BJ Process and Pipeline Services completes major pipeline pre-commissioning operation in Turkey

On the Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan (BTC) crude oil pipeline project, which is owned by a joint venture consisting of several Turkish pipeline construction companies, including Streicher, Haustadt & Timmerman, Gunsayil and Alarko (STA).

The BTC pipeline network runs from Baku, Azerbaijan to Ceyhan, Turkey. BJ PPS provided a variety of critical pipeline pre-commissioning services for Lot B, the 42-inch x 465km section of pipeline in Turkey that extends from Erzurum to Sivas. More specifically, BJ PPS supplied pipeline pre-commissioning services, including initial air cleaning and the preliminary caliper survey. This was followed by flooding, hydrotesting, bulk dewatering, swabbing, air-drying services and the final caliper survey.

Mountain Ranges Pose Challenges

BJ PPS faced the logistical challenge of transporting equipment, and servicing the pipeline that stretches across three mountain ranges at elevations as high as 2800 meters above sea level. Due to the high elevations, BJ PPS provided high-pressure multi-stage flooding pumps to ensure that the pipeline pre-commissioning would be completed swiftly and effectively.

BJ PPS Mobilises its Largest Ever Spread of Equipment

The demanding operation was further complicated by the client's compressed schedule for completion. To meet the required deadline, BJ PPS mobilised the largest spread of equipment in its history. In addition to three independent flooding and hydrotesting spreads, three air cleaning and caliper survey spreads were used to prepare the 27 sections of pipeline for flooding and hydrotesting.

In spite of adverse weather conditions that made some portions of the pipeline inaccessible for four months during the term of the contract, BJ PPS successfully completed all requisite services on BTC pipeline Lot B. The entire operation was carried out by BJ PPS personnel and specialist equipment based at the division's permanent Middle East facility in Dubai.

"We welcome the opportunities and challenges that Turkey presents to BJ PPS. The BTC pipeline project was exceptional, not only in view of the rugged terrain and weather conditions, but because our client was under a considerable amount of pressure to complete the project as quickly as possible," according to Lindsay Link, general manager of BJ Process and Pipeline Services. "We were acutely aware of the urgency of the situation, so we pulled out all the stops to complete the project safely and efficiently. I'm happy to report that with the use of several large equipment spreads, operations were completed in just eight months, well within the pre-agreed period of completion," he added.

Continuing Success in Turkey

With the BTC operation completed, BJ PPS continues to build upon a history of successful service in Turkey. Previously, BJ PPS completed a similar pipeline pre-commissioning project on a 48-inch x 500km portion of a pipeline network known as the Blue Stream project.

BJ Services Company (BJS-NYSE, CBOE) is a leading provider of pressure pumping and related oilfield services to the petroleum industry. The company operates in every major oil and gas producing region.