BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 28. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium-R (CPC-R) plans to complete the primary laser scanning of all 19 oil storage tanks by the end of 2026, the company said.
"Diagnostic studies using the advanced method have been underway since 2023 as part of joint work by CPC specialists and scientists from Gubkin University. As of now, 17 of the company’s 19 oil storage tanks have been surveyed. Laser scanning enables more effective monitoring of the technical condition of the tanks", CPC said.
After each survey, a three-dimensional geometric model is created to monitor low-cycle loading of the tank wall. The scans already completed have resulted in positive conclusions confirming that the tank structures comply with industrial safety requirements.
The studies are also of scientific interest for the oil and gas industry. At CPC’s Marine Terminal, where large RVSPK-100,000 storage tanks operate in mountainous terrain, comparative scanning is being carried out at different wind speeds.
The results will help scientists assess how the walls of large-capacity tanks withstand substantial forces generated even at relatively low wind speeds, as well as how changes in external operating conditions affect the reliability of the structures.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) is a major international oil transportation project involving Russia, Kazakhstan and leading oil-producing companies. It was established to construct and operate a pipeline system stretching 1,511 kilometers.
The pipeline primarily receives crude oil from the large oil fields of western Kazakhstan, as well as from Russian producers. The oil is transported to the company's Marine Terminal in Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka near Novorossiysk, where it is loaded onto tankers for shipment to global markets.
Around 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports are transported through the CPC pipeline system.
