Wroblewska, Roszkowski
Gas & Water # 2006 Washington DC
The development of gas networks and the significant increase of the number of gas consumers in Poland has resulted in making many strategic decisions connected with investment process in this sector. At the same time, better and more technologically advanced materials applied in gas pipeline constructions and their modernization have enabled the transmission of bigger amount of gas medium in the existing pipelines. The increased gas pressure in pipelines increases their capacity and allows to enlarge the number of end users. Unfortunately, the poor technical condition of many gas pipelines means that such procedures are impossible without expensive repairs or without the replacement of the part or even the whole installation. How we can increase the gas pressure in our networks without building new pipelines and using the existing ones? That is the question which gasworks in Poland have to answer. In this article I would like to present the project of steel gas pipeline renovation, 2,5 km long, with the diameter 400 mm. The pipeline was built in the sixties and designed for the higher pressure gas transmission. As the years go the technical condition of the pipeline became worse and the frequent failures made the operating difficult. The extremely limited access to the pipeline (private and afforested area, many bends and direction changes) as well as the expected operating conditions (the maintaining of diameter and pressure in the pipeline) have dictated the use of close fit renovation method. The Compact Pipe will be used as the interactive layer which will co-operate with the existing pipeline and improve the hydraulics and tightness. In my study I would to describe the criteria of technology selection, the way in which we connected the particular segments of the pipeline and difficulties we met during the works. I have to mention that the described installation is the first big project using Compact Pipe as the interactive layer in the pipeline transmitting the higher pressure gas. The experience we have gained by the project realization could be (and should be) the source of knowledge for the future renovation projects. In Poland only in Silesia region the demand for pipelines’ rehabilitation is significant.
