BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 10. Corrosion
control is the cornerstone of our program to ensure the safety and
integrity of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), said
Erkin Aksu, Senior Integrity Engineer for Corrosion and Cathodic
Protection (CP) at TANAP, Trend reports.
Speaking at the Asset Integrity Corrosion and Coatings
Conference (AICC) in Baku, Aksu stated that within the Risk-Based
Inspection (RBI) approach, corrosion risk is assessed based on
cathodic protection measurements, online inspection data, and soil
type along the pipeline route.
“This information is used to develop a risk matrix, enabling us
to pinpoint sections that require inspections and determine how
often they should be conducted. This approach not only optimizes
costs but also extends the lifespan of assets,” he said.
Aksu pointed out that the main hurdles for long-distance
pipelines are the pesky problems of internal and external
corrosion, not to mention the wear and tear of coatings.
“Failure to address these issues promptly can result in
accidents, production stoppages, environmental damage, and
substantial financial losses. TANAP engineers continuously monitor
coating and cathodic protection systems, coordinate field
measurements and external surveys, and analyze online inspection
data for external corrosion and metal loss. All findings are
tracked digitally through a GIS platform,” he added.
TANAP (Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline) is a crucial
pipeline that transports natural gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz
field through Turkey to Europe, part of the Southern Gas Corridor
aimed at enhancing energy security. The pipeline spans
approximately 1,850 km, beginning at Türkgözü on the
Turkish-Georgian border and concluding at İpsala on the
Turkish-Greek border, crossing through 20 Turkish provinces. It
aims to diversify Azerbaijan's gas export markets and improve
energy supply security for Turkey and Europe, with an initial
capacity of around 16 billion cubic meters per year, which is
expandable. Major partners in the project include SOCAR (58%),
BOTAS (30%), and bp (12%).
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