All news

Gazprom seeks to optimise costs through cooperation with RUSNANO

The two leaders mentioned production and introduction of composite materials as one of prospective lines of Gazprom and RUSNANO joint cooperation

MOSCOW, October 6 (Itar-Tass) —— Gazprom is set to develop cooperation with RUSNANO in a bid to optimise its costs.

This and other issues were discussed by the leaders of the two companies, Alexei Miller and Anatoly Chubais, at their meeting on Friday, October 5.

They considered the course of companies' cooperation in the frame of the Protocol of Joint Actions and Programme to boost the demand for innovative and, inter alia, nanotech products in the gas industry.

It was noted that Gazprom actively engaged with the RUSNANO design companies. In particular, one of them, Plakart, has developed metallised protective coatings distinguished by their high corrosion resistance. They are applied using the method of gas-thermal evaporation avoiding demounting of large-scale equipment. Experimental evaluation showed that protective coatings, as well as the procedure of their application, assure long-term corrosion and erosion resistance in working temperature of more than 100 degrees Celsius over alkalis, acids and other deleterious substances, Gazprom said.

Gazprom Dobycha Astrakhan and Plakart carried out operations on introducing the coatings at the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant. As a result, corrosion of processing units working surfaces was retarded, and their service lives grew longer. This project was awarded Gazprom 2012 Science and Technology Prize.

In the nearest future it is planned to certify the process of protective coatings gas-thermal evaporation to increase wear resistance of the equipment at gas processing, transmission and underground storage facilities. Moreover, Gazprom and RUSNANO are working through the possibility of applying the coatings in offshore facilities construction.

Miller and Chubais paid attention to the introduction of protective corrosion-resistant coatings developed by RUSNANO design companies into pipe production. Positive findings on the results of experimental evaluations have already been received from Chelyabinsk Pipe-Rolling Plant and Timashevsk Pipe-Coating Plant, the coatings have been also tested at Vyksa Steel Works, and it is scheduled to test them at Almetyevsk Pipe Plant and Moscow Pipe-Coating Plant by the end of the current year.

The two leaders mentioned production and introduction of composite materials as one of prospective lines of Gazprom and RUSNANO joint cooperation. In particular, RUSNANO is working on the composite wrap test model for overhauling gas trunk lines, and it is to be tested in 2013. Moreover, new engineering solutions are being developed for sulphur-asphalt concrete production.

They agreed to continue assessing nanotech products conformity to Gazprom requirements and their introduction into the company's operating activities. This will allow Gazprom to cut down its expenses incurred by the purchase and further operation of pipe products due to new technologies developed by RUSNANO.