Oil pipelines

The transportation of oil is the important stage of oil industry. In all ways of transportation (tanker, railway, pipelines) of oil process has certain ecological effects. However, in case of production of oil on the sea and it transboundary transportation there are more serious ecological problems. As it is visible, from made 19 International oil contracts Azerbaijan 15 concern to production of oil from offshore deposits. More than 80 % of large oil will be made just on these deposits. The sea oil after primary preparation on platforms on pipelines and tankers will be transported on Sangachal terminal. After complete preparation (division from water and other impurity) the large oil by main oil pipelines will be transported on the world market.

At the moment there are various types of oil pipelines in Azerbaijan:

1 In force oil pipelines for transportation of Azerbaijan oil to rafinery. These oil pipelines belong to the Azerbaijan State oil Company (SOCAR). Length of these main oil pipelines makes about 750 km, the diameters of pipes change in limits of 200-700 mm depending on productivity of the line. Capacity of these oil pipelines makes about 10 mln tone in the year.
2 Existing oil pipelines for transportation of early Azerbaijan oil under the international contracts. Entered in 1997-1999 these oil pipelines have two routes:
- Western route Sangachal-Supsa with length of 980 km, diameter of the pipe of 500 mm, passes through the whole territory of Azerbaijan and Georgia and acts in the terminal on the Black sea and further by tankers is deduced on the world market.
- Northern route also the beginning takes from Sangachal terminal and through territory Azerbaijan and Russia to Novorossiysk terminal on the Black sea. Length of this route makes about 1300 km, and diameter of the pipe of -500 mm.
Western route since April 17, 1999 is at the moment maintained only and the annual capacity of this route makes 7 mln tons.
3. The projected oil pipelines are intended for transportation of large oil under the International oil Contracts of Azerbaijan. Various variants of routes for transportation of large oil through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan with the exit to the Mediterranean sea, through Iran with the exit in Persian gulf, through the Black sea, with the exit to the countries of East Europe and etc. are available.

At the moment the preference is given to the route Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan in length about 1800 km and capacity about 40 mln tons in the year. On realization of this project the contract between parties of participants - countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan at participation of the president USA) in Istanbul summite of ÎSCE in November 1999 was signed. This project provides also transportation of Kazakhstan oil and Turkmenistan gas on this route. Cost of the civil-engineering design of the oil pipeline on this route makes about 2.4 billions dollars. However, this project does not exclude here in after use of alternate routes of transportation of energy-carriers of Caspian region. Apparently, it will depend on change of the geopolitical situation in region (problems with Nagorniy Karabakh, Chechnya, Iran, Abkhazia and etc).
Is at the moment projected new - Southern Sangachal terminal for transportation of Caspian oil by railway tanks.
For the estimation of influence of oil transportation processes on the environment it is possible to use 2 first types of oil pipelines, as one of them is maintained long time, and other - year back is entered in action.
We spend ecological inventory of emissions sources to atmosphere on objects of working and existing main oil pipelines and are determined total and specific emissions to atmosphere.

Main oil pipelines of the Azerbaijan State oil company
The basic sources of allocation of harmful substances industrial association of Main oil pipelines are pump stations, reservoir parks, mechanical workshops, boiler facilities, chemical laboratories and transport means. Unorganized emissions hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen-sulfide occur from compressors of pipelines, pump stations, roofs of tanks. Organized emissions of organic fuels combustion products (NOx, CO, SOx, BP and etc) to atmosphere occur from chimney of boiler facilities. In mechanical workshops emissions of inorganic substances occur from machine tools of metals refining . The basic production in Production Unite Main oil pipelines - swapping of oil on pipelines. Hence, the basic part energy-consumption occurs on pump stations. Here as energy are used the electric power from the urban network. Emissions by industry of the electric power in this case, also by the indirect image, concern to transportation of oil and it is necessary to take into account at determination of specific emissions.
Total specific emissions of harmful substances, connected with using of the electric power and direct productions in PU MOP are resulted in table 6.6.
These sizes are impossible to consider universal, however they can be used for account of emissions at transportation of oil on pipelines in the appropriate technological conditions.

Emissions to atmosphere at transportation of oil on the pipeline route of
Baku-Supsa
The basic objects of oil pipelines systems on the route Baku-Supsa are:

1 Sangachal terminal for reception, preparation and transportation of oil serves for preparation of oil (division from water and slams) and transfer it on pipelines on the world markets. The data about emissions in the terminal are resulted in tables 6.4-6.8
2 Pump stations for support of pressure about 60 atm on the whole route. 5 units of pump stations in the regions Udjari (N 5) and Shamkir (N 8) of Azerbaijan and in regions Àkhali Samgori (N 11), Ksani (N 13) and Didi Plevi (N 15) Georgia are available total. In Hadjigabul region of Azerbaijan one more pump station is projected.
3 Pressure-reduction station N 1 in Usakhelo (Chiaturi) and N 2 in Sazano (Zestafoni) serve for regulation of pressure on releases of mountains on territory in Georgia.
4Supsa terminal is on the coast of the Black sea in Georgia and serves for transfer of oil from the pipeline to the tanker
5 Safety Valves - it is total 24 in Azerbaijan and 32 units in Georgia are established on crossroads of an oil pipeline with main ways and rivers with the purpose of maintenance of safety
6 Radiostations- 11 units in Azerbaijan and 12 units in Georgia are established for maintenance of operative communication along the whole route
7 Katodprotections - it is total 400 units serve for electrochemical inhibition of corrosion processes in pipelines.

The basic sources of allocation of harmful gases are systems of maintenance of the electric power. In connection with absence of the stable linear electric power the pumps work on diesel fuel. Besides all, system of energy consumption is provided by the electrical generator on diesel fuel. The diesel fuel is brought and stored in tanks, or turns out from oil in reactors on pump stations. Thus, basic emissions are the pairs of hydrocarbons and products of combustion of diesel fuel (oxides of nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, benzapiren and etc). Sources of atmosphere pollution in pumps and generators are chimney by height 3 m and diameter 20 cm. Unorganized emissions of hydrocarbon vaporization occur from roofs of tanks for organic fuel.
Results of inventory of emissions sources to atmosphere from Shamkir pump station:
On pump station 3 pumps are available and 2 of them work constantly. The capacity of pumps makes 400 kW and in the hour consumes 135 liters of diesel fuel. On the exit chimney the concentration of harmful gases make: NOx=70, CO=650, SO2 =207 and RH=280 mg/m3.
Generators of the electric power (2 units) capacity of 500 kW work on diesel fuel. Chimney by height 3 m and diameter 20 cm is available.
The charge of diesel fuel makes 100 tone monthly. It means, that monthly volume of smoke gases on station reaches 1.2 mln m3. Emissions of separate harmful gases reach NOx=84, CO=780, SO2 =248 and RH=336 kg. If 6 identical pump stations are available at the same time, then total annual organized emissions of harmful products of combustion of organic fuel will make: NOx=5.048, CO=56.78, SO2=17.856 and RH=24.192 tone.
Three tanks of volume 90 m3 each are available, height of which makes 7 m.. An unorganized emissions of diesel fuel comes through the roofs of these tanks.
Technical accounts, described in section 6, show that one tank throws out 6.1 kg vapor annually, three tanks -18.3 kg. Total unorganized emissions of organic fuel from reservoirs of 6 identical pump stations make 109.8 kg.
Pressure-reduction stations N1 (Usakhelo) and N2 (Zestafoni) are located on territory Georgia, that is connected to relief of the route.

An increase of pipeline pressure resulted in pipeline alteration for 1 km is to be equalized by following kind of facilities: remote, semi-automatic and hand-operated. In case of excess pressure the valves in the pipeline are closed and the oil collects in the spare tank. Volume of the tank is equal to 1800 ì3, height 10 m and diameter 17.5 m.. As a result 726.9 kgs annually vapor of oil. From two identical stations vapor emissions makes 1453,8 kg.
The reservoir of volume 27 ì3, height 4 ì and diameter 3 ì is a source for unorganized emissions of diesel fuel. Accounts show that annual emissions make 9.8 kg. Emissions from 2 stations are equal to 19.6 kg.
The electrical generator by capacity of 200 kW has chimneys of height 3 m and diameter 20 cm, that is the pollution source . The annual consumption of diesel fuel makes 10 thousand tone. Thus volume of smoke gases is equal about 120 thousand m3. Thus, organized emissions of combustion products in the year make: NOx=100.8, CO=936, SO2 =297.6 and RH=403.2 kg. For two stations these sizes are equal: NOx=201.6, CO=1872, SO2 =595.2 and RH= 806.2 kg.

The terminal in Supsa is intended for overload of crude oil from the pipeline to the tanker. The basic sources of delivery harmful substances to atmosphere are:
1) 4 tank by the diameter 66 m and height 16m for 40000 tones of crude oil. The roofs of these tanks are mobile. Annual emissions of oil from the roof make 10.340 tone. For 4-th tanks this size makes 41.360 tones.
2) Tank for diesel fuel for 160 tone. Annual emissions of diesel fuel make 5.75 kgs.
3) 3 Pump with productivity 2000 m3 and capacity 1000 kW, which consume 80 tones of diesel fuel in the month. Annual emissions of products of combustion make: NOx=748.8, CO=8064, SO2 =3225.6 and RH= 5184 kgs.
4) 3 Generator of electrical energy by capacity of 800 kW each, consume 20 tones of diesel fuel in the month. Annual emissions of harmful substances make: NOx=187.2, CO=2016, SO2 = 806.4 and RH= 1296 kg

The total results of ecological inventory of emission sources on units of oil pipelines on the route Baku-Supsa are resulted on table 6.8

Table 6.8
Emissions at the oil transportation by pipeline on the route Baku-Supsa