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Recent Alaskan Incidents Highlight Drilling Hazards |
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Recent incidents in Alaska highlight the challenges of oil production. The year 2001 has proven to be a tough one for Alaskan petroleum operators. The following incidents highlight the current difficulties incurred by North Slope operations. Phillips' Kuparuk Oil Field Leak, October 2001. In what may be one of the largest spills ever on the North Slope, 92,400 gallons of saltwater and crude oil leaked from a pipeline at the Kuparuk oil field. The mixture, mostly saltwater, leaked from a 10-inch pipeline at a temperature of more than 100 degrees. The spill saturated approximately one acre of tundra according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation in Fairbanks. The exact cause has not yet been determined, however, pipeline corrosion or erosion has been cited as a probable cause. Phillips, which operates the Kuparuk oil field, North America's second largest, said it had cleaned up most of the spill. The leak occurred in a line that returns "produced water" and trace oil to one of the production facilities. Alyeska Pipeline Leak, October 2001. A major leak in the Alyeska oil pipeline this week occurred when a vandal pierced the pipeline with a bullet. The remediation effort is expected to last through the winter. The spill totaled 6,800 barrels or 285,600 gallons. It was the largest spill along the trans-Alaska pipeline in 23 years, and the third-largest in the state since oil began flowing through the 800-mile (1,296-km) line. It started last Thursday, when a gunman used a high-powered rifle to pierce the oil line at its midpoint, about 50 miles north of Fairbanks. Although bullets have struck the oil line in the past, this was the first time that one had pierced it. No oil has been found in nearby water bodies, either, though officials are concerned about possible future leaching into ground water. Long-term prospects for the area, about three acres, are complicated by the intermittent permafrost underlying it. The pipeline was shut down from late Thursday to early Sunday, when the bullet hole was plugged with a permanent weld. The pipeline moves about 1 million barrels a day. The vandal was charged with criminal mischief and the incident is considered a random act of vandalism. Prudhoe Bay, March 2001. On March 6, more than 3,200 gallons of drilling lubricant spewed across the tundra at Prudhoe Bay due to erosion inside a pipe. Sources: Reuters, Anchorage Daily News Return to the October
Newsletter, or go to AcuSafe. AcuSafe is a presentation of AcuTech Consulting, ©2002, All Rights Reserved
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