BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 10. Corrosion control is the cornerstone of our program to ensure the safety and integrity of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), said Erkin Aksu, Senior Integrity Engineer for Corrosion and Cathodic Protection (CP) at TANAP, Trend reports.
Speaking at the Asset Integrity Corrosion and Coatings Conference (AICC) in Baku, Aksu stated that within the Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) approach, corrosion risk is assessed based on cathodic protection measurements, online inspection data, and soil type along the pipeline route.
“This information is used to develop a risk matrix, enabling us to pinpoint sections that require inspections and determine how often they should be conducted. This approach not only optimizes costs but also extends the lifespan of assets,” he said.
Aksu pointed out that the main hurdles for long-distance pipelines are the pesky problems of internal and external corrosion, not to mention the wear and tear of coatings.
“Failure to address these issues promptly can result in accidents, production stoppages, environmental damage, and substantial financial losses. TANAP engineers continuously monitor coating and cathodic protection systems, coordinate field measurements and external surveys, and analyze online inspection data for external corrosion and metal loss. All findings are tracked digitally through a GIS platform,” he added.
TANAP (Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline) is a crucial pipeline that transports natural gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field through Turkey to Europe, part of the Southern Gas Corridor aimed at enhancing energy security. The pipeline spans approximately 1,850 km, beginning at Türkgözü on the Turkish-Georgian border and concluding at İpsala on the Turkish-Greek border, crossing through 20 Turkish provinces. It aims to diversify Azerbaijan's gas export markets and improve energy supply security for Turkey and Europe, with an initial capacity of around 16 billion cubic meters per year, which is expandable. Major partners in the project include SOCAR (58%), BOTAS (30%), and bp (12%).
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