April 15, 2023: Iron Hill Iron Hill High-Sulfur Gas Field Helium-Nitrogen Joint Operation and Intelligent Ball-Tracking Detection Project

The Tieshanpo high-sulfur gas field is a key project for Southwest Oil & Gas Field Company as it accelerates production to reach 50 billion cubic meters. Our company is responsible for the final quality checkpoint of the Tieshanpo surface construction project: the helium-nitrogen joint pressure testing, leak detection, and pipeline pigging operations. On April 22, 2023, despite heavy rainfall, we successfully completed the 13 MPa high-pressure helium-nitrogen pressure test at the Dawan Pigging Station. Then, on May 11, we pioneered an innovative three-pump truck coordinated operation mode for intelligent pigging—achieving an instantaneous flow rate of 24,000 m³/h—and precisely maintained a stable backpressure of 2.78 MPa to ensure smooth detector operation. To support this critical phase, we also mobilized over 200 cubic meters of liquid nitrogen. By May 12, we efficiently finished the pressure test at the dehydration station, culminating in a successful completion of the entire pipeline system by 8:00 PM that same evening. Throughout the process, we overcame three major challenges simultaneously: high-sulfur conditions, extreme weather, and intricate precision engineering controls—securing the final safety milestone before the commissioning of China’s largest high-sulfur gas field in northeastern Sichuan. This achievement has earned high praise from Southwest Oil & Gas Field Company.