Page 54: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Jan/Feb 2014)

53 55

Pipelines

Nord Stream

PIG run sets records t 1224km (759mi.) long, the thickness of pipe walls (up to 41mm) to

Nord Stream’s twin offshore be analyzed.

The longest pig run was

A pipeline gas transportation sys- The inspection means Nord Stream tem from Russia to Germany, through the now has baseline data to con? rm the performed along the

Baltic Sea, offers its operator a number of quality of the Nord Stream pipeline

Nord Stream pipeline challenges. building process, and provide a data

One of those is inspection. In 2013, for set, against which all future inspection between Germany and the ? rst time since the pipelines became results can be compared.

Russia last year. operational in November 2011, and Andrey Voronov, offshore manager

October 2012, respectively, operating operations, Nord Stream, said: “Never

Elaine Maslin company Nord Stream AG carried out an before has a pipeline with the similar found out more. internal inspection along the full length dimension been “pigged:” two 1224km- of the lines. long 48-in.-diameter pipelines with wall

Pipeline-speci? c equip- thicknesses up to 41mm and up to 110mm ment had to be built for of concrete coating around it. Both the the inspection, which was length and the thickness are unique and recorded as the longest posed engineering challenges for which run performed by a pipe- our inspection team and our partners at line integrity gauge (pig). Rosen Group had to ? nd solutions.”

The internal inspec- Inspection, as part of integrity manage- tion set a world record, ment measures for the system, was part in terms of length and of the pipelines’ design from the start, says Nord Stream.

Integrity management measures

ROVs carry out external on Nord Stream cover its automation inspections of the pipeline. systems, landfall installations, and

January 2014 | OE oedigital.com 56 056_OE0114_pipelines2 Nord Stream_BLJ.indd 56 12/19/13 6:31 PM