Azerbaijan to implement world’s first automated underwater pipeline cleaning system

For the second phase of development of the Absheron gas field located in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, one of the key innovations will be the introduction of the world’s first automated underwater system for launching cleaning devices (PIGs) to remove possible deposits in pipelines.

This was announced by Emmanuel de Guillebon, head of TotalEnergies Azerbaijan, during the 30th Anniversary Baku Energy Forum.

“The length of the subsea pipeline and the nature of the transported flow — a gas and condensate mixture — creates risks of wax deposits and hydrate formation,” Guillebon stated. “In the early stage of operations, it will likely be necessary to clean the pipeline every month. Doing this manually with the use of vessels requires significant resources.”

According to him, the new system will automate the process:

“We are developing an underwater device capable of loading several cleaners at once. These will be released automatically each month, eliminating the need for costly marine operations. This will significantly reduce both operational costs and downtime.”

Guillebon emphasized that although the technology has been tested in Brazil under other projects, its use in Absheron will mark the first industrial application of this kind in the world:

“We have worked on this concept with suppliers for many years. Today, we are ready to implement it here in Azerbaijan as part of the Absheron project, and aim to make it a benchmark for the entire industry.”

Background:

The Absheron field lies about 100 km southeast of Baku in the Caspian Sea and is operated by JOCAP – Absheron Petroleum, a joint operating company.

First gas was extracted from the field in July 2023.

In August 2023, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) signed an agreement to acquire a 30% stake in the project from SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) and TotalEnergies. Both SOCAR and TotalEnergies now each hold 35% stakes.

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