Gazprom, OMK, and TMK participated in a new working meeting on innovations in the Russian pipe industry held at Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant.
It was noted that Gazprom and pipe producers planned to implement 88 scientific and technological projects, most of them providing for innovative developments, under scientific and technical cooperation programs till 2020. In May 2016, 11 projects were already completed, including the production launch of H2S-resistant gas and oil pipes, pipes with enhanced deformation capacity for crossing active tectonic faults, and the pipe coating technology using domestically-produced single-layer insulation.
Currently, highly-deformable pipes of 1,420-millimeter diameter are undergoing cold bending tests with a bend angle of over 6 degrees. If successful, that technology will partly replace the expensive practice of hot tube bending, thereby cutting the costs for the construction and repair of gas trunklines.
In 2016–2017, it is planned to test the first prototypes of X100-grade steel large-diameter pipes, which require less metal than the Х80 pipes currently in use.
Gazprom will receive casing and pump & compressor pipes of cold- and corrosion-resistant design from TMK and special-purpose ball valves, including heavy-duty service ones, from OMK.