People and projects from around the PETROFAC world

PROJECTS

TURKSTREAM IN PICTURES

LOOKING AT ONE OF PETROFAC’S NEWEST PROJECTS THROUGH THE CAMERA LENS

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Above, the gas receiving terminal for TurkStream which delivers gas from Russia to Turkey and south and southeast Europe. The starting point for the project is the Russkaya compressor station near Anapa in Russia; the gas is then transferred 930 km across the Black Sea via two parallel pipelines to the terminal constructed by Petrofac near Kiyikoy in Turkey.

WORDS CHRISTINA McPHERSON

IMAGES CHRISTOPHE VISEUX

PUBLISHED MARCH 2020

Shooting from above using a drone shows the magnitude of the site – to put it into context the area is comparable to around 27 football fields. On the left, two underground, onshore pipelines from the Black Sea transmit gas to the facility, while another two pipelines exit to the right. The first connects to the existing Turkish gas network at Luleburgaz, while the second continues to the Turkish-Bulgarian border.

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The sun rising over the project site, where water-bath heaters, resembling a fairground helter skelter, dominate the skyline at 12 metres tall. There are 12 onsite in total, six for each pipeline. At the terminal, gas is heated to reach the necessary outgoing temperature. The photographer Christophe Viseux, who captured the site last year, says: “I love taking industrial photos early morning and late in the day because galvanized steel is a great material to play with. It reflects the light nicely.”

With the horizon in the distance, the pipelines from the Black Sea are visible in the cleared area of land; post-construction much of the area will be returned to its previous condition. (Read more about the reinstatement work here). To the bottom of the main site is the camp for workers, comprising two canteens, a gym, recreational areas, accommodation and offices. The camp was as big as the facility and home to 2,500 workers at peak.

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A worker looks out from an elevated platform towards the high pressure metering section for one of the pipelines. At the terminal, gas pressure and quantity are continually measured and regulated, before the gas is fed to the Turkish gas grid.

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HSSE Advisor Betul Er checks the air regulation dumper for one of the combustion fans for the water butt heaters. This regulates the amount of air in the system. Find out more about Betul and some of our other colleagues who worked on the project.

The cold vent (which releases pressure) photographed against the fiery Turkish sky. For those avid photographers among you, what are Christophe’s tips for capturing sunsets? “Get a solid tripod and be patient. I can sometimes stay a full hour at the same place to get the light I really want. Get in position early and never leave too soon. A good photo sunset is still possible until it’s pitch black.”

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