Transportation
Methods To, From, and Within ANWR
November 3, 2003
My research to date has led me to a revised preliminary transportation
strategy:
-Transportation of people and equipment:
-Transportation to and from ANWR will be by plane and
helicopter. Airfields may be installed outside the western border of
1002 or within 1002 itself. The airfield in Kaktovik, Barter Island
may also be used, but complications arise because it is offshore from mainland
Alaska. Most new airfields will utilize ice air strips instead of traditional
gravel strips. Ice air strips melt in the spring and summer and leave
a minimal environmental impact. Summertime air travel will be limited
mostly because certain ANWR birds are adversly affected by airplane/helicopter
noise. However, at least one airfield must be left operational during
summer in case of emergencies. Such airfields are to be built of gravel.
Gravel usage should be minimized because gravel leaves a permanent
scar on the tundra, and it is almost impossible to clean up. New gravel
airfields can be installed outside 1002, or usage of the current gravel airfield
in Kaktovik is an acceptible alternative.
-Transportation within ANWR will be by a variety of
means: hovercraft, ice roads, and air travel. As mentioned already,
hovercraft are an efficient and environmentally friendly means to traverse
the tundra. Ice roads are also environmentally friendly. They
are used heavily in the winter, then melt in spring and summer, leaving minimal
environmental impact. However, ice roads cost about $40,000 and 1.5
million gallons of water per mile, so ice road mileage should be minimized.
(Satchell, Michael. 2002. Gentler Footsteps on the Tundra. U.S.
News and World Report. Retrieved November 1, 2003, from EBSCOhost
database.) Air transportation of both people and equipment within
ANWR may become necessary. If so, both planes and helicopters will
be used.
-Other transportation information:
-Ice roads: open dates range from
early December to mid Februrary; average open in late December to early
January; close dates rangefrom mid April to early May; average close
in late April. (http://www.gov.nt.ca/Transportation/hwyinfo/crossing/mackenziedelta_wr_1.pdf)
-Ice construction requires an immense
amount of water: a single mile of onshore ice road that's 6 inches thick
and 40 feet wide requires 1-1.5 million gallons water, an ice bridge requires
roughly 10 million gallons, an ice pad roughly 2-3.6 gallons, and an ice
airstrip roughly 8 million gallons. The water
nessary is sometimes collected from snow, but mostly the water is diverted
from nearby lakes and rivers. Water diversion at such an enormous can
be a serious environmental impact. (Oil Development in America's Arctic -
2001 Ice Roads. (n.d.) Retrieved November 2, 2003.)
-Vehicles: The use of ultra-low
sulfur diesel fuel for trucks and buses can significantly reduce sulfur,
particle, and nitrogen oxide emissions. Some engine manufacturers
already beginning to convert their engines to use this type of fuel. (
Anonymous. 2002. DEC will follow national plan for ultra-low diesel.
Petroleum News Alaska, volume 7, pg 13. Retrieved November 1,
2003.)
-Transportation of hydrocarbons:
Transportation of hydrocarbons will be by pipeline.
However, there will be differences for oil and gas pipelines:
-Oil: A system of pipelines will connect between
the drill sites and empty the oil into the TransAlaskan Pipeline System.
The TAPS is currently operating a only half capacity; additional oil
from 1002 will increase the the life of the pipeline. ( Sutherlin, Steve.
2002. State of the the pipeline address: five year strategic plan.
Petroleum News Alaska, volume 7, pg 13. Retrieved November 1,
2003.) The pipelines will be either above or below ground, depending
on terrain and permafrost conditions.
-Natural Gas: A system of pipelines will connect between
the drill sites and empty into the TransAlaskan Natural Gas Pipeline System,
once it exists. Such a pipeline is still pending approval from Congress,
but current estimates suggest it might be completed by 2012 (Synder, Robert.
2003. What's New in Production. World Oil, volume 224,
p 21. Retrieved November 1, 2003, from EBSCOhost database). If
an Alaskan gas pipeline is not available, options include two Canadian gas
pipelines, one from TransCanada
and one from Alliance Pipeline.
If a Canadian pipeline is chosen, a natural gas pipeline will need to
be built from 1002 to Canada, either Alberta or British Columbia. It
may also be possible to convert natural gas to liquid synthesis gas and transport
it like oil through the TAPS, but this procedure is still in the making and
has yet to be proven feasible. (Anonymous. 1997. Gas--to--Liquids
Project Targets "Distant Gas". Gas Daily, volume 14. Retrieved
November 2, 2003, from LexisNexis database.)
-Offshore: Offshore subsea pipelines will be modeled
off of the Northstar Project. Pipelines need to have a rigorous leak
detection system and pipeline route surveillance to guard against underwater
leaks. Pipelines will have a low pipe diameter to wall thickness ratio
for increased stability. Concerns of underwater pipelines: soil shifting,
ice gouging, permafrost thaw settlement, underwater leaks, and the critical
transition to from subsea levels to land. (Lanan, Glenn. 2001. Arctic Offshore
Oil Pipeline Will Move Production Before Yearend. Oil and Gas Journal,
Special Report, pg 100. Retrieved November 2, 2003, LexisNexis database.)
-Other pipeline information:
-It is possible to use horizontal
directional drilling to route a pipeline under a river, as was done at Alpine,
Alaska. (Cederquist, Sally. 2000. Alpine Project Brings
Technology to Alaska's North Slope. Pipeline and Gas Journal, volume
227, pp 28-32. Retrieved November 1, 2003, EBSCOhost
database.)
-Many pipeline leakages were caused
by faulty valves. To solve this issue, vertical loops may replace most
valves. Vertical loops, first used at the
Alpine project a few years back, works the best in flat terrain, and is suitable
for the 1002 region. Vertical loops create an artificial high point
that isolate "uphill" oil from the leak. (Cederquist, Sally. 2000.
Alpine Project Brings Technology to Alaska's North Slope. Pipeline
and Gas Journal, volume 227, pp 28-32. Retrieved November 1, 2003,
EBSCOhost database.)
-Corrosion is a big problem, mostly
for underground pipelines. Buried metallic pipes are required by federal
law to have cathodic protection, which involves pipeline coating and the
usage of sacrificial anodes. (Federal Requirements Chapter III Corrosion
Control.. (n.d.) Retrieved October 31, 2003). The coating ican be fusion
bonded epoxy. Corrosion can also be caused when insulation wrapped around
pipeline welding locations become susceptible to moisture entry. (Nelson,
Kristen. DEC: Pipeline corrosion rates drop steadily, are at lowest
level in 12 years. Petroleum News Alaska, volume 7, p 1 and p15. Retrieved
November 1, 2003.)
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October 19, 2003
My research so far has led me to the following preliminary strategy:
-Transportation of people and equipment:
-Transportation of people and equipment to and from
ANWR will be by plane; airfields will be installed in various locations
and strategically placed to minimize the number of airfields
necessary. Air travel is the fastest and most reliable means of transportation
for equipment/supplies/sick/injured, especially in emergencies. They
will only be points of damage in the vast region of ANWR. Transportation
by ship or by land into ANWR would not be feasible, even if possible. Many
of the areas are not acessible by these means, and even for accessible areas
it would take much too long to travel.
-Transportation of people and equipment within ANWR
shall be conducted mostly by hovercraft. Hovercrafts are vehicles
that push off the ground using air. A skirt traps the air and allows
the vehicle to float. Hovercrafts are environmentally friendly: they
exert a lower pressure on the surface than any other modern vehicle. Loads
can range from a few passengers to hundreds of tons of equipment. Modern
hovercrafts are mostly amphibious, allowing a single vehicle to traverse
across land, water, and mud. In the event of hover failure, air will
take several minutes to escape from under the skirt and thus create a soft
landing. They produce minimal levels of noise and exhaust pollution
and mild damage to local vegetation. For more information on hovercrafts,
visit www.hoverdril.com.
-Gravel roads have been almost completely ruled out.
The gravel rarely gets cleaned up, and so they leave a rather permanent
"footprint" on the area. Gravel roads would be a dividing line across
a huge area. Many animals will not cross the road, and thus the wildlife
population would be greatly disturbed.
-Ice roads have not yet been researched, but they
are very likely to be used during winter travel. Ice roads would only
be around when it's cold enough, and once the ice melts there'll be little
trace of any roads at all.
-Transportation of hydrocarbons:
-Transportation of hydrocarbons will most likely
be by pipeline. The pipeline will need to be specially adapted to
withstand the extreme temperatures and seismic activity of northern Alaska.
Internal heating and pumping stations will be installed to keep the
hydrocarbons moving. Areas with unstable permafrost will require that
the pipeline be above ground, in which case the pipeline will need to be
high enough to allow the passing of animals, and the pipeline may need to
be in a zigzag pattern to allow horizontal and vertical shifting in case
of an earthquake. In other areas the pipeline can be buried, and precaution
should be taken to insulate the pipe and/or incorporate underground refrigeration
techniques to prevent damage to the surrounding permafrost. Check valves
will be installed at regular intervals to monitor fluid flow and seal against
leaks. [Much of these designs are modeled after the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline.]
-Two pipelines will be necessary, one for oil and
one for natural gas. These two pipelines may run side by side. If
possible, the pipelines will link to the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline or to a
Canadian pipeline (assuming there is one). Otherwise, constructing
separate pipelines through Alaska or Canada may be necessary.
-Transportation of hydrocarbons by air or ship isn't
feasible, even if possible. Tankers can't traverse the frozen Arctic
Ocean in the winter, and an oil spill in the ocean would be detrimental
to the aquatic environment. Helicopters and plane transportation would
also be too risky; if either were to crash, the spill and burning of oil
cause horrible damage to the Arctic environment.
More research needs to be completed and the above strategies are yet
to be discussed with other teams. These strategies are only preliminary
and are likely to change.
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October 5, 2003
My early research within the Oil and Gas Journal has been fruitless;
I have decided instead to look in the Pipeline and Gas Journal; as before,
I am attempting to trace the developments of transportation methods across
a large time period
Best ideas so far:
-air cushioned vehicles to travel across tundra: I have come across
a brief blurb on air cushioned vehicles in one of the P&G articles;
these vehicles are like hovercrafts and float in the air; they are especially
environmentally friendly as they will not scratch the delicate tundra
of ANWR; however, they will not be able to carry very heavy loads, and
I have no information yet on their pollution and operational costs
-pipelines to carry hydrocarbons; however, there is a difference
between oil and gas pipelines, which I have yet to research; I have also
not yet looked into other hydrocarbon transportation methods, such as
by tankers, etc
Special articles of interest:
-P&G June 1997 Vol 224 Issue 6 pp 46-54 "TAPPING INTO THE HISTORY
OF THE TRANS-ALASKA PIPELINE": provides a brief history of how the Trans-Alaska
Pipeline was created; mentioned air-cushioned vehicles
-P&G September 1997 Vol 224 Issue 9 p36 "Two decades of security
along TransAlaska pipeline": provides descriptions of remote gate valves
(RGV's), what they do and how they work, on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline
-P&G June 2003 Vol 230 Issue 6 pp 65-66 "Offshore Review": has
a section that provides information on arctic platforms, methane hydrates,
and other general information
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September 30, 2003
My research into transportation methods has just started.
I am currently reviewing the Oil and Gas Journal dating as far
back as 1978. My goals are to review past and present transportation
methods and how these methods have changed throughout the last three
decades in the hope of finding a suitable balance between economic feasibility
and environmental impact.
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