TRANSNEFTEPRODUCT JSC ENSURES THE HIGH QUALITY OF AVIATION FUEL FOR DELIVERIES TO REFUELING COMPLEXES OF MOSCOW AIR HUB AERPORTS

Because of the recent publications in mass media, in particular in RBK Daily, about the problem concerning the fuel quality and its pipeline deliveries to Sheremetyevo refueling complexes, Transnefteproduct JSC guesses it’s vital to declare the following information.

Realizing its production activity, Transnefteproduct JSC considers securing safe exploitation and regular deliveries of oil products to the consumers as one of its main purposes, as well as prevention of emergency situations at its manufacturing facilities.

When transporting aviation fuel to refueling complexes of Moscow airports through the system of Moscow ring oil products pipeline (MROPP), any entries of mechanical impurities or elements of microbiologic corrosion into refueling complexes meant for fueling aircrafts are totally excepted, it is applied to the same extent to the refueling complex of Sheremetyevo airport.

For the moment, the quality control of the aviation fuel that goes to Sheremetyevo refueling complex from the system of MROPP is a 4-step system equipped with modern fine filtration units. At that, the first two steps are under responsibility of Transnefteproduct’s affiliated company – Mostransnefteproduct JSC (MTNP JSC). 

1. 2-step filtration unit (FU) is equipped with fine filters of 15 microns and 2 microns (under responsibility of MTNP JSC);
2. Fine filtration unit of 15 micron and fuel tanks of Receiving Warehouse, from which samples for lab analyses are taken.
3. Fine filtration unit of 2 micron (under responsibility of MTNP JSC);
4. Fuel tank parks: Airplane Warehouse, storage base and fine filtration units of 1 micron at the output (under responsibility of the refueling complex);
5. Fine filtration units of 1 micron, mounted at aircraft fuelers and water posts of apron pipeline laid to the aircraft parking areas.

We kindly advise you to examine the scheme of quality control of aviation fuel at Sheremetyevo refueling complex (click to view the picture of large size):

 

 



Taking into consideration the high standards and rules of major oil products pipelines exploitation (MOPP) approved by TRANSNEFT JSC, Transnefteproduct JSC is holding diagnostic and maintenance works at all the three lines of the MROPP (aviation fuel, diesel oil, and petrol) in the period from 2010 to 2012, at its own expense.

We would like to remind that the diagnostics, filtering and full elimination of defects had been finished until November 2011 along the whole diesel line of MROPP. Transnefteproduct has reported about it: http://transnefteproduct.ru/news/news/unit.php?ID=1260

Implementing the program of diagnostic and repair of MROPP, an itratubal diagnostics of aviation fuel is being carried out. At that, Transnefteproduct began a new technological scheme of supplying refueling complexes of airports in the end of 2011. So due to that scheme the transportation of aviation fuel was completely transferred to the previously prepared diesel oil line.

Such a substitution was made to ensure regular supply of aviation fuel to the airports of the Moscow air hub, preserving a high quality of fuel during the period of diagnostic and maintenance works on the aviation fuel line.

The successful termination of this complicated procedure can be confirmed by the results of laboratory tests by Mostransnefteproduct JSC and the State Scientific and Research Institution of civil aviation – the high quality of the oil product is guaranteed.

We should specially underline that since December 2011, the volume of pipeline deliveries of aviation fuel to Sheremetyevo refueling complex through the ring oil product pipeline was cut shortly (2011: 73.7 thousand tons in September, 67.5 thousand tons in October, 56.8 thousand tons in November, 42.2 thousand tons in December). At the same time, there is a significant increase in volumes of railway deliveries to this very refueling complex (2011: 73.6 thousand tons in September, 93.0 thousand tons in October, 65.3 thousand tons in November, 110.5 thousand tons in December). Due to the fact of increase of railway deliveries of the aviation fuel, we can observe overstocking of the refueling complex and long demurrages of tanks waiting for unloading, and this is, again, considering the weak winter preparation of railway tanks, can result in appearance of microbiological corrosion elements in the fuel.

RBK Daily quotes the commentary of Bladimir Spiridonov, the General Manager of Aerofuels Grupp, who associates the problems of the whole Moscow aviation hub with the physical weariness of the Moscow ring oil product pipeline. At that, Mr. Spiridonov, being a member of the process of aircraft refueling in Sheremetyevo airport, could not fail to know about the above mentioned repair and diagnostic works fulfilled. Mr. Spiridonov has not taken part at any working meeting conserving implementation of current works, to which representatives of all the refueling complexes of the Moscow air hub and oil companies were called.

All the refueling complexes of Moscow airports are being supplied according to this very technological scheme. At that the experts, including foreign ones, confirm that there are no problems with the quality of the fuel in other airports.

In the letter of Thomas Dunstan, the Director of the Bermudian department of civil aviation, addressed to the management of Rosaviatsia, which RBK Daily cites, it is underlined that there were no accidents of finding microbiological corrosion in fuel of Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports. The Director of the Bermudian department of civil aviation recommended the Russian air government to make an immediate mass research of fuel suppliers along with Sheremetyevo refueling complex, and to clean up the fuel tanks from microbiological impurities.

Probably, the so-called “expert”, V. Spiridonov is trying to shift the problems of Sheremetyevo refueling complex and Aerofuels Grupp concerning unsatisfactory condition of pipelines laid under the apron and through which in-wing fueling of aircrafts is made, along with the poor condition of the tanks of the refueling complex at Transnefteproduct.

This idea was also confirmed during the interview at RBK-TV by Petr Kiryan, the Chief Editor of RBK Daily newspaper, who reported the following: “The fuel is fed to aircrafts from tanks (on the territory of Sheremetyevo refueling complex – note by Transnefteproduct) that were placed in operation in the 1970s. Since that time, the airport’s service agencies inspected the tank many times, and carried out maintenance works, but there has accumulated very much slag in the past decades inside the pipe (these are industrial pipelines of the refueling complex – note by Transnefteproduct). Just because of this reason the fuel is usually dirtier at downstream than at upstream, - P. Kiryan believes.

We should also note that a new Centralized aircraft refueling system in Terminal D of Sheremetyevo airport was commissioned in 2011. As far as we know, this system couldn’t have been approved for work for a very long time.

The quality of the fuel supplied to the Sheremetyevo refueling complex from Transnefteproduct’s oil product pipeline was and is being now proved by the records of the State Scientific and Research Institution of civil aviation (GOSNIIGA), which confirm that the fuel corresponds to all the standards after passing the filtering facilities. The latest positive report is dated January 2012.

So, Transnefteproduct JSC guarantees and confirms its own possibilities on ensuring and preservation of high quality of the aviation fuel supplied to the refueling complex of the Moscow aviation hub, to Sheremetyevo airport in particular. Besides, Transnefteproduct confirms the safe exploitation of all the Moscow ring oil product pipeline, the diagnostics and maintenance works of which are in the Company’s priority, and finances it entirely for its own account. 

For information:

Diesel fuel is planned to be transported through the aviation fuel line until the end of its diagnostics. This very substitution has significantly simplified implementation of diagnostic works on the aviation line of the Moscow ring oil products pipeline. This technology was successfully tested at Ryazan-Moscow major oil products pipeline of 171 km length in the year 2010.

The ring oil product pipeline is constituted of three lines meant for pumping gasolines, diesel, and aviation fuel. It has a strategic role for Moscow region, it provides supplies of aviation fuel to Moscow airports, and gasolines and diesel fuel to automobile filling points. The major part of aviation fuel for the Moscow aviation hub is supplied by means of pipeline transportation.

The oil product pipeline was built in 1974-1981-s, and its construction presupposed neither periodic cleaning of the inner surface of the pipe, nor intratubal diagnostics. There were no stationary points of starting up and acceptance of cleansing or diagnostic elements, there existed lots of non-normative constructional elements, such as sharply crooked pipe branches, T-shape bends, local neckings.

In 2010-2011 there were implemented works on diagnostic research of the diesel fuel line. There were mounted temporary points of starting up and acceptance of cleansing and diagnostic elements, eliminated all the non-normative construction elements preventing proper diagnostics. There was made a junction of the Eastern and Western semicircle to provide a steady (nonstop) pumping and passing of cleansing and diagnostic elements with no limitations of fuel supply to consumers.

Simultaneously, in the years 2010-2011, there were made diagnostic works on the lines of gasoline and diesel fuel of oil products pipeline from the Moscow oil processing plant to Volodarskaya linear operating dispatcher station. The mentioned oil product pipeline passes through the territory of Moscow city and crosses the Moscow river in Maryino-Brateevo region of authorities. The implemented diagnostics allowed to reveal and eliminate defects. Among others, one defect was detected and eliminated by means of caisson in the streamway of Moscow river. Also, Transnefteproduct JSC implemented works on diagnostics of subwater passages of the Moscow ring oil product pipeline in the following rivers: Moscow, Gzhelka, Klyazma, Istra, the Moscow Canal, and successfully eliminated all the defects revealed during the diagnostics.  

The diagnostic examination of the gasoline line of the Moscow ring oil product pipeline was terminated in 2010, and at the moment elimination of defects is being fulfilled.

The current efficiency of the ring oil product pipeline completely ensures the necessary volumes of deliveries to consumers and its increase is not expected. 



TRANSNEFT JSC press-service