Posted on 10/03/2022 10:39:36 PM PDT by House Atreides
… Now the race is on to fix the vital pipelines before winter—if that’s even possible. The Swiss-based joint venture behind Nord Stream, which is 51% owned by the Russian state energy firm Gazprom, is uncertain whether the issues will ever be fixed….
…The steel Nord Stream pipes are 1.6 inches thick, with up to another 4.3 inches of concrete wrapped around them. Each of the 100,000 or so sections of the pipeline weighs 24 metric tons..ll
… Once investigators can safely get hands on, the tricky work of triaging the problems and finding solutions begins. “You assess: ‘Okay, what is the state of the pipe? What are the damages?’” says Jean-François Ribet of the Monaco-based oil and gas pipeline repair company 3X Engineering, which has previously repaired pipelines in Yemen that have been sabotaged by the likes of Al-Qaeda. That assessment can be done using an inspection robot, a remotely operated vehicle, or specialized divers. …
… Sending divers to the site is challenging because of the depth of the pipeline: while the known leaks are concentrated in relatively shallow waters—around 50 meters deep—the majority of the pipeline lies 80 to 100 meters underwater. And all of it will need to be inspected for potential damage.
“We’ve done repairs at that depth, but you have to use saturation diving,” says Olivier Marin, R&D and technical manager at 3X Engineering. (In saturation diving, which is used for deep-sea conditions, divers remain at the extreme depth in a specialized habitat and undergo a single decompression once the operation is over.)…
… The repairs themselves would not be easy. There are a number of options, says Ribet. The first is to replace the damaged sections of the pipe in their totality—though that’s the costliest.
(Excerpt) Read more at technologyreview.com ...
A “second repair option would be to install a clamp that covers the damaged sections of the pipe, essentially patching the ruptured areas. However, with an internal diameter of 1.153 meters, the Nord Stream pipelines would require huge clamps, as well as the temporary installation of an underwater caisson, a watertight chamber that would encase the section of pipeline so that engineers could work within it.”
“A third option is a composite repair that mixes the two methods: replace the worst-damaged elements of the pipeline, and clamp those that are less affected.
Ribet suggests one potentially less likely fourth option: building and installing a new pipeline section that could bypass the damaged sections, which would be left in place.”
Who, exactly, is pushing or behind the pushing for ‘repair’ of the Nordstream pipelines? Then there is the question of ‘why’.
Or option 5, abandon the pipeline entirely. Quit buying product from Russia.
Folks, if you read the article it is simply a technical discussion of HOW to make repairs to the damaged lines.
It avoided hysterical political discussions whether from the “Russia, Russia, Russia” side or from “the Great Reset is here” side. Some of us are interested in the engineering challenges posed by extreme situations.
Killings, destruction, wars and hysteria all end at some point. And then reconstruction and building can come.
They didn't.
Actually, shouldn’t the pipeline get shutdown because it is causing environmental damage? Where’s Greenpeace?
If they could get one of the three damaged sections back up, that would enable 50-55 bcm of natgas [annual] to bolster the European storage gas [added to the undamaged section].
Yup. As usual, so many people miss the point. The topic is repair, nothing else.
Yeah, I understand and get that.
So apparently, the smart as crap folks at MIT have nothing else better to do, at all, but delve into hypothetically repairing the Nordstream pipelines? Okie.
But yeah, given my cynicism, just has me thinking ‘why’, ‘who’, etc. /salute
“ If they could get one of the three damaged sections back up, that would enable 50-55 bcm of natgas [annual] to bolster the European storage gas [added to the undamaged section].”
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If one of the lines is truly undamaged, before they send the divers down they had best have their robots do a quick look-see of the undamaged pipe for any existing unexploded ordnance.
The latest MonkeyWerx delves into the 'how' of the sabotage. Includes the aircraft that delivered it, and the type of missile used. Shows the flight path, and its refueling for its *long* trip back home.
In other words, there may likely be no unexploded ordnance; however, what’s to prevent another act of sabotage to a repaired pipe?
Ever since the pipes were blown up, millions of gallons of salt water have been rushing in. 3x Engineering would end up with a very nice fat contract “attempting” repairs.
There’s some additional “repair” discussion over at ‘New Civil Engineer’.
Link and small extract follow:
“…Since the explosions and the subsequent leaks, German authorities have stated the ruptures in the pipes may not be repairable.
Chair of the Offshore Engineering Society Philip Cooper told NCE that is not the case.
He said: “It’s definitely repairable in some form. The original Nord Stream used hyperbaric welding systems to create it and it is exactly the same equipment you would use to repair it.
“Any big lifeline always comes with a repair plan. You can do all this stuff diver-less now. At the very minimum there should be some preservation measures. As sea water enters the ruptures corrosion will start. The protection on the outside doesn’t help inside so much.”…”
There’s no point in repairs until the conflict is resolved. The pipeline is a lot easier to damage again than to repair.
“ The latest MonkeyWerx delves into the ‘how’ of the sabotage. Includes the aircraft that delivered it, and the type of missile used. Shows the flight path, and its refueling for its *long* trip back home. ”
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Thanks for the heads up. Below is a link for those FReepers interested.
Nord Stream 2 AG, the company owning Nord 2, filed for bankruptcy on March 1. The proceedings were postponed to January. So who is going to repair it and then sell natural gas through it? Germany has signed long term contracts with other suppliers. They do not want to buy Russian natural gas anymore. Gazprom is liable for billions of Euros for the lack of delivery through Nord 1 and Nord 2.
Engineers can think of maybe's, what if's and how to's all they want. These lines are not going to be repaired.
“…Engineers can think of maybe’s, what if’s and how to’s all they want. These lines are not going to be repaired.”
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Neither you nor I will be making that decision so neither of us know if they will be repaired. Time will tell. I suspect the owners and others with a financial interest (e.g., bankers) will, as a minimum, plan to prevent further damage to the physical infrastructure.
My main near term interest is the detailed FORENSIC CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS that the Swedes and Danes will presumably be conducting.
“Actually, shouldn’t the pipeline get shutdown because it is causing environmental damage?”
The one voice of the nutcase ECO-Nuts.
Y’all are supposed to die. Even though you came from the Earth you are it’s biggest danger so, return. ASAP
Except us rich enlightened people that know best.
You are well missinformed ? .. the world functions on balance ... off balance enough and we all pay ... china is now dumping the dollar ... and warning US ... the briks are starting their own currency .. india is going to Hang the officials who pushed phizers shot .they are blambing US .. maybe you dont see enough news .. they are purposly tearing the world appart to serve an insane depopulation goal ... you think we will escape ? You think our Children will ?
We are swerling the toilet here
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