Research school of pipeline transport protection

In 1977 the Department of Gas, Water Supply and Hydraulics was organised at Novopolotsk Polytechnic Institute (now - PSU). With the guidance of the Associate professor V. Lipsky here soon started the research aimed at developing:

• scientific foundations and engineering systems of container pipeline hydrotransport for solid petroleum products
• technologies and equipment for crating high pour point petroleum products in polyethylene film packaging
• construction and engineering design of shipboard equipment for clean-up boats

The achieved research results were implemented:

• the complexes of equipment and new technology of transportation solid bitumen in containers by main oil pipeline Kirishi-Leningrad (100km in length) successfully passed the tests (defended by 15 certificates of authorship of USSR and gained 10 foreign patents, defended a Ph. D. thesis)
• at Novopolotsk oil refinery an experimental-industrial plant for crating bitumen in leak-proof polyethylene film packaging. It was the first time when such technology was applied (defended by 10 certificates of authorship of USSR and gained 5 foreign patents, defended a Ph. D. thesis, a monograph published). Pilot-line production was set up. Technology license and the equipment for bitumen crating were sold to the oil refinery in Trzebinia (Poland)
• Clean-up boats were mass produced at Azov shipyard of Ministry of shipbuilding Industry of USSR during a long period of time (project "Skorobei"). Technological scheme and constructive solutions of oil gathering system, which are installed at the ship are protected by 4 certificates of authorship of USSR, gained by the representatives of the research school

At this period strong connections and productive cooperation in scientific, methodological and engineering spheres were installed between the representatives of the forming research school, research groups and the most eminent scientists working at Universities and research institutes of oil and gas sphere in Moscow, Ufa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Minsk and other cities. That significantly favoured to forming research school potential. At this stage, which ended in the middle of 90s, scientific, methodological ideology and the staffing were formed.

The next stage of the research school activity began in 1995. It was associated with the beginning of training (for the first time in Belarus) engineers for the design, construction and operation of gas and oil pipelines, bases and storage facilities.

Research school organizer V. Lipsky is the first to open a master study course and a postgraduate course on 25.00.19 "Construction and exploitation of gas and oil pipelines, bases and storages" in the Republic of Belarus.

From 1996 to 2020 by the representatives of the research school were prepared nine International scientific and engineering conferences devoted to the issues of sustainability and safety of main oil pipelines, prepared and published seven collections of works, developed and implemented more than twenty legislative and engineering regulatory legal acts.