the thorough training we were given we were well equipped to
handle the situation should the worst happen.” (Figure 3)
Erzincan and Erzurum
The next major cities to travel through were Erzincan and
Erzurum.
The Erzincan region was also noted for having the highest
lightning risk of all the areas surveyed. This area was extremely
mountainous, with one Block Valve Terminal being located at
the top of a mountain at a height of over 2600 m (8530 ft). The
access to this site was via a steep dirt track only accessible a
few months of the year, with snow still lying at the top of the
mountain even in the height of summer. At one point work
was stopped due to a storm cloud covering the site, with staff
retreating to the relative safety of the vehicles until the storm
passed.
What stood out for the team in Erzincan was the lightning
protection assessment. Peter has specialised in lightning
protection since 1999 and been on the British Standards Panel for
Lightning Protection for two years.
He says: “There’s no specialist equipment we use for
assessing the lightning protection equipment – it’s a purely visual
assessment that relies completely on the quality and experience
of the staff.
“Lightning protection systems at all locations were noted
as being in a very good condition and consisting of a Faraday
Cage to divert the lightning strike away from the buildings/
structures. When undertaking our survey work, we are generally
trying to ensure the safety of people and the process being
undertaken by the different locations. Lightning strikes in a
flammable environment can be extremely damaging, with the risk
of explosion very high.
“Erzincan’s lightning was quite incredible – you could almost
set your clock to it striking at 2 pm every day. With millions of
gallons of oil pumping through the buried pipeline, the lightning
protection equipment is crucial to prevent something truly
catastrophic happening.” (Figure 4)
Kars
The last major area was Kars, with the last block valve terminal
located on the Georgian border and almost 1200 km from the
CMT where the work started months before.
Peter said: “Kars was incredibly remote and sparsely
populated. Having started in an area like Adana, Kars seemed
incredibly far away from normal society, with subsistence farming
the norm. What struck us most throughout the project was the
friendliness, generosity and hospitality of the Turkish people at
every location we travelled together with a fantastic variety of
food.”
A successful start
In all, the EA Technology’s team was in Turkey for over five
months, and did not leave the country until the job had been
completed. Each of the pump stations took about a week to
assess, with every one of the 51 block valve stations – each
Figure 3.
EA Technology engineers walking though the grasses
of Sivas. ©Peter Brookman.
Figure 4.
Storm clouds closing in around the Erzincan site.
©Peter Brookman.
30
World Pipelines
/
SEPTEMBER 2014
