Ethanol pipeline starts to operate

First section of the pipeline in the inland of São Paulo is already operating

Ten years ago, when the idea of a system for transporting ethanol from the production centers to the main points of distribution started to be developed, it looked like a dream. But this dream started to come true last year, when the first section of the Ethanol Pipeline started to operate. The first phase of the project—between Ribeirão Preto and Paulínia, in the inland of São Paulo—is already operating.

Logum Logística—company responsible by the Project—started to operate the land hub of Ribeirão Preto (Collecting Center of Ribeirão Preto) in August, 2013. Works that are being carried out include the pipeline section Uberaba-Ribeirão Preto and the piping and hub of Uberaba. In the remaining sections, executive design is being carried out.

The investment is of R$ 7 billion, financed by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). When concluded, the capacity of transportation of ethanol will reach more than 20 million cu.mt. per year and the storage capacity of ethanol will be 1.2 million cu.mt. The Logistic System of Ethanol foresees approximately 1300 km of pipelines, 700 km of waterways and 15 hubs for collection and distribution. Logum—the company that leads the Project—is a corporation composed by Odebrecht Transport, Petrobras, Copersucar, Raízen (20% each one), Camargo Correa and Uniduto Logística (10% each one).

When finished, the ethanol pipeline will cross 45 municipalities, connecting the main areas of sugar cane production located in the states of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to the Main Storage Center of Logum in the city of Paulínia (SP).

The company business plan includes design works and system construction and operation, including the reception of ethanol in collecting hubs and its transportation through pipes and barges to land and sea hubs for delivery. From these hubs, the ethanol will be transported to the Metropolitan Regions of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In addition, the fuel will be delivered in points for exportation or cabotage shipping.

Works are being carried out by the Consórcio Etanol – formed by Odebrecht Engenharia Industrial and Camargo Corrêa. Works of the Terminal of Ribeirão Preto were concluded in April, including the piping that goes to Petrobras Refining Plant in Paulínia (Replan) and the interconnections between the facilities of Logum and those of Petrobras at the Replan. At the end of this phase, the system is 206 km long and has a transport capacity of more than 20 billion liters of ethanol per year. Logum also started the works of construction and assemblage of the Uberaba Multi-purpose Pipeline. This structure, 145 km long will connect Ribeirão Preto (SP) to Uberaba (MG), crossing 11 municipalities.

The first section of the Logistic System of Ethanol, between the cities of Ribeirão Preto and Paulínia, in the state of São Paulo, includes 206 km of pipelines that connect one of the main production regions of sugar cane and ethanol in the state of São Paulo to one of the largest refining plants of the country, the Paulínia Refining Plant.

According to the company, the project Logum is pioneer in the world, complementing the existing modes for transport of ethanol. The logistic system has approximately 1.300 km of pipelines and 750 km of waterways, nine hubs, being eight to collect ethanol and     one to distribute this product. The final capacity of the Logum Project will be 13 million cu.mt. per year. Main production regions are located in São Paulo, Goiás, Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul and the main points of delivery are in the Metropolitan Regions of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, including the harbor of Santos.

Main features

One of the main features of the project is the depth where the piping is buried. According to the standard NBR 15280-1 of piping design, the minimum depth of a buried piping in normal soils is 1.2 m measured from the top of the piping. Ethanol pipeline meets perfectly this standard, being buried 1.5 m deep.

Pipeline is built with API 5L pipes. Care with welding starts with the development of qualified procedures that comply with the American standard API 1104. According to the company, the pipeline modal is a more efficient, safe, predictable and economic form of transport from a logistic point of view. The pipeline is designed with a system of cathodic protection to prevent corrosion and is also calculated with an over-thickness to ensure a safe residual thickness for the piping.

There is a corrosion tester that monitors punctually the corrosion along the pipe. The pipeline will have also a leak monitoring system using mass balance and a simulation tool in real time for detection of an eventual leakage. The system also allows to program operations of pig passage to ensure the integrity of the piping. This is a maintenance process for piping network that uses specific equipment for its clearing and integrity checking.

The section has capacity to transport 12 billion liters of ethanol through its 207 km between the Land Terminal of Ribeirão Preto and the Planalto Refining Plant in Paulínia. Having diameter of 24”, the minimum flow rate is 943 thousand liters of biofuel per hour and the maximum flow rate is of 2.155 million liters per hour.

The next section of the Project, connecting the Land Terminal of Ribeirão Preto to the Land Terminal of Uberaba, in the western area of the state of Minas Gerais, is already in the phase of work development and following the schedules. Its conclusion is foreseen for October. This section includes 145 km of pipelines and a hub with capacity of 28 million cu.mt.