulatory documents on technologies of welding and nondestructive quality control of welded joints;

· development of the direction of works on application of new and expansion of the applied designs for hermetic sealing of temporary openings (chops, patches, branch pipes) and new types of designs during repairing of pipelines;

· research in the field of press welding methods: rotary friction welding or contact butt welding by melting; the use of cold-bent bends with large bending angles in the design of main gas pipelines requires clarifying strength calculations;

· the use of cold-bent bends with large bending angles during the design of main gas pipelines requires clarification of strength calculations.

In the direction of construction, repair and corrosion protection of gas transportation facilities:

· application of information modeling technologies during the design, construction and operation of Gazprom PJSC`s facilities;

· development of voluntary certification system and quality management system during the design and construction of GTS facilities;

· improvement of protection means of gas pipelines insulating coverings from external mechanical damages, including-for trenchless laying of gas pipelines;

· research on optimization of corrosion protection with monitoring and control of the corrosion rate based on the use of compact low-power stations of cathodic protection with autonomous power source in the corrosion monitoring systems;

· development of the program of the scientific and technical actions directed on prevention of formation and development of corrosion under exfoliation of a protective covering of the main gas pipelines, including microbiological corrosion;

· development of special methods for winter construction, ensuring the stability of GTS facilities during operation;

· carrying out research in the field of technical soil reclamation, ensuring maximum use of local soils;

· development of methods of underwater crossings trenchless laying aimed at improving the quality and reducing the cost of construction;

· development of methods of fast track construction and repair of GTS facilities;

· development of technology for pipeline ballasting and securing, ensuring the stability of pipelines while reducing construction costs;

· ensuring environmental protection during the construction of the GTS facilities;

· development of methods for reduction of gas losses during the repair of gas pipelines.

5. To recommend to the future Program and Organizing committees of the following conferences:

a) to intensify participation of design (engineering) companies with the analysis of design decisions by results of supervision;

b) to organize the presentation of special thematic reports with the invitation of specialized professionals.

6. To recommend to the Organizing Committee of the Conference to prepare and send discs with the Conference’s proceedings to its participants.

7. To publish a collection of papers with a circulation of 200 copies.

8. To provide the organization of 2–3 round tables on the most topical and related topics in the Programs of the next conferences.

9. Taking into account the significant scientific and practical value of the Conference to confirm its status as permanent and hold VIII International Conference “Gas Transportation Systems: Present and Future” in 2019.