APPLICATION OF DECISION SUPPORT METHOD IN PIPELINE REPAIR
Сергей Владимирович Китаев, I. R. Baykov, O.V. Smorodova, E.R. Vallyamova, A.M. Shammazov · НАУЧНО-ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЙ ЖУРНАЛ «ПРОБЛЕМЫ СБОРА, ПОДГОТОВКИ И ТРАНСПОРТА НЕФТИ И НЕФТЕПРОДУКТОВ» · 2025
The total length of main gas pipelines in Russia operated by PJSC Gazprom exceeds 180 thousand km, with 45 % of gas pipelines having been in operation for over 30 years. Under long-term operation conditions, a large number of defects accumulate on main gas pipelines, with which the gas transportation system has to be operated, while it is necessary to ensure the requirement of uninterrupted and safe transportation of the product. A large number of defects of various origins are detected by means of in-pipe flaw detection. The detected defects classified as «unacceptable» are eliminated, the remaining defects are left until the next in-pipe inspection. This approach is the most rational. Repair work carried out on existing main gas pipelines is carried out in order to eliminate the unacceptable defects identified during in-pipe flaw detection. Defects that fall into the «unacceptable» category are usually eliminated by replacing the spool or pipe. Using this repair method, it is necessary to take a section of the gas pipeline out of operation and bleed natural gas into the atmosphere. Currently, various energy-saving technologies are used to conserve gas before taking a section out of operation for repair. These include pumping gas to adjacent operating sections, generating gas for the consumer through gas distribution stations, generating gas through a compressor station from adjacent sections. There are also alternative methods used to eliminate pipeline defects - replacing defective sections using pressure cutting technology, installing couplings to reinforce the defective pipe. The article analyzes existing methods for repairing main gas pipelines. The method of hierarchy analysis is considered to support decision-making when choosing a repair method, taking into account the existing operating conditions of the section being repaired.