EA Technology Helps To Keep Oil Flowing Into Europe

Partnering with the BTC Pipeline Company (BTC) on the project, EA Technology assessed the ability of individual assets to withstand the volatile weather conditions in the region, helping to ensure the pipeline continues to transport at its normal capacity of one million barrels of oil per day. The survey involved detailed testing of fifty two block valve stations, four pump stations and one marine terminal, in a two stage contract over twelve months.

Stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, the 1,768km BTC pipeline traverses challenging environments, including mountain ranges at altitudes of up to 3,000m and waterways up to 1,600m wide. Constructed to transport oil from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field to the port of Ceyhan, any asset failure could lead to downtime, incur large costs and compromise the inherent safety of the pipeline.

EA Technology was chosen by BTC for its proven capabilities in large-scale diagnostic projects. The project included testing of the electrical earthing and lightning protection systems in all Turkish sections of the pipeline, some exposed to extreme weather conditions. EA Technology also tested high voltage switchgear for Partial Discharge (PD) activity.

EA Technology engineers equipped with innovative and bespoke diagnostic and testing instruments were deployed to work on location in Turkey, to support BTC’s local pipeline maintenance team.

“Maintaining the long term output of one of Europe’s most critical oil pipelines in what are very challenging and fluctuating operating conditions is an ongoing concern with the BTC pipeline project,” said Abdulla Abdullayev, BTC Turkey Area Operations Manager. “For this reason, we wanted to partner with an industry expert in assessing electrical asset performance and reducing the risk of system failures.”

Project Lead Manager at EA Technology, Ramiz Ahmed confirmed, “It was certainly a challenging brief for the EA Technology team, working in summer highs of +30°C and winter lows of -20°C.

“The BTC project is one of which we’re especially proud, as it demonstrates how EA Technology goes the extra mile to complete the important work of critical asset management.”