Gazprom’s Science and Technology Prize

Development and adoption of an innovative system for the integrity evaluation of circumferential welds at Gazprom’s gas trunklines

A system for the integrity evaluation of circumferential welds at gas trunklines has been developed on the basis of a unique unified hierarchical structure of computational models and strength criteria, which is adapted to the content of source data about the properties of structural materials, the results of non-destructive tests, as well as the data on loads and impacts.

With the newly developed system, the conservatism of evaluations decreases (i.e. their accuracy increases) in a consistent manner through expanding the range of source data and using more precise and complex computational criteria and methods, which make it possible to eliminate unreasonable rejection and repairs of circumferential welds in the course of the construction and major repairs of all types of core facilities of gas transmission infrastructure.

The use of the results of the research work during the construction of Gazprom's offshore pipelines has ensured the required pace of construction activities and has significantly reduced unreasonable repairs without compromising in any way the required strength and reliability of welded joints.

V. Voronin (supervisor of the work), V. Kovekh, S. Nefedov, V. Silkin (Gazprom VNIIGAZ), V. Oleksenko, D. Petrov, E. Vyshemirsky (Gazprom), V. Sorkin (Stroygazconsulting), V. Kolikov (Mezhregiontruboprovodstroy), M. Antonov (Scientific Research Center Polytekhtest at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University).

Nominating company: Gazprom VNIIGAZ (P. Tsybulsky).

Development and adoption of an energy-efficient & energy saving technology for small-scale LNG production and process equipment for the implementation of said technology

A technology has been developed and unique process equipment has been created for small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and storage. An LNG production complex with an hourly capacity of 3 tons has been put into operation at the GDS-4 gas distribution station in the city of Sverdlovsk.

The technology employs a turbo-expander unit for the utilization of trunkline gas energy at gas distribution stations. The complex ensures the supplies of low-pressure pipeline gas and LNG of required quality intended for consumer use.

Mobile and stationary NGV refueling facilities for vehicles powered by natural gas (namely, road motor vehicles and gas turbine locomotives) have been built.

The adoption of the results of the research work has made it possible to implement the projects for off-grid gas supplies to houses and utilities located in the urban settlement of Staroutkinsk (Sverdlovsk Region), as well as for back-up and off-grid gas supplies to socially significant and categorized facilities in the cities of Kamensk-Uralsky and Kurgan.

D. Gaidt (supervisor of the work), V. Averkov, M. Chiryatiev, E. Gaidt, O. Mishin, A. Naumeiko, N. Popov, S. Shikov (Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg), V. Matyushechkin (Gazprom), P. Sozonov (Gazprom Transgaz Yugorsk).

Nominating company: Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg (D. Gaidt).

Development and adoption of an intelligent automated system for monitoring the process of preventing hydrate formation in gas gathering flowlines at the Kharvutinskaya area of the Yamburgskoye oil, gas and condensate field

An intelligent automated system for monitoring the process of preventing hydrate formation in gas gathering flowlines has been developed, which makes it possible to reduce operational costs and increase the reliability of gas wells and gas collecting networks.

The developed control algorithms take into consideration the complex functional interconnections of the parameters of the controlled processes. The created software application ensures a co-ordinated operation of the system for collecting, processing and displaying data on the operating modes of gas production flowlines.

The adoption of said system has made it possible to determine the starting point of the hydrate formation process and timely develop the respective control actions in order to ensure a hydrate-free operating mode of gas production flowlines with the lowest possible methanol consumption.

O. Arno (supervisor of the work), B. Akhmetshin, A. Diakonov, A. Faizulin, O. Safronov, Z. Salikhov, M. Sosnin, E. Talybov, G. Vit' (Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg), I. Dyachenko (Gazprom).

Nominating company: Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg (O. Andreev).

Methodology for harmonizing tax relations in the gas sector

As part of the methodology, new tax rate prediction models have been created to be used in the tax environment which is characterized by a high level of uncertainty, and models of investment projects for gas production and transmission have been developed that take into account said level of uncertainty and the trends observed in the tax environment.

The implementation of the methodology has made it possible to substantiate and plan severance tax payments and reduce tax uncertainty for investors in the gas sector, as well as to avoid an unreasonable growth of Gazprom's expenditures, cancellation of investment projects in gas production and reduction of revenues to the state budget in the future.

The severance tax rates substantiated in the paper have been included in the Tax Code of the Russian Federation (Federal Law No. 204-FZ dated November 29, 2012, on Amendments to Chapter 26 of Part Two of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation) and are applied for tax calculations at 14 subsidiaries and affiliates of Gazprom.

K. Oganyan (supervisor of the work, Gazprom), O. Kirichenko, A. Komzolov, A. Kurnosenko, I. Kuznetsov (NIIgazeconomika), G. Melnikova, N. Ziatdinova (Gazprom).

Nominating company: NIIgazeconomika (N. Kislenko).

Development and adoption of energy saving automated system for controlling the work of heaters at well sites and optimizing the temperature regimes of the Astrakhansky production site

A system for the monitoring of and control over the functioning of wellhead heaters has been developed, which ensures early detection of hydrates and active anti-hydrate measures during the transmission of formation fluid by changing the operating modes of heaters at well sites.

The use of the system makes it possible to reduce the amount of treated gas required for pre-treatment (heating) of formation fluid at well sites and decrease heat losses at gathering stations (manifolds) when mixing formation fluid flows coming from different wells, as well as ensures compliance with increased safety measures associated with the use of lightly manned technologies.

A. Ekotov (supervisor of the work), A. Andreev, D. Avyazov, V. Kozhakin, V. Rodovanov, A. Sviridov, V. Vasilyev, P. Zamoskovin (Gazprom Dobycha Astrakhan), B. Posyagin, A. Solomakhin (Gazprom).

Nominating company: Gazprom Dobycha Astrakhan (S. Mikhailenko).

Development of domestic import-substituting threaded pipes with enhanced operational properties and their commercial introduction at gas and gas condensate wells of Gazprom’s fields

For the purpose of addressing the challenges associated with the development of gas condensate fields located in the Far North, Russian plants have for the first time ever launched batch production of a wide range of threaded pipes that meet the highest international requirements; as a result of this, the dependence of Russian oil & gas enterprises on the imports of such products has been eliminated.

Comprehensive tests of the threaded pipes have been held under close-to-operational conditions, as a result of which the Technical Specifications for the manufacture of said pipes have been developed and approved by Gazprom.

Due to the introduction of the threaded pipes, a range of serious challenges has been eliminated with regard to operation of equipment at Gazprom's facilities, inter alia:

the structure of the newly introduced heat-insulated tubing eliminates the possibility of perpetually frozen rocks thawing during the operation of wells;

the use of cold-resistance steels specially alloyed with chromium makes tubings and casings reliable in their operation and able to withstand severe carbon dioxide corrosion.

Due to their structure, the newly introduced types of threaded connections possess enhanced gas tightness and high resistance to tensile and bending stresses during the construction and operation of directional and horizontal clustered wells.

V. Cherepanov (supervisor of the work, Gazprom), I. Kolchanov, K. Popov (Gazprom Dobycha Nadym), A. Arabey, V. Chernukhin, B. Erekhinsky, N. Gafarov, V. Kirshin (Gazprom), S. Rekin (TMK-Premium Service), S. Chetverikov (Volzhsky Pipe Plant).

Nominating company: Gazprom Dobycha Nadym (S. Menshikov).

Development and adoption of a detection and repair technology for gas pipeline sections prone to transverse stress-corrosion cracking

On the basis of the analysis of design, as-built and operational documentation and flaw detection data, methods have been developed to identify potentially hazard-prone sections of gas pipelines with heavy bending stresses.

Upgrades have been introduced into in-line inspection tools so as to enable them to detect transverse cracks the depth of which makes up 10 or more per cent of the pipe wall thickness and to identify with high precision the areas of increased stresses in pipelines.

A repair technology has been created for potentially hazard-prone sections of gas pipelines, which makes it possible to decrease bending stresses in pipelines through the adjustment of their position.

The economic benefit of the research results lies in emergency prevention which, in its turn, eliminates emergency response expenses. 

Sh. Sharipov (supervisor of the work), R. Askarov, M. Chuchkalov, G. Mazitov, R. Usmanov (Gazprom Transgaz Ufa), A. Filatov (Gazprom), V. Kanaikin, S. Vaulin (Scientific Production Association Spetsneftegaz), K. Gumerov (Institute of Energy Resources Transportation Problems), N. Khallyev (Orgenergogaz).

Nominating company: Gazprom Transgaz Ufa (Sh. Sharipov).

Development and adoption of an integrated technology for the inspection and restoration of the integrity of factory-applied protective coatings of pipes, connection elements and shut-off valves of gas pipelines

Fundamentally new methods and technologies of ultrasonic diagnostics have been developed with regard to protective coating of pipes, which makes it possible to detect hidden adhesion failures of protective coatings and subsequently restore their required properties at low cost.

Theoretical substantiation has been provided and experiments have been held to validate the assessment criteria for pipe coating defects, as well as optimal parameters of the inspection tools; methods and reference standards have been developed for the setup and calibration of the flaw detectors in use.

A method of random scanning has been developed and adopted; the method is applied to the surface of protective coatings of pipes and makes it possible to identify pipe areas prone to the occurrence of adhesion failures.

The adoption of the newly developed technology ensures an efficient and reliable inspection of protective coatings of pipes without compromising their protection capabilities. 

A. Zakharov (supervisor of the work), S. Alennikov, S. Romantsov, A. Yakovlev (Gazprom Transgaz Ukhta), A. Kolotovsky (Gazprom), V. Danilov, A. Kuzbozhev, D. Zapevalov (Gazprom VNIIGAZ), R. Aginey (Giprogaztsentr).

Nominating company: Gazprom Transgaz Ukhta (A. Zakharov).