29/03/2024
https://petrolleumsupplykazakhstan.com/
The Kazakh construction site saved the graying engineer, who was sentenced to the highest measure of punishment: he was directed to the construction of the Guriev-Orsk oil pipeline.
The first oil pipeline in Kazakhstan was built in 1912 by the "Emba" society. The Dossor-Rakushi-Caspian pipeline had a diameter of only 6 inches (≈150 mm), and its length was 65 km. It transported oil from Dossor through Iskene to the Rakushi settlement in the Guriev (now Atyrau) region.
However, further formation and development of the pipeline network in Kazakhstan was associated with the commissioning of the large Guriev-Orsk (Caspian-Orsk) oil pipeline, which had significant economic importance. The construction of the pipeline began in 1932, and on October 5, 1935, it was put into operation to supply Emba oil to the Orsk oil refinery. The length of the pipeline, which became the first main pipeline in Kazakhstan, was 720 km, and the diameter was 300 mm. The pumping capacity ranged from 1.5 to 6.5 million tons of oil per year.
Slightly earlier, in February 1930, the second line of the Baku-Batumi oil pipeline with a length of 832 km started operating in the USSR. All stages of construction were supervised by engineer Anton Bulgakov (1879-1972), considered an irreplaceable specialist of the highest level. He developed and implemented welding and pipe laying techniques that later became part of the technical conditions for similar works (method of welding reinforcement and inserts with removal of thermal stresses; method of connecting long laid sections; methods of finding locations for installing compensators and dead points taking into account the profile, etc.).
But the most significant innovation was the "from pump to pump" pumping technology, proposed by Bulgakov for the first time in the world practice. Prior to this, intermediate reservoirs were built at each pumping station. The expert oil pipeline commission of the USSR State Planning Committee, led by experienced engineers Vladimir Shukhov (1853-1939) and Leonid Leibenzon (1879-1951), initially rejected this idea, and only at the engineer's insistence were experiments conducted, which confirmed his thoughts. Bulgakov himself admitted years later that this invention was the greatest achievement of his life: "The savings from the achieved reduction in losses of light products are so great that it is difficult to even account for them."
On February 13, 1930, the Baku-Batumi oil pipeline was put into operation along its entire length. All units worked normally. On the same day, Bulgakov was presented with the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, which was announced in local and central newspapers.
And everything seemed to be fine until after the solemn opening of the oil pipeline, several employees of "Azneft" were arrested the next day. Among them was the chief foreman of the construction site, 50-year-old Anton Bulgakov, as well as the oilman David Landau, the father of the future brilliant physicist Lev Landau.
The cause of the arrest was a denunciation, which stated that the former chief mechanic of the military port in Batumi, Bulgakov, had been a member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party since 1902, and after the February Revolution, he was elected chairman of the Batumi City Duma. Suspecting the engineer of being an "enemy of the people," representatives of the NKVD considered inevitable delays and errors in design and construction as deliberate misappropriation of public funds. As a result, Anton Bulgakov was sentenced to the highest measure of punishment — ex*****on, which, fortunately, was commuted to a 10-year prison term. However, soon after, as a unique specialist, without removing his conviction, he was sent to Kazakhstan, to work on the construction of the Guriev-Orsk oil pipeline.
And it was precisely the Kazakh construction site that saved the graying engineer overnight... Initially, it was planned that oil for the new Orsk refinery in the Orenburg region would be delivered from Baku by water transport, but scientists proved that a pipeline would be more economical. For the construction along the mainline, Bulgakov proposed using prefabricated wooden structures and applying local material called saman — raw brick made from clayey soil with straw added. This allowed for a reduction in the estimate by 6.5 million rubles. Young engineers, often replacing each other, supervised the laying of the route. The best among them tried to learn from their experienced colleague. They considered Bulgakov a true luminary; discussions with him on work matters often turned into real lectures and seminars. By passing on his experience, he created a local engineering school, ensuring the continuity of knowledge.
During the construction of the Guriev-Orsk oil pipeline, in 1933, engineer Bulgakov also analyzed the stresses occurring at pipeline joints during temperature fluctuations or when laying it in a trench, which was published in the journal "Oil Industry." Given the novelty of welding as the main method of pipeline construction, the analysis of joint strength conditions was extremely relevant. Moreover, the pipeline construction zone was moving further north. The author concluded that "a good quality welded joint in a pipeline located on the surface of the ground cannot rupture solely due to temperature stress."
