ANCHORAGE - Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. is planning a field exercise this year to test a hydraulically powered clamp designed to stop oil from spewing out of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline through a bullet hole.
The bullet-hole exercise is planned for a site at the Chatanika River.
A test piece of 48-inch mainline pipe will be placed at the scene and
pressurized with water to simulate a high-pressure oil spray through a bullet hole, an exercise description says. Equipment including Alyeska's HC 320 hydraulic clamp will be dispatched from the company's Fairbanks Response Base.
A simulated 60-barrel release is expected over the course of the planned 12-hour exercise, and Alyeska and regulators will time and evaluate all the activities, the exercise description says.
The drill is scheduled for the third quarter of this year, though Alyeska spokesman Matt Carle said it could come sooner to avoid conflicts with planned summer maintenance shutdowns along the pipeline.
No comments:
Post a Comment