The Alaskan Pipelines
800 miles of pipe (the red line) through the state
Oil was discovered at Prudhoe Bay in 1968 and it took until March of 1975 to start drilling. They needed permits, environmental studies and engineering drafts to be approved before they could begin the pipeline.
Alaska presented an unusual problem because of the permafrost. Where there was "unstable thaw soil", pipes were raised and insulated. Where the "thaw stable soil" was located, the pipeline went underground and put in special boxes. They were also put underground at animal crossings, and to avoid rock slides.
Along the 800 miles of pipeline there are 44 buried crossings of pipe.
It was also build "zigzagged" so that it could withstand earthquakes.
About 70,000 individuals were involved in the building of the pipeline.
Where would they live? eat? How would they get to and from the site?
Infrastructure had to be built.
- Roads and bridges needed to be built where none existed.
- Camps were built for the workers to stay in and eat.
- Transportation to and from the site was needed so that meant roads.
- The pipeline had to be laid out carefully before the building started to make sure to avoid difficult river crossings and animal habitats
- 48" pipes were ordered from Japan
- They had to build 12 pump stations.
Permission was granted to start building the infrastructure in 1973 and 1974 while waiting for all the permits to be approved.
It was such a massive project it was divided into sections. Men and women were hired to work each section around the clock. Later the sections would be wielded together.
The ratio was 1100 men to 94 women. Most of the women were drivers to transport men back and forth from the field.
Work never stopped. Men worked in shifts to cover 24 hours a day, even through the snowy blizzard winter.
Why would anyone do it? They got paid A LOT of money!!!
The first pipe was laid March, 1975 and was completed May, 1977. It pumped 2.1 million barrels a day.
The pipeline does not produce the same amount of oil today as it did in 1977, but oil continues to flow. Why? To keep it from freezing. There are also more than 124,00 heat pipes along the Alaskan pipeline.
Future problems may exist with maintaining the infrastructure due to the permafrost and age. Time will tell.
Information gathered from:
Information next to pipelines, Fairbanks Alaska
Wikipedia Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
Google: Al Overview
