In order to maintain the transmission capacity of the National Gas Transmission System under efficiency, productivity, and security conditions, the maintenance programme of TRANSGAZ includes extremely complex, highly demanding and risky inline cleaning operations.
During June-August 2008, such cleaning operations (PIG-runs) were performed to the main transit pipelines crossing the Romanian territory – Dobrogea region – to the Balkans, i.e. to Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, by means of own cleaning equipment along with inspection and detection equipment of a specialized company.
This was the first time an “Active Cleaning” equipment was used, in the Eastern European gas transmission systems, for the removal of the “Black Powder” – designation for the inline deposits, mainly consisting of iron rust and sulphate, contaminants which may corrode and wear out the pipeline walls and by driving thereof into the gas flow, such contaminants may upset the filtering and metering equipment.
The execution and supervision of the cleaning and inspection operations, both by our specialists and foreign specialists, was successfully completed and the results thereof confirm the gas pipeline integrity and its unchanged transmission capacity, further providing details on all technical aspects related thereto.
“Active Cleaning” equipment before launching
“Active Cleaning” equipment operating principle
“Active Cleaning” equipment on the transport rack, before launching
Preparation for “Active Cleaning” equipment launching
Active Cleaning” equipment insertion into the launching system, requires high care
“Active Cleaning” equipment inserted into the launching system
“Active Cleaning” equipment completely inserted into the launching system
“Active Cleaning” equipment, following cleaning of the 48” pipeline