Transportation of oil

Most of the oil fields located far away from the processing or marketing of oil, so fast and cost-effective delivery of "black gold" is vital to the prosperity of the industry.

The cheapest and most environmentally friendly way to transport oil are pipelines. Oil in them is moving at a speed of 3 m / s under the influence of pressure difference created by the pumping stations. They are placed at intervals of 70-150 miles, depending on the topography of the road. At a distance of 10-30 kilometers in pipes placed bolts and able to cover some parts of the accident. The inner diameter of the pipe, usually ranges from 100 to 1400 mm. They are made from high-plastic steel, can withstand the thermal, mechanical and chemical effects. Gradually take on more and more popular lines of reinforced plastic. They do not corrode and have a virtually unlimited service life.

Oil pipelines are underground and surface. Both types have their advantages. Onshore pipelines easier to build and maintain. In the event of an accident is much easier to detect and repair damage to the pipe, held above the ground. At the same time, underground pipelines are less affected by changes in weather conditions, which is especially important for Russia, where the difference between winter and summer temperatures in some regions, has no analogues in the world. Pipes can be made and on the bottom of the sea, but because it is technically difficult and expensive, large spaces intersect with oil tankers and offshore pipelines often used for transportation of oil in a single oil-producing complex.

The idea of ​​using pipelines to transport crude oil and petroleum products offered great Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleyev. He explained the basic principles of building and brought arguments in favor of this mode of transport.

There are three types of pipelines. Fishing, as the name implies, connects well with the objects in the field. Interfield lead from one field to another, the main pipeline, or just about removing the industrial facility, located outside the initial oil production complex. The main oil pipelines are laid to deliver oil from the fields to the handling and consumption of places to which, inter alia, include tank farms, oil terminals, refineries.

Theoretical and practical foundations to build oil pipelines developed the famous engineer VG Shukhov, author of the television tower in Shabolovka. Under his leadership, in 1879, on the Apsheron Peninsula created the first in the Russian Empire field pipeline to deliver oil from Balakhani deposits to refineries in Baku. Its length was 12 miles. And in 1907 and on the draft Shukhov built the first trunk pipeline length of 813 kilometers, connect Baku and Batumi. It is used to this day.

Today, the total length of main oil pipelines in the country is about 50 thousand kilometers. Separate pipelines are often combined into larger systems. The longest of them - "Friendship", built in 1960 for the delivery of oil from Eastern Siberia to Eastern Europe (8900 km). Guinness World Records made the longest pipeline in the world today, with a length of 787.2 km 3. He owned Interprovinshl Pipeline Inc. (Interprovincial Pipe Line Inc.) And extends across the entire North American continent, from Edmonton, Alberta to Chicago and then to Montreal. However, this result is not long maintain its leading position. Length currently under construction oil pipeline "Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean" (ESPO) will be 4770 kilometers. The project was designed and implemented by the corporation "Transneft". The pipeline will pass close to the oil fields in Eastern Siberia and the Far East, which will give an incentive for more efficient operation of oil facilities, infrastructure development and job creation. Major Russian oil companies, such as "Rosneft", "Surgutneftegas", "TNK-BP" and "Gazprom oil", will be delivered to customers in the Asia-Pacific region, where the economy is growing most rapidly and constantly growing energy needs. In scale and significance for the country's economy is comparable to the ESPO Baikal-Amur railway.

Since the application of pipeline cost effective and they work in any weather and at any time of year, it is a means of transporting oil is really indispensable - especially for Russia, with its vast territory and seasonal restrictions on the use of water transport. However, most of the international traffic of oil tankers carry. Tonnage tankers used for special purposes - including to transport bitumen, general purpose tankers having deadweight (total weight of goods, which takes vessel) at 16 500-24 999 tons, used for the transport of petroleum products tankers of medium (25 000-44 999 tons) - to deliver both petroleum and petroleum. Large-capacity tankers are considered more than 45, 000 tons, and they account for a greater burden on the transportation of oil by sea. For oil transportation by river arteries using barges dwt 2000 - 5000 tons.

The world's first oil tanker, "filling ship" under the name of "Zoroaster", was built in 1877 by order of the "Society of the Nobel brothers" in the shipyards Swedish town of Motala. Steamer carrying capacity of 15 thousand pounds (about 250 tons) was used to deliver the bulk of kerosene from Baku to Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd) and Astrakhan.

Modern tankers - these giant ships. Impressive size due to economic "economies of scale". Transportation cost of a barrel of oil on marine vessels is inversely proportional to their size. In addition, the number of crew members of large and medium-sized tanker about the same. Therefore, the ships are giant companies significantly reduce the cost of transportation. However, not all ports are able to host a super-tanker. Need for such giants deepwater ports. For example, most of the Russian ports because of the restrictions on the fairway is not able to receive tankers with deadweight of more than 130-150 thousand tons.

Tanker cargo spaces separated by several transverse and one to three longitudinal bulkheads on tanks - tanks. Some of them are only for receiving water ballast. Access to the tanks can be obtained from the deck - a small cap with a tight lid. To reduce the risk of oil spills and oil as a result of accidents in 2003, the International Maritime Organization approved the proposals of the EU to speed up the withdrawal of single-hull oil tankers. Already in April 2008 banned transportation of all heavy fuels to vessels not equipped with a double hull.

Oil and petroleum products are loaded into tankers from the shore and unload ships are using pumps and pipes laid in the tank and along the deck. However supertankers deadweight of more than 250,000 tons, as a rule, simply can not enter the port, when fully loaded. They are filled with sea platforms and unloading, pumping the liquid contents to smaller tankers.

Today the seas and oceans of the world roam over 4,000 tankers. Most of them are owned by independent shipping companies. Oil corporations conclude contracts with them chartering, getting right to the use of the vessel.

Another type of oil transportation - by rail. This is a quick way to all-season. In our country, it is used to deliver oil from Western Siberia to the Far East, the South Urals and Central Asia. Driven out of the Urals oil to the West, the North Caucasus and in Novorossiysk. However, for the delivery of "black gold" by rail requires 10 times more labor than for its transportation through pipelines. Therefore, even in countries with an extensive rail network of this method of transportation of oil is secondary.




Interesting Facts


Before the advent of oil pipelines poured into skins and drums and carried on horseback. This method was very expensive. So, in 1877 pounds (about 16 kg) of oil fields in the Absheron cost 3 pennies, and delivery within 12 miles to refineries dispensed in 20 cents.

Tankers are the largest ships in the world. The title of the largest ship in the world owned by the Norwegian supertanker «Knock Nevis». Its length - 458 m, width - 69 m, deadweight - 564,763 tons. As the draft of the ship loaded more than 24 m, he could not take place not only through the Suez and Panama canals, but even on the English Channel. Giant was built in 1979-1981, shuttled between the Middle East and the U.S., has changed several names and flags. Now «Knock Nevis» used as floating storage.

Russian sources claim that the first oil pipeline was built Shukhov Absheron peninsula in 1879 for the delivery of oil from Balakhani field to refineries in Baku. The length of the pipeline up to 12 miles. However, the Americans believe that in 1860 created a pipeline connecting oil field Oil Creek in Pennsylvania, with the train station Miller Farm Station. Its length was about 8 miles.