Atyrau Oil & Gas
CPC Debottlenecking Program: Increased Volumes, Increased Reliability
The year 2022 ended with an important and significant event for the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) as it achieved mechanical completion to transport about 72.5 mln tons of oil annually from Kazakhstan and up to 81.5 mln tons of oil per year through the territory of the Russian Federation. This resulted from the implementation of individual projects combined into a large-scale Debottlenecking Program (DBNP).
The Program aims to optimize the current capacities of the CPC oil pipeline system. The Program delivery will enable a flexible operation of injection points and allow for the transportation of extra crude oil volumes with an optimal number of DRA at relevant pipeline operating factors.
The Program also includes a range of projects to improve the CPC Crude Oil Pipeline System reliability level upon increasing crude oil transportation volumes.
At kilometer zero
Located in the steppes of Kazakhstan on the zero kilometer of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium pipeline system, the Tengiz PS is not only a launch pad but also a business card of the CPC. Oil producers who deliver hydrocarbon raw materials to the Tengiz station, it is here that they get an idea of the scale of the international project, its equipment capability, and the team's professionalism.
"We all feel a special responsibility here," says Ondasyn Shakan, head of the Tengiz PS. – According to the quality of work – people and technical systems – our partners judge the operation of the pipeline. We work closely with the operational staff of shippers and coordinate with them the modes of receiving raw materials."
After completing the CPC Expansion Project in 2018, the station doubled its capacity. At that time, a new main pump station, a pig launcher/receiver station, and other facilities were built here. "Tengizchevroil continues to increase production,– says Ondasyn Shakan. – With one oil treatment plant, the volume of shipments amounted to 13 million tons per year. After the construction of the second-generation plant, TCO reached the level of first 25, and then 29 million tons. The third-generation plant currently under construction will produce up to 39 million tons of oil annually." The Consortium should promptly deliver these volumes to world markets.
Therefore, responding to the needs of oil workers, the CPC head PS continues to increase its transport potential dynamically. During the implementation of the Debottlenecking Program, a pressure control unit was commissioned at Tengiz in October 2021. The technical re-equipment of the system for measuring the quantity and quality of oil was also carried out. The new booster pump station, commissioned in November 2022 to replace the old one, has four more powerful units.
Often, the work carried out at the zero kilometer of the CPC was unique, such as a truly precise operation to replace the main pumps with pumps of higher performance. The precision lies in the fact that accurate calculations at the stage of development and approval of design and working documentation allowed placing pumps of increased capacity on the old foundation in the exact dimensions and with almost the same connections, and the replacement itself was carried out in a working station. As a result of the replacement, the capacity of the main pumping station of the Tengiz PS increased from 4,875 cubic meters per hour to 6,800 cubic meters per hour.
Two new 20 thousand cubic meters units will increase the capacity of the tank farm of the Tengiz PS to 120 thous. cubic meters, thereby increasing the CPC Crude Oil Pipeline System's reliability in increasing shipment volumes. The existing control and communication systems, fire detection, and gas leak systems were expanded in connection with the commissioning of new facilities. All new equipment is integrated into existing automation and dispatching systems.
Other pump stations, including the Atyrau PS and the Astrakhan PS, have also undergone modernization.
The work is almost 70% completed.
"On December 31, 2022, a notification was sent to CPC shareholders that, as part of the Debottlenecking Program, all facilities at the Tengiz and Astrakhan pump stations were fully built and put into operation, which affect the ability of the CPC pipeline system to accept additional volumes of oil from the Tengiz field in the Republic Kazakhstan, – says the Technical director of CPC-DBNP Manager Igor Lisin. "At the moment, the Consortium's pipeline system, as stipulated by the final investment decision (FID), is capable of transporting 72.5 million tons of oil per year from Kazakhstan, and considering the operating coefficient up to 81.5 million tons of oil per year through the Russian Federation."
At the same time, the achievement of this critical milestone does not mean the completion of the entire DBNP, which, according to the current schedule, will continue until mid-2025, when the final volumes of work on improving the reliability and refinement of the SCADA system will be completed after the changes made and the dismantling of old equipment. Based on the volume of work performed, the readiness of the DBNP as of February 2023 is estimated at 67%.
Tasks for the current year
A large amount of work is planned for 2023. Increasing the capacity of the pipeline system goes hand in hand with increasing the level of its reliability. In the middle of this year, two new tanks of the Tengiz PS with a volume of 20 thous. cubic meters each will be put into operation. They will provide a reserve of oil accumulation to eliminate temporary unevenness of supplies from the TCO shipper and allow the gradual replacement of the existing tanks of the station, the safe operation of which is coming to an end.
By the end of 2023, new external power supply facilities will be put into operation to increase the electric capacity available for the Tengiz NS. Also, by the end of the year, three new lease automatic custody transfer (LACT) units will be introduced at the Marine Terminal shore facilities in Novorossiysk, which will increase the reliability of maritime operations, as there will be a backup LACT for the possibility of shipping oil through all three existing SPMs. At the same time, it will be possible to service any separate LACT line.
According to experts of the Consortium, even after increasing the volume of transported oil, according to technological calculations, simultaneous shipment by three SPMs is unlikely. This part of the DBNP program aims to improve reliability and will allow, if necessary, to quickly pump the accumulations of the Marine Terminal's tank farm and consistently replace existing SPM-1 and SPM-2 with new ones without affecting transportation volumes.
In addition, this year, work will begin on the installation of variable frequency drives (VFD) for the high-voltage electric motor at PS-3, PS-4, and PS-5. Installing this equipment will ensure the stable operation of the stations in conditions of unstable external power supply.
Later, the next stage of the DBNP starts – the dismantling of old equipment. This is no less important stage of the project than the construction of new facilities. After all, all work will be carried out at functioning facilities. For example, the electrical cables to be dismantled are located in the same place as the ones being operated, which will require special attention and coordination of the actions of the construction contractor with the operational personnel at the stations.
A separate, no less responsible front of work is updating the SCADA system in connection with the introduction of new DBNP equipment. This long-term work will be carried out in stages until 2025, until the last stage of the DBNP – cleaning of the SCADA system after all changes and dismantling works.
The Debottlenecking Program is a logical continuation of the CPC Expansion Project successfully completed in 2018. It is designed to ensure the interests of shippers (considering the potential growth of raw materials supplies) while maintaining high standards of safety and reliability of the CPC Crude Oil Pipeline System.
The main export route of Kazakhstani oil
On February 28-March 1, 2023, during the Board of Directors of CPC-R JSC meeting and the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of CPC-K JSC in Astana, the results of the Consortium's work for 2022 were summed up. It was noted that last year CPC shipped 58.7 million tons of oil at the Marine Terminal. The total volume of oil delivered to world markets via the pipeline system since its commissioning has exceeded 823 million tons.
Last year, CPC-K JSC paid 27.5 billion tenge to the Kazakhstani budget through tax deductions, which is almost 82 million US dollars. Thus, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium remains the main export route for Kazakhstani oil. And it will retain this mission for many years to come.