moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline Gearnon Gryazovets — Vyborg: cross- country:gas: pipeline ° Overview ~ Photos November 7, 2012 Through the example of the Yuzhno-Russkoye field we gave you an idea of how gas is produced. But gas production is half the voyage. It needs to be delivered to consumers, Today we'll show you the way of building gas trunklines that cross our country in every direction, evolving all together into the Unified Gas Supply System of Russia We shot our photo essay in August when construction of the second string of the Gryazovets — Vyborg gas trunkline was in progress. This string is 680 kilometers long (as it was built with loops, its length is shorter than the overall length of the gas pipeline which is 917 kilometers). This gas pipeline is designed for securing gas supplies to Nord Stream as well as to consumers in the Northwestern Russia. The gas pipeline runs across the Vologda and the Leningrad Regions. The design capacity of the gas pipeline stands at 55 billion cubic meters per year. In addition to the linepipe, 7 compressor stations have been built, including the Portovaya CS, a unique facility in the global gas industry. There is no similar facility anywhere in the world, The throughput exceeds 366 MW, therefore enabling gas to travel 1,200 kilometers along the Baltic Sea bottom. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! sasmoe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline we_E r E A} ernozavoosx QS) sme Graze -Wbora 0s ppetne © axed, | —— Functoning ga ppetines J serve WO | © Conese stom en ow | tABOEA Wa CR U ssik ve.oeon <7 texioran ESTONIA — REGION ™ ( anoton é i “SS Q TVER REGION A great part of the gas pipeline runs through forests and swamps. The gas pipeline travels nearly fifty kilometers across hard rocks in the Vyborg District of the Leningrad Region. t's worth mentioning that any gas trunkline has no easy sections during its construction. At every stage there are nuances, peculiarities, twists and turns. Gas pipelines’ strings pass through any climatic zone in our country, from permafrost to the warm southern regions. ws gazprom coniprossroperts2012Ionyazowts-yborg-ppaline 294moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline As a matter of fact, construction of a single gas pipeline takes place in very different geographical environments, and it's more likely to say that an installation crew comes to a new working place every day. That's why the whole construction site is expected to be mobile and operational everywhere, providing new linear meters of a just welded pipe wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 494sows ‘Goyazovets —Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline es Trenching in @ regular ground doesn't usually cause any problems, but doing the same job in a swamp makes it far more difficult, and as for rock excavation — it requires a drill and blast tunneling method. Meaning that along the route of a future trench some holes are drilled — so callled blast-holes, afterwards filled with a blasting charge. wan. gazorom compeessioprts!2012ig yas borg pl i! 894moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline hed Then the rest of rock stones are removed from the trench, its bottom is leveled out, and a sand bed is arranged just before pipe laying, At the same time, with the trench installation, pipes are laid alongside the route. By the way, these pipes are produced by one of the modern workshops, Vysota 239, focused on manufacturing large-diameter pipes, at the Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant. Gazprom also collaborates with other domestic producers — in summer 2012 the Company signed the Sc Tech Cooperation Agreement with the United Metallurgical Company, Severstal, TMK and the above mentioned Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 694moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline Talking about the Company's cooperation with Russian pipe producers, we'd like to point out that Gazprom together with its partners carry out the Sci-Tech Cooperation Programs, particularly focusing on development and production of new types of pipes that our Company needs for implementing its projects in the Yamal Peninsula, Eastern Siberia and the Far East. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! Tamoe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline These people call themselves ‘the linemen’ — they are involved in building only the linear part of the gas pipeline, and leave gaps in the places of road crossings and engineering services, Other experts deal with these sections: breakaway crews and bore crews. They are engaged in construction of crossings that are laid under railways and motor roads, as well as water crossings. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! acmoe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline Let's have a look at the main stages of the gas pipeline’s linear part welding. On the photo you may see a mobile unit: a mobile welding column and a system for automated and machine orbital welding of pipes. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! asmoe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline The process starts with preparing pipe joints being rubbed and revealing shiny metal underneath, by using an ordinary angle grinder. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 094moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline Aiterwards, a pipe clamp — a device that centers edges of a new pipe with a welded section of the gas pipeline —is initialized. The movement of alignment clamps, spread symmetrically around a circle, helps fix pipes against each other and in the meantime leave a gap, which is essential for root welding, between the edges wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 94moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline A\ter the pipes preparation process is completed, a pipe layer adjusts pipes to the installation position with fabric slings - straps that prevent the original insulated coating from damage. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 294moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline Have a close look at the track of the pipe layer — sometimes even tough metal crashes in the stony land of the construction site. ws gazprom coniprossroperts2012Ionyazowts-yborg-ppaline 1394moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline Now it's time for pipes installation and edges alignment using the above mentioned pipe clamp. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 1894moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline A\ter the installation process is completed, a welding station is placed above the joint, The station is a booth, and inside there is some welding and ancillary equipment as well as individual lighting and air conditioning, Besides, operations can be carried out inside all the year round, preventing precipitation from falling and wind from affecting the welded joint wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 1894moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline At the station, a mechanical method is used to make the first weld, i.e. the root weld, in shielding gas environment. This method increases welding speed by over three times versus the manual method and improves the quality of the welded joint. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 194moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline After the root layer is done, the shaped turning roll is inspected from the inside, and defects are eliminated if necessary, as gazgrom.conipressiroperts20'2Ignyazowts-yborg-ppaina 1994moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline Spaces where allowable offset of the abutting edges occur are rewelded — as this mission would be impossible to accomplish only by means of using the inner pipe clamp. ws gazprom coniprossroperts2012Ionyazowts-yborg-ppaline sa94moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline From the outside the root layer of the weld is prepared for automated welding. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! aemoe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline Then the automated orbital welding heads are installed on the joint (one head on the each side). Welding of filing and facing layers goes in a fully automated mode — a welding operator monitors only a welding carriage moving along the joint and controls penetration to secure a high quality filling of the welded joint. Usually one double run is carried out in each booth. This complex includes four booths. as gazgrom.conipressiroperts20'2Ignyazowts-yborg-ppaina 2094moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline The gas pipeline’s section is ready assembled, After construction is completed, all welded joints are tested through the non-destructive inspection technique. ws gazprom coniprossroperts2012Ionyazowts-yborg-ppaline zanemoe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline It's time for a break now. All construction workers live in Vyborg, and a crew bus drives them to the working site, Lunch dishes are delivered by the said bus which also serves people as a canteen. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 208moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline Most of these men have been Gazprom’'s employees for many years, they built gas pipelines in every part of Russia, We'd better not to bother them and leave the men to have their lunch. Let's see another part of the construction site wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 2aia8moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline We are heading inland across the Karelian Isthmus. The next section — the micro-tunnel being constructed under the Saimaa Canal, near the Palli Lock. Before reaching the Saimaa Canal, the gas pipeline has crossed a river in the similar way just once — in 2009 the builders of the Gryazovets — Vyborg gas pipeline constructed a micro-tunnel under the Neva River. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 2508moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline The Herrenknecht tunnel boring machines are used in construction of the micro-tunnel that goes under the Canal. The process is similar to the big tunnel construction, only the jacks that push a shield forward are located not on it, but in the installation room at the depth of 21 meters. A supervisor works in the special overground booth — there is just no room for him on the shield. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 208sows ‘Goyazovets —Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline The liner design is tailored to resist the maximum earth load and is also waterproof. As pipe sections are rammed, a special-purpose grease is input between the liner and the formation (construction clearance) and ease the movement of the fabricated tunnel wan. gazorom compeessioprts!2012ig yas borg pl i! 208moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline As for the shield itself, this is a real underground starship fitted with all kinds of equipment, including navigation devices - to secure the pipe laying is aligned with the planned route, wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 2988moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline The jacking unit located in the entry pit can't continuously press through the whole tunnel, i.e. 250 meters. For this reason, some additional jacking sections are installed between every 50 or 70 meters, therefore securing the shield and the liner are thoroughly rammed. wu gazpromconpressiropas2012Ig yazowls-yborg-p pain! 08moe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline The laser theodolite in the jacking unit ensures precise shield movement along the route. A laser ray falls on a special board situated in the tunnel face, and beam deflection can show the direction of the complex deviation. as gazgrom.conipressiroperts20'2Ignyazowts-yborg-ppaina susmoe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline On the opposite bank a ready-to-go pipeline string has been welded and wailing to be rolled into the micro- tunnel. ws gazprom coniprossroperts2012Ionyazowts-yborg-ppaline sanmoe Gryacoets -Vyborg: cross-country gas pipeline In our photo essay it's impossible to show you in detail every feature of gas pipelines construction, But we did tty to reveal some secrets of this hard work, We'd like to thank Gazprom Invest Zapad for assistance in planning the photo shoot. See you soon! Gazprom website Editorial Board You can find large size images in Photos. 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