OREANDA-NEWS. The Trubodetal Plant (Trubodetal Open Joint Stock Company, Chelyabinsk-based, part of United Metallurgical Company, OMK Closed Joint Stock Company) has produced the first batch of the “skin effect” fittings for the pipeline between the A. Titov and the R.Trebs fields (which is currently under construction in the Northeast of the Nenets Autonomous Region).

The pipeline will operate under low temperatures and polar conditions using the industrial heating system. For this reason, Trubodetal used the “skin effect” external heat insulation system to ensure that Trubodetal's fittings are insulated. The system allows for the oil to be heated in the pipe by using a satellite pipe which carries the inductive current. To seal the inter-pipe space, the plant used special filled blinds, which had been developed by non-standard equipment experts at Trubodetal.

The Bashneft-Polus Limited Liability Company, a joint venture between Bashneft Open Joint Stock Oil Company and LUKOIL Open Joint Stock Company, has placed an order for the 530 mm insulated pipeline bends, complete with the heating system. The plant's equipment was modernized to meet the conditions of the contract, including using epoxy rather than the plant's usual polyurethane covering.

“The order has proven to be both difficult and interesting for us,” said Igor Voronin, Trubodetal's Managing Director. “It prompted us to introduce and actively use two new technologies at our facility: epoxy materials for parts and heat insulation, and the 'skin effect' system. I am confident that we will continue receiving orders for northern pipeline construction and, in turn, can guarantee the quality and reliability of the products we deliver.”

The “skin effect” system is used in the oil industry to provide industrial heating of lengthy pipelines in northern territories. This technology allows to partially or fully compensate for heat losses, maintain an optimal temperature of the liquid in the pipe, or to heat it to a certain degree.