China-Myanmar Emergency Natural Gas Pipeline Goes into Operation

The emergency pipeline of the China-Myanmar natural gas project in southwestern Guizhou province recently went into operation after a period of 24-hour monitoring.

The 42.8-meter emergency pipeline runs through Qinglong and Pu'an in Guizhou province, an area featuring Karst landforms with a relative height of 1,100 meters and a maximum gradient of about 78 degrees, which are difficult for pipeline construction.

The unpleasant weather conditions - frequent rains, foggy days and freezing weather - added to the difficulty of the engineering.

To solve problems of geography and weather, the construction team of PetroChina Southwest Pipeline Company, a subsidiary company of China National Petroleum Corporation, independently developed advanced engineering skills such as a noninvasive detection crawler for 70-degree slopes and a pipe-laying method using light rail and rope-ways.

Several industrial records including the longest and the steepest Z-shaped pipeline were set in the project.

The engineering and operating skills gained from these experiences are valuable for pipeline construction in mountain areas.

(Executive editor: Li Shuling)