Azernews.Az

Nazrin Abdul

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The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is advancing its operational safety through the adoption of digital twin technology, an innovative tool increasingly used across the global oil and gas industry. Speaking to Azernews, TANAP’s Integrity Management Manager Suleyman Suleymanov explained how the system is being integrated into the company’s pipeline integrity operations and what challenges it helps to address.

A digital twin is essentially a virtual replica of a physical asset that brings together engineering data, geographic information, inspection results, and in advanced stages, real-time operational data. In the oil and gas sector, this technology allows companies to visualize their infrastructure in 3D, simulate different scenarios, assess risks more accurately, and make better-informed decisions about maintenance and safety.

Suleymanov noted that TANAP currently uses GIS-enabled platforms and WebGIS as the foundation of its digital twin model. The process begins with generating a detailed 3D model based on aerial surveys and photogrammetric inspections, followed by the incorporation of engineering, construction, and as-built data. This combined information allows TANAP to reach the second level of digital twin maturity. He added that the company has a roadmap to move toward real-time monitoring, predictive digital twin capabilities, and eventually an autonomous or fully integrated digital twin, although each stage requires new investments and access to additional external data.

According to him, digital twin technology is particularly valuable for managing operational challenges along TANAP’s route, which crosses various terrains and climatic zones in Türkiye. In regions prone to heavy rainfall, the system enables the modeling of flood risks, helping the company forecast potential hazards and apply mitigation measures such as improving drainage systems and engineering protections. Climate change, he stressed, has become one of the main challenges in ensuring pipeline integrity, making predictive modelling increasingly important.

Suleymanov also highlighted that digital twins significantly enhance traditional risk-based inspection methods. Instead of relying solely on semi-quantitative RBI assessments for corrosion and other threats, the digital twin provides dynamic, data-rich insights that allow operators to focus on the most critical risks.

With strengthened inspection capabilities, improved data integration, and advanced modelling tools in place, TANAP’s use of digital technologies represents a notable step in modernizing pipeline integrity management and supporting the safe and reliable transportation of natural gas along its route.