Gas pressure regulating station and gas pipelines, Krylatskoye (Moscow)
Geotechnical and environmental surveys for the reconstruction of a gas distribution station, involving demolition of the old building, installation of the Krylatskoye modular gas pressure regulating unit, and rerouting of gas pipelines on Rublyovskoye Highway.
Objective
We completed geotechnical and environmental surveys for the reconstruction of a gas distribution station on Rublyovskoye Highway: the old station building is being demolished, a packaged gas pressure regulating station ('Krylatskoye') is being installed in its place, and the inlet and outlet gas pipelines are being reconfigured. The client is a gas utility design organisation; the works were carried out in July–August 2024.
A packaged gas pressure regulating station (GRP) with a footprint of 22.8 × 13.7 m is being designed on a raft foundation, served by three underground steel gas pipelines: Category I high-pressure (530 mm diameter), Category II high-pressure (426 mm diameter) and medium-pressure (325 mm diameter), with a total length of about 190 m and a burial depth of 1.3–2.3 m. The site is an asphalted industrial area with live utilities located between car dealerships and a residential quarter.
Three 15 m boreholes were drilled using a URB-2A-2 rig by core drilling with core recovery and casing support, accompanied by cone penetration testing (CPT) at three adjacent points. The ground profile proved complex: thick made ground smelling of bitumen, loose lacustrine-paludal sands containing organic matter, and a high groundwater table; therefore, the soils were tested by triaxial compression and specific soil layers were delineated.
Scope of work and deliverables
GTGeotechnical surveys
Scope of work
- 3 boreholes 15 m deep — 45 linear metres of cased 127 mm rotary core drilling
- 3 cone penetration tests (CPT)
- sampling of 31 disturbed sand samples, 10 undisturbed cohesive soil cores, 3 soil samples and 3 groundwater samples for corrosivity testing
- laboratory testing: physical properties on 41 samples, 6 triaxial compression tests, organic matter content
- hydrogeological observations in boreholes, reconnaissance survey of the site
Results
- Geotechnical conditions — complexity category II (medium); level built-up site on an alluvial plain with elevations of around 154 m.
- From the surface lies 3.1–4.4 m of made ground — sandy loam with construction debris, bitumen odour, and oily sheen (EGU-1); beneath it are loose glaciolacustrine/bog medium sands with up to 9.5% organic matter (EGU-2a), underlain by alluvial medium sands (EGU-3) and alluvial-fluvioglacial fine sands of the Moscow horizon (EGU-4).
- Groundwater was encountered at a depth of 2.0–2.4 m: with gas pipelines laid down to 2.3 m, the site is waterlogged, and the gas pressure regulating station (GPRS) plot is potentially subject to waterlogging.
- Soils are non-aggressive to concrete and moderately aggressive to carbon steel — steel gas pipelines require corrosion protection.
- Made ground and loose organic sands are classified as problematic soils, and the made ground within the frost zone is frost-susceptible; the standard frost penetration depth for sandy loams and fine sands is 1.34 m.
- Layer 1 Topsoil layer (solQIV)
- EGU-1 Made ground: unconsolidated plastic sandy loam with sand interbeds, fragments of brick, concrete and reinforcement, and a bitumen odour (tQIV)
- EGU-2a Medium sand, loose, saturated, with interlayers of sandy silt, angular fine gravel and organic matter, lacustrine-paludal (lbQIII)
- EGU-3 Medium greyish-green sand, medium dense, saturated, with interlayers of sandy silt and up to 15% angular fine gravel, alluvial (aQIII)
- EGU-4 Fine light-brown sand, medium dense, saturated, with dense interlayers and up to 10% gravel, alluvial-fluvioglacial (afQIIms)
- Groundwater level
Legend
- geotechnical borehole, number and depth, m
- cone penetration test (CPT) point
- geotechnical cross-section line
- footprint of the proposed gas pressure regulating station and gas pipeline routes
ESEnvironmental surveys
Scope of work
- 10 topsoil and subsoil samples from the surface and boreholes to a depth of 5 m: heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, benzo(a)pyrene; 2 samples each for microbiological and parasitological indicators
- reconnaissance gamma survey of 0.43 ha, gamma dose rate measurement at 10 control points, 5 samples for radionuclides
- interpretation of satellite imagery, reconnaissance survey, enquiries to authorised bodies, schematic map of environmental conditions, and map of zones with special conditions for land use (ZOUIT)
Results
- Half of the soil and ground samples were classified as 'moderately hazardous' contamination (suitable for backfill if capped with a 0.2 m clean layer) and the remainder as 'permissible'; in microbiological and parasitological terms, the soils are 'clean'.
- The radiation environment is normal: no anomalies, and soils belong to Class I by effective specific activity of radionuclides.
- The site falls within a sanitary protection zone and Subzone 3 of the Sheremetyevo Airport environs — these urban planning restrictions are accounted for in the report.
Result
The client received two technical reports for the design of a gas pressure regulating station and gas pipeline diversion. A positive non-state expert review conclusion was obtained.
This is just one of our projects: every year our specialists carry out surveys on 40–50 sites in Moscow, the Moscow Region, and across Russia.
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