CHENNAI:
Anish Aggarwal, Director(Pipelines), IndianOil dedicated to the nation today three numbers of multi product pipelines which have been re-routed along the railway corridor between IndianOil’s Foreshore Terminal and Korukkupet Terminal at a cost of about Rs. 98 crores, in the presence of R. Sitharthan, Executive Director, IndianOil Tamilnadu State Office, S. Senthilkumar, Executive Director (Regional Services), IndianOil Southern Region, S. N. Pandey, Managing Director, CPCL, Rakesh Sehgal, Executive Director (Operations), IndianOil, D. S. Nanaware, Executive Director, IndianOil Southern Region Pipelines, and K. S. Rao, Chief General Manager (Operations), IndianOil TamilNadu State Office, collectives and others.
A plaque was unveiled by Anish Aggarwal to mark the occasion at the site and then a formal inaugural function was held at Foreshore Terminal in which the key people involved in the project were felicitated and a booklet on the Dock Lines project was also released.
“The commissioning of these re-routed dock lines is a golden milestone as it will feed the Chennai market with surplus products and also the advanced technological involvement will lead to ensure high end efficiency and safety to these lines. Moreover, the success of this project is evidence to the fact that spirit of togetherness can lead to the best results”, said Aggarwal while addressing the gathering.
Chennai Petroleum Corporation’s (CPCL) 11 million tonne refinery, refines and pumps out various products through pipelines to Trichy, Madurai, Sankari(Salem) and also to major consuming centres like Bengaluru. Pipelines traversing a distance of about 10 kms, transports various products from CPCL to IndianOil’sTondiarpet, Korukkupet and Fore Shore terminals. The pipelines from CPCL to Foreshore terminal are connected to POL (Petroleum Oil) jetty’s of Chennai Port for loading of products.
A section of pipeline between CPCL refinery and Korukkupet terminal for about 5 kms are Above Ground. But a section of pipeline from Korukkupet to Chennai Port, for about 5 kms distance, which has been Under Ground, over the years, witnessed thick inhabitation in the form of new constructions ad residences.
As frequent maintenance and health integrity checks posed a challenge, and as the pipelines has had a run length of more than 40 years, it was decided in 2016 to relay or re-route the under-ground pipelines with newly constructed ones along the railway corridor.
Hence with due statutory and regulatory approvals, the under-ground portion of following existing pipelines for a distance of five kms, have been re-routed and re-laid along the railway corridor:
1. 20” Dia White Oil pipeline (can transport Petrol, Diesel, Naphtha, Kerosene, ATF)
2.14” Dia Black Oil pipeline (can carry various grades of Furnace Oil)
3.12” Dia Lube Oil pipeline (can carry various types of Lube Base Oils)
These multi product pipelines have been hooked upto the existing Docklines at Fore Shore Terminal. These pipelines have been laid along the Railway Corridor between Tondiarpet Railway Station to Royapuram Railway Station and inside Chennai Port except a small stretch in TN Police Quarters, Stanley Medical College Quarters & TELC Church near Washermenpet Railway Station.
Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) has been laid along with the pipelines for providing SCADA and data transfer. SCADA System facilitates Leak Detection, Surge Relief, Thermal Relief System and automatic shut down facility.
These pipelines are bi-directional piggable pipelines (it means that the pipelines can be cleaned by inserting a device called PIG). The new pipelines have been laid 5 feet below the ground level and have been designed as per ASME B 31.4 international standards for pipelines.
This effort of re routing of pipelines along the railway corridor has been undertaken for better management of pipeline network, for adhering to laid down Safety norms and thereby improving the overall safety and enhancing environment of the eco- system.
