On 19-24 April, the 14th International Business Meeting "Diagnostics – 2004" was held. The Meeting was attended by 425 representatives from 145 companies based in 19 European and Asian countries. Gazprom and its subsidiary Orgenergogaz served as the Forum co-arrangers. The Meeting was presided by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom’s Management Committee and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the International Business Meeting “Diagnostics – 2004”.

In making an opening statement, A. Ananenkov pointed out that “the backbone of the modern gas production, processing and transmission facility diagnostics system is a systematic and scientifically substantiated analysis of the reasons, which may lead to these or those defects, and the factors causing the former to emerge and develop. The aforementioned analysis is conducted based on the results of calculations and experimental surveys as well as on the experience of operating technical devices. This analysis pursues the objective of determining potentially dangerous defects, the algorithm and measures to be applied to eliminate those, cost and other parameters. Gazprom commissioned its subsidiary Orgenergogaz to put this system into life.”

Presenting his speech, Bogdan Budzulyak, Gazprom’s Management Committee Member and Head of the Company’s Gas Transmission, Underground Storage and Utilization Department, pointed out that, at present, “the scope of the large diameter gas pipeline flaw detection works reached an optimal annual level of 19-20 thousand km. This is roughly 20% of the total pipeline length and enables the Company to ensure a 5-year cycle of maintenance.”

Representatives from Gazprom, Orgenergogaz, VNIIGAZ, Russia and CIS-based gas transmission companies, research organizations and a range of overseas firms presented reports at the Meeting and highlighted modern methods applied to inspect the gas industry facilities.

The "Diagnostics – 2004" Meeting addressed the following major topics:

• Diagnostics of gas mains;
• Diagnostics of equipment and compressor stations;
• Production and dispatching services accompanying diagnostics procedures;
• Diagnostics of gas distribution pipelines, gas distribution units and automated gas-filling compressor stations.

At the end of the Meeting the parties adopted the Resolution of the 14th International Business Meeting "Diagnostics – 2004".

Reference:

The International Business Meetings dedicated to the diagnostics of the gas industry facilities are held on an annual basis. The 1st Meeting took place in 1991 in the city of Yalta. These Meetings are held for heads and experts of oil and gas companies, scientists, diagnostics equipment designers and producers.

The main goals of the International Business Meetings are as follows:

• Developing the market of diagnostics services, fundamentals and devices to be applied in examining the gas industry equipment and facilities;
• Promoting the experience in applying various inspection methods, facilities and systems in the gas industry;
• Determining the most promising directions of cooperation in examining the gas industry equipment and facilities, promoting interaction with overseas counterparts, inclusive;
• Detecting the causes of the deficiencies emerging while operating gas equipment.

The Orgenergogaz subsidiary was incorporated back in 1971. The company specializes in inspecting pipelines and organizing maintenance and service works. Orgenergogaz’s experts participated in designing and launching the Soyuz, Urengoi – Pomary – Uzhgorod, Yamal – Europe, Blue Stream gas pipelines as well conducted works at oil and gas facilities in Algeria, Libya, Iraq, Poland, Bulgaria and other countries.

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