CPC is a true leader of the industry inasmuch as it uses state-of-the-art tested and approved by regulators design solutions and technologies.
Control Automation
SCADA (for details see “Security”) is an automatic Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition System processing real-time data coming from over 82,000 transducers installed on all CPC pipeline system sites. SCADA allows to control the entire system, including tanker loading. If SCADA detects any excursions signaling a potential emergency, a dispatcher can shut down the pipeline and isolate the problem section from the rest of the pipeline within seconds.
Leak Detection System
The CPC pipeline is equipped with a Leak Detection System (LDS). Combined with SCADA, it allows to detect and initiate a response even to minor leaks.
100,000 Cubic Meter Tanks
The CPC Pipeline System is the first in Russia to use 100,000 cubic meter tanks. It has a Tank farm at the Marine Terminal which currently consists of 4 tanks and will go up to 10 after the Expansion Project, totaling 1 mln cubic meters of storage capacity.
The tanks are built with a significant seismic strength safety margin (designed for a 9-point seismic activity area). The tank farm has double protection from potential spills: an individual dike around each tank and perimeter dikes to contain any oil spill within the Tank Farm.
Another technical feature of the tank farm is that the site selected to build it is located way above the sea level which allows to load tankers without any extra energy.
SPM (Single Point Moorings)
Tankers are loaded from single point moorings (SPMs), the most advanced technology used today in 39 ports around the globe. The SPMs are located within Russian territorial waters in the Black Sea, about 17 km west of the entrance into the Cemesskaya Bay and about 5 km offshore. The SPMs are anchored buoys each of which is affixed to the sea floor with six caisson anchors.
The SPMs are designed and built to withstand a 100 year storm and can be used to moor a dual hull tanker loading up to 300,000 tons of oil (for more details see “Security”).
Maintenance and Emergency Response
There are nine emergency response station located along the CPC pipeline route in a way that minimizes the response time for emergency response crews to reach any section of the pipeline system.
The ERS are manned with specially-trained personnel and provided with vehicles and equipment to contain and respond to potential emergencies such as oil spills, onshore and offshore, including heavy specialist vehicles, swamp buggies, booms, retaining walls, oil skimmers, vacuum machines, powerful boom-deployment boats, etc. Also the ESPs are equipped with mobile complexes supporting long self-sustainable operations by emergency response crews.
In addition to emergency response, ERS' provide maintenance, inspection and repairs of the oil pipeline and are equipped with requisite test beds, instrumentation and equipment.
Additional Technical Details
The pipeline moves crude oil in a tightline mode, i.e. no tanks are used in the oil movement process. This method allows to reduce opex. In addition, it allows to maintain the closed loop integrity principle whereby, once inside, crude oil remains there until loaded into tankers which prevents any contact with the environment and improves environmental safety.