IBP1138_09

PIPE’S DISTRIBUTION BY HELICOPTER IN THE

AMAZONIAN FOREST 1, 2 3 Gilberto R. Barbosa Otto L. M. Machado , Antonio E. Gomes

Copyright 2009, Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute - IBP This Technical Paper was prepared for presentation at the Rio Pipeline Conference and Exposition 2009, held between September, 22-24, 2009, in Rio de Janeiro. This Technical Paper was selected for presentation by the Technical Committee of the event according to the information contained in the abstract submitted by the author(s). The contents of the Technical Paper, as presented, were not reviewed by IBP. The organizers are not supposed to translate or correct the submitted papers. The material as it is presented, does not necessarily represent Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute’ opinion, or that of its Members or Representatives. Authors consent to the publication of this Technical Paper in the Rio Pipeline Conference Proceedings.

Abstract

The innumerous logistical problems encountered during the implementation of the gas pipeline Urucu – – , located in the Amazon forest, connecting the Base Operations Geologist Pedro de Moura in Urucu to the refinery Isaac Sabbá - Reman, in the city of Manaus, contributed considerably for to seek non conventional solutions in the construction and assembly of pipelines in our country. Among these solutions, there is the technique of distributing pipes through cargo helicopters. The need for the usage of this technique, innovative in , comes from the lack and/or insufficiency of land access from Solimões River to the gas pipeline main route, and the large quantities of flooded areas and/or floodplain, and also the type of soil, that together with the high index of rainfall in the region, makes the soil fully inappropriate to the traffic of heavy equipment.

1. Introduction

Due to the logistic difficulties imposed by the Amazon region for ducts construction and assembly, cargo helicopters were used, for the first time in the country, for the distribution of pipes throughout the main route of the Urucu - Coari - Manaus pipeline, basically in the stretch located between the cities of Coari and Anamã, in the State of Amazon.

The Sikorsky S64E and the Kamov 32A came to the country especially to carry the pipes from the Coari- Manaus gas pipeline, enterprise that will take natural gas from the Base de Operações Geólogo Pedro de Moura, in Urucu, city of Coari, to the city of Manaus, also benefiting the cities of Coari, Codajás, Anamã, , , and . Certified to operate with long handles (“long-line”) of 60 to 80 meters, the aircrafts started to be used to surpass the natural challenges that the region imposes to this type of operation. The works on the construction and assembly of this gas pipeline initiated in July 2006 and were concluded in May 2009, and it will probably be operating in September 2009.

The stretch where the helicopters were operating was considered one of the most difficult of the whole project, due to the great extension of flooded areas, besides the natural forest obstacles, such as lack of terrestrial accesses, heat and extreme humidity, draining difficulties and the high rainfall index. Together with these difficulties we also had problems with the type of soil, completely full of organic substances, having, thus, low resistance to heavy equipment traffic, becoming non viable for the usage of conventional equipments, such as, pipe-carriers and the dolly type of vehicles. See Figure 1 and Figure 2.

______1 Comercial Assistant - PETROBRAS 2 Mechanic Engineer, Setorial Manager – PETROBRAS 3 Mechanic Engineer, Setorial Manager – PETROBRAS

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Figure 1. Pipe Carrier at Coari-Anama stretch Figure 2. Dolly vehicle at Coari-Anama stretch

2. Aircrafts

The Sikorky 64E helicopter belongs to the Evergreen Helicopters company, which is located in the city Macminville, Oregon, United States and the Kamov aircraft belongs to VIH Vancouver Island Helicopter company, located in British Columbia, Canada.

The S64E and the Kamov got to Brazil in May 2008. The S64E arrived on board of a freight-carrying airplane, Russian Antonov AN 124, whereas the Kamov flew from Canada, landing in Brazilian territory in the city of Boa Vista, Roraima's state capital, and later flew to the city of Manaus. Both aircrafts remained in Manaus for customs disembarrassment and other legal steps, and thus, begin their services at the gas pipeline, using as an operational base the city of Anori's airport structure, which is able to support landing and take-off operations. The two aircraft together carried a number of pipes capable of being applied in an extension of approximately 49.000 meters.

The S64E has the capacity to carry up to nine tons and was used in the transportation of pipes with 12 meters of length, concrete coated, as well as in the transportation of metallic baskets with suppliment materials to the enterprise and equipments. The linear extension of concrete pipes that were carried by the S-64E helicopter was 11.951 meters long, what is equivalent, approximately, to 1000 carried pipes or, 4600 tons. It is important to clarify that the load capacity of that aircraft did not allow the transport of more than a concrete pipe at a time. See Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively.

The Kamov has the capacity of carrying up to 4,5 tons and was used in the transportation of pipes without concrete covering, as well as of baskets with materials and equipments, fit to its technical limitations of transport capacity. This aircraft carried alone an extension of 36.578 meters long, equivalent, approximately to 3050 pipes without concrete covering or 4600 tons. This aircraft was largely used, with great efficiency, in the transport of “double- joint”, that had approximately 24 (twenty four) meters of extension and weighed around 3 (three) tons, respectively. See Figures 7 and 8. The pipe transportation and load form was planed with target of safety and do not deform the main dimensions like circunference and straight line off pipe. This job had been successful.

Figure 3. S-64 – Arrival in Manaus Figure 4. S-64 – Arrival in Manaus

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Figure 5. S-64 – Landing in Anori Figure 6. S-64 Concrete coated pipes transportation

Figure 7. Kamov – Landing in Anori Figure 8. Kamov – “double-joint” transport

3. Fuel supplement to KAMOV e S-64 aircrafts

During those activities, the helicopters were kept at the airport of the city of Anori, state of Amazon. For the aircraft fuel supplying a very complex logistic operation took place. That operation happened, in land, through two fuel trucks, with capacity to store up to 35.000 liters of fuel, each. These trucks also were kept at Anori's airport. The fluvial fuel supplying happened through two equipments formed by three ferries (APODO ferry - area of landing and occasional take-off, a ferry with a QAV1 fuel storage tank and a ferry for fuel decantation), located in Miuá lake, between forest glades CL-21 and CL-22, with the capacity to store up to 1.050.000 liters and in Anamã lake (in the flood period) between forest glades CL-23 and CL-24, with the capacity to store up to 450.000 liters. In the ebb tide period, the Miuá Lake ferry was transported to Paraná Badajós River and the Anamã Lake ferry was transported to the Solimões River. See Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12, respectively.

In despite of the well elaborated logistic operation for fuel supplement, it was necessary to invest in the implementation of new procedures, in order to get the aircrafts usage optimization, considering the fuel supplying time reduction. That way, the procedure of the helicopters fuel supplying without engines disconnection was made possible, and was named “Hot Refueling”. Until that moment, this procedure had never happened in Brazil, and also needed to be certified by governmental agencies. After a series of meetings with specialists, the related procedure was approved. That way, with the implantation of this procedure, there was a considerable productivity profit of 17% for the helicopter Kamov and 22% for helicopter S-64E.

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Figure 9. Kamov – fuel supplement on a ferry in Badajós Figure 10. Fuel trucks – Anori

Storage capacity of 1.050.000 liters of QAV.

Figure 11. fuel supplement ferry – Miuá Lake

Figure 12. fuel supplement ferry – Anamã Lake

4. Pipes transportation

Pipes’ transport in the forest involved a precise operation which was planned in minimum details. Load masters were trained by PETROBRAS and acted under the supervision of the North American and Canadian pilots. Two types of pipes were used in the construction of the gas pipeline, one was concrete coated, to impede the floating of ducts used in flooded areas, weighing 4,6 tons, and another one without concrete coating, which is used in firm land regions, weighing approximately 1,5 tons. The pipes have, approximately, 12 (twelve) meters of length and 20 (twenty) inches of diameter and had to be carried with long handle “Long-Line” of 60 (sixty) and 80 (eighty) meters, which demanded specialized crew and equipment. In Brazil the most common practice relays on the use of short handles Rio Pipeline Conference and Exposition 2009

(“Shorts”), smaller than 30 (thirty) meters, in the transport of external load. This operation was very complex, because beyond the adverse conditions that the pilot faced, such as winds, natural obstacles, and many times, temperatures exceeding 40ºC, it also required much ability to control the load and its oscillation. The difference of operating with short and long line is that the flight of short line is always in the horizontal, whereas for the flight of long line there are profile and characteristics changes, since its reference starts to be vertical.

The innovative method of using big cargo helicopters in ducts construction and assembly process in Brazil has made it possible to conclude the enterprise in the predicted time, eliminating the delay, provoked by the slowness in the release of these aircrafts, their equipments and accessories, at the Customs Office in Manaus. This innovative method brought Brazil´s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit us to check on the activities' details. Lula was at 09/10/2008, in an enterprise site, located at forest glade CL-20, in Paraná Badajós River, where he was introduced to a pipes’ lifting performed by S-64E e Kamov 32 helicopters, respectively.

Figures 13 and 14, respectively, picture very well, the difficulties of and how stringing activities (distribution of pipes) were performed along the pipeline main route by conventional methods.

Figure 13. Concrete coated pipes’ stringing Figure 14. Stringing of pipes without concrete coating

Figure 15, below, shows a comparative graphic between the conventional stringing process and the procedure of stringing using cargo helicopters. Analyzing the graph, one may observe that while using the conventional method, there were approximately 3.463 meters/month of pipes distribution, while, when using cargo helicopters, an average rate of 12.036 meters of pipes were distributed, getting to the climax of distributing 14.759 meters in July 2008 and August 2008.

Figure 15. Comparative: “Conventional Stringing X Stringing using cargo helicopters”

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5. Acquired experiences

Strong points:

The adoption of new constructive methods, having as a positive output the reduction of heavy equipment traffic in the pipeline main route, avoiding, thus, soil degradation, grade lowering, and the excessive construction of bridges.

Fuels' treatment and management for helicopters' fuel supplying, which were located in specific areas, avoiding, this way, products' transport along work fronts;

Lack of accidents in transport of pipes' activities by helicopters, showing that, although that activity involved risks, it was possible to work in adverse conditions, respecting and caring for the environment, such as:

a) Spreading the pipes’ transport by helicopters procedure for all the workers; b) Training inspectors in the elaboration and spreading of preliminary Analysis of Risk - APR, also including the transport of workers and materials; c) Leaking of QAV-1 simulation at Anamã Lake; d) Workers' training in first aid techniques and fire combat in helicopter's transport activities and aircrafts’ fuel supplying; e) Better performance in stringing, after the beginning of the fuel supplying methodology without disconnection of the engine, named “HOT REFUELLING”, considered innovative and never done before in this kind of activity;

It is worth highlighting the security’s team work in partnership with the social communication team, in the spread of information about the helicopters type of work to indigenous and local communities located around the pipeline;

Time reduction in stringing activities, obtained after cargo helicopters started their work, since pipes' transportation by heavy conventional equipments from forest glades (where pipes were stored) to pipeline ROW would last approximately one hour, and using helicopters would last only 9 minutes.

Using this pipes' transport by helicopters methodology in BRAZIL opened a new market for the national business class, stimulating them to search for the development of new technologies in airplanes transportation, mainly, considering the loading capacity of these aircrafts.

Improvements’ suggestions: a) Anticipate actions due to climatic changes; b) Use resources in a better way during river's periods of flood and ebb tide, anticipating, thus, difficulties in accessing the pipeline's ROW; c) Carry through more detailed studies on the conditions of the soil before sending the equipment that will be used in the activities; d) Bigger mobility/agility, during activities, that is, to improve the transport system (logistics); e) In climatic adverse situations, which would impede the rescuing of the responsible team by air, it is important to have a "mateiro" (native who the region very well) and minimum accessories for forest surviving; f) During pipes’ transportation it is necessary, to improve the stability in the transport, a rocker arm use; g) For each environment for discharging the pipe in the ROW, a previous knowledge of the place is important, mainly of forest species susceptible of falling, which can place the helicopters, equipments and involved people in the activity at risk; h) In future enterprises, where QAV fuel supplying ferries are at use, it is necessary the acquisition of anti-explosion radios to be used in the ferries; i) Improve the communication with other private helicopters not involved in the activity, during the air transportation of pipes.

6. Conclusion

It is worth to stand out again the innovation and great success of this operation, which brought a new horizon for ducts construction and assembly in our country, mainly in more remote areas and of difficult access. It is important to emphasize that helicopter S-64E carried 11.951 meters of concrete coated pipes, whereas the Kamov carried 36.578 meters of pipes without concrete coating. Rio Pipeline Conference and Exposition 2009

Although the cost of mobilization of these equipments, initially, is bigger than the cost of the conventional equipment, the relation cost/benefits is favorable to the use of cargo helicopters in remote areas, considering the increase of productivity. We can also highlight, as a reflection of the adoption of this process, the environment component, which was extremely favorable (less impacting passives).

7. References

1. Memoriais Descritivos de construção e montagem e Planos de Logística do Gasoduto Coari – Manaus e do GLPduto Urucu - Coari (PETROBRAS/ENGENHARIA/IETEG/IEGN/DNP, 2004); 2. Memorial descritivo do Projeto Conceitual do Gasoduto Coari-Manaus (PETROBRAS/ENGENHARIA /IETEG/ETEG/EDUT, 2004); 3. EPIA/RIMA do Gasoduto Coari-Manaus (UFAM, 2003); 4. Pré-comunicação social do Gasoduto Coari- Manaus (UFAM, 2004). 5. Lei n0 4395 de 1998 – Cria o Sistema Nacional de Defesa Civil (SINDEC) 6. ABNT / NBR 14276 - Programa de Brigada de Incêndio; 7. ABNT /NBR 14725 - Ficha de Informações de Segurança sobre Produto Químico; 8. PP-3M-00001- Manual de Sistema de Gestão; 9. Lei no 9.966, de 28/04/00. 10. Resolução CONAMA no 269, de 14/09/00.