The International Association of Oil Transporters (IAOT), established in 2013, united the efforts of 10 national operators of pipeline transport for oil pumping energy efficiency improvement.

Transneft R&D, LLC, on commission of the IAOT, has created the energy efficiency benchmarking procedure of pipeline transport facilities, which allows, with the minimum volume of actual data, to perform technological calculation of oil pipeline parameters, to deliver recommendations for possible reduction of electric energy costs as well as to bring into comparison all the variety of technical and design solutions of national pipeline systems.

In comparison with the reference the specific energy consumption of oil pipeline indicates the energy efficiency resources improvement in physical units (kW h/ thousand tons km), and energy efficiency coefficient - in relative units (%). At the same time the energy efficiency coefficient can be analyzed on the basis of three components: station energy efficiency, linear pipeline section energy efficiency and energy consumption for frequency control, which allows to find the reason of facility’s energy efficiency decrease and to develop detailed recommendations by providing additional data.

The uniqueness of the procedure is that during calculations all the figures, influencing oil pumping energy consumption, are taken into the account as a single whole.

As the result, the joint efforts of the IAOT members reduced energy consumption by 20% by means of introducing frequency control; operation of pumping equipment at maximum energy efficiency; minimal pressure at tapping point (CTR) with regards to the exclusion of gravity-flow line.

From 2016 to 2020 the energy efficiency of the project participants was increased by 12%, which amounts to 1.6 kW h/ thousand t km.