Page 18 - ITATUBE Journal 1 2020

Technical Papers
Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
Energy bundles in demand more than ever
You can’t see them when they’re doing their job – yet the spotlight is on them more than ever now. Pipeline projects, energy bundles laid underground or on the seabed, yet they are the stars with a con- stant presence in media head- lines. An ever-growing trend. New pipelines such as the TurkStream, Nord Stream 2, EastMed and the Baltic Pipe Project are delighting energy providers and users alike, and their suppliers too. There is a huge thirst for piping – it must be quenched swiftly using the best quality products.
TurkStream joined the numerous existing pipelines in the Black Sea at the beginning of the year – it connects the Russian and Turkish gas transport system. One line supplies gas to Turkey and more
gas through Turkey to south and south-east Europe. Together the pipelines supply 31.5 billion cubic metres – newsworthy in itself. The pipeline stars stand out on the red carpet, however, also because it is the first time, worldwide, that a pipe with a diameter of more than 810 mm has been laid as deep as 2,200 metres. More boundaries are shifting, however, as also pipe manufacturers are making monu- mental product developments.
Open construction
Nord Stream 2 is also showing off its innovation with two lines planned, that will run broadly parallel to the already laid Nord Stream pipe, running through the Baltic Sea. They should carry some 55 billion cubic metres of gas a year from Russia to Germany,
where it will be further distributed throughout the European Union. “The rectilinear shore-based section was built using an inno- vative open construction method using trench coffers,” reported Nord Stream 2 AG. This proce- dure minimised the construction site, as the pipework was pulled through pre-prepared trenches and connected in the middle of the shore-based section.
The pipe supplier had to shoulder a mammoth task: Over 200,000 pipe segments were delivered. The total volume came to 2.2 million tonnes for a total stretch of 2,500 kilo- metres. Europipe – whose partner companies are Salzgitter Group and Dillinger Hüttenwerk AG – made 890,000 tonnes of this amount for around 1,100 kilometres.
ITAtube Journal No1/July 2020
18