O

ver the last several years, a remarkable project has

been underway, namely the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC)
crude oil pipeline. The project is a 1700 km, 42 in.
pipeline for the transportation of crude oil in Azerbaijan,
through Georgia, to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. Once fully
operational, it is anticipated that 1 billion bpd of crude will be
transported to world markets by loading tankers at the
Ceyhan port. For the three host countries, this crude oil
pipeline will generate significant social and economic growth
from transit fees, taxes, government grants for inhabited
areas and the creation of tens of thousands of permanent
jobs to operate and maintain the pipeline once built.
Environmental issues were and remain a significant con-
cern for the three countries through which the pipeline tra-
verses, as well as owners and operators of the pipeline.
Corrosion is one of the main environmental concerns, and is
a continually critical issue for the pipeline industry. The BTC
project is proactively addressing corrosion risks in the
design, construction and operation phases of the pipeline to
assure structural integrity. The use of a high quality, three
layer, high density polyethylene coating system, with rigorous
quality control and holiday testing, and supplemented with a
comprehensive cathodic protection system, provides a
notable corrosion control system.
Matcor was contracted to supply and install cathodic pro-
tection for two significant phases of the projects construc-
tion. LOT B consisted of 465 km between the Turkish cities
of Erzurum and Sivas, and the Terminal package consisted of
the loading lines, jetty and crude oil storage tanks of the
Ceyhan port. Each of these packages combined design
responsibilities, material supply and installation, utilising a
variety of cathodic protection systems and applications.
Soil resistivity survey
In the case of the LOT B package, the first step in the pro-
ject was a comprehensive review of the preliminary front end
engineering design (FEED), beginning with a detailed soil
resistivity survey. Soil resistivity readings were taken every
1.5 km and at selected additional locations. Readings were
taken at depths of 2 and 4 m. The company performed the
soil resistivity testing utilising the ASTM G57-95a (2001)
Standard Test Method for Field Measurement of Soil
Resistivity Using the Wenner Four-Electrode Method. This
method utilises four pins driven into the ground in a straight
line (equidistant from one another), with the distance
between the pins providing the soil resistivity at that depth.
For example, if the pins are spaced 2 m apart, the test pro-
vides the soil resistivity at a depth of 2 m. The pins are then
connected to a calibrated AEMC digital ground resistance
tester to determine the soil resistivity value accurately.
Temporary cathodic protection
The soil resistivity data were used to identify corrosive soil
conditions that would require temporary cathodic protection
(TCP) installations in the course of construction, and in so
doing facilitated the design of a permanent cathodic protec-
tion (PCP) system for the pipeline. Based on BTC criteria,
extending pipe life
Reprinted from WORLD PIPELINES OCTOBER 2004 www.worldpipelines.com
Ted Huck,
MATCOR, Inc., USA, decribes
measures taken to minimise corrosion risk
on the long awaited Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.
Figure 1. Soil testing: MATCOR engineers placing pins in the
ground for Wenner 4 pin soil resistivity testing along the
pipeline ROW.
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extending pipe life
Figure 4. The Ceyhan export terminal jetty under
construction. Impressed current cathodic protection
system will protect the steel piles.
TCP systems were required to be installed along the pipeline
in all areas where the soil resistivity values were less than
2000 ohm/cm. The TCP system consisted of one or more
magnesium anodes attached to the piping system during the
construction and prior to backfilling of the pipeline trench.
Once installed, the TCP system operation is verified on a
monthly basis by taking pipe-to-soil potential measurements
using a calibrated portable copper-copper sulfate reference
half cell. The TCP installations are designed to provide an
eighteen month life sufficient to arrest any corrosion until the
pipeline construction is completed and the PCP system can
be energised.
One of the critical quality issues concerning the installa-
tion of the TCP system is the anode to pipe connection. The
pipe connection is accomplished using sophisticated pin
brazing equipment operated by trained and qualified techni-
cians. Once installed, these connections cannot be easily
accessed without excavating and exposing the pipe. Once
the connections are properly secured, the exposed metal is
re-coated using a work method developed by MATCOR in
accordance with the coating manufacturers recommended
procedures. Rigorous quality control must be maintained at
these locations where the original factory applied coating
system has been removed to assure that the coating system
integrity is not compromised.
Permanent protection
As the pipeline construction proceeds, a permanent catho-
dic protection (PCP) system will also be installed. This PCP
system will be energised shortly after the pipeline construc-
tion is completed. Consisting of horizontal ground beds loca-
ted approximately 100 - 200 m from the pipeline and sec-
ondary metallic structures, the PCP is designed for a mini-
mum anode life of 20 years. The horizontal ground bed loca-
tions were determined based on several factors, including
availability of power; low resistivity soil environment; acces-
sibility and land acquisition requirements; and maintaining
effective current distribution while maximising protective
span. A total of five locations were required for the 456 km
LOT B, with the anode ground beds spaced approximately
every 75 km.
Reprinted from WORLD PIPELINES OCTOBER 2004 www.worldpipelines.com
Figure 2. A technician installing a pipe connection using pin
brazing equipment.
Figure 3. A technician applying field recoating in accordance
with the maufacturers standards and procedures.
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extending pipe life
Reprinted from WORLD PIPELINES OCTOBER 2004 www.worldpipelines.com
Once the PCP system is energised, a thorough field test-
ing program will be implemented to assure that the PCP sys-
tem is providing sufficient cathodic protection along the
entire length of the system. This testing will be facilitated
through the installation of numerous test stations, and will
be supplemented with additional over the line survey tech-
niques. Once commissioning and testing is complete, train-
ing will be provided to the pipeline operators to allow them
to monitor the effective performance of the PCP, and to make
minor adjustments and perform routine maintenance as
required.
Supporting infrastructure: Ceyhan
In addition to the pipeline itself, the BTC project also requires
the construction of additional support facilities and infra-
structure. Some of these structures also require cathodic
protection to assure the system integrity and to minimise
corrosion risks and their potential environmental impact.
MATCOR was contracted to provide the cathodic protection
systems for the Ceyhan terminal facilities, including protect-
ing the export terminal loading jetty, the underground load
line piping systems and the crude oil storage tanks.
The loading jetty consists of an approach trestle and
expansion loops, jetty control building deck, loading platform,
breasting dolphins, mooring dolphins and catwalks; all of
which are supported on steel piles. The steel piles are to be
coated using a high solids two part epoxy coal tar coating
system, supplemented with an impressed current cathodic
protection system. The cathodic protection system is
designed to protect the piles immersed in seawater and at
the seabed. Several factors can affect the corrosion of
marine structures, including oxygen content, velocity, turbu-
lence, water resistivity, tidal effects, silt, sand, temperature
and water depth.
One critical issue in the design of an impressed current
system for the jetty system is to ensure that all structures
are electrically continuous. The design of the bonding system
for the steel piled structures is an integral part of the catho-
dic protection system. For this project, the bonding system
will comprise of mild steel reinforcing bars or copper rods of
suitable size to handle the rectifier current requirements.
The bars/rods are to be electrically connected to each
pile, with flexible connections at expansion joints, moor-
ing and breasting dolphins.
In addition to assuring electrical continuity between
the various piles being protected, it is also important to
maintain electrical isolation from other structures in the
vicinity. Isolating joints are placed in all loading lines at
the shore end of the jetty to prevent current from flowing
to shore installations. Furthermore, to prevent the poten-
tially hazardous electrical discharge situations that may
occur in a case where a vessel is approaching the termi-
nals mooring dolphins, it is recommended that vessels
are moored to the mooring dolphins by ropes containing
an isolating section. It is also recommended that the
loading arm includes an isolating joint.
Storage
Along with the jetty facility, cathodic protection is also
required to protect the seven crude oil storage tanks.
These are being erected on a special isolating material
that keeps the external tank bottom from contact with the
ground and minimises any external corrosion risk. Each
of the tanks will be coated with an epoxy coating system
along the base and up to one metre along the shell wall.
Galvanic zinc anodes are distributed uniformly along the
bottom to protect the 99.5 m diameter tank bottoms and
lower wall section where water will build up over time. The
crude oil acts as an inhibitor, and corrosion is only a risk at
the bottom of the tank, where water accumulation can occur.
Loading line
The buried load line piping is the final component of the
Ceyhan port facility cathodic protection systems, and the
requirements for the load line piping are very similar to the
requirements for the pipeline itself. They include two 42 in.
diameter load lines, a 24 in. vapour recovery line and a 6 in.
foam concentrate system. As with the main pipeline, the
loading line systems are coated with a three layer high den-
sity polyethylene coating system, supplemented with an
impressed current cathodic protection system, and in this
case utilising a single horizontal ground bed.
Conclusion
While significant construction work remains before the
completion of the BTC pipeline and its auxiliary struc-
tures, the pipeline is on schedule to begin operation in
2005. When it does, the owners, operators and host
countries can be assured that the pipeline has been
designed and constructed with the correct training and
follow up. The result is a comprehensive corrosion pre-
vention programme intended to protect the environment
from any corrosion related failures using advanced coat-
ing systems, supplemented by a well designed and
installed cathodic protection system.
Figure 6. The BTC pipeline under construction.
Figure 5.
Zinc galvanic
anodes ready
for shipment
to Turkey for
installation
inside the
crude oil
storage
tanks.
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