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BP to inspect McIntyre line after mishaps
The Associated Press
BP PLC planned Aug. 16 to inspect a major pipeline in Prudhoe Bay after two mishaps forced the line to be shut down — another setback for the operator of the crippled oil field.
The first incident occurred Aug. 10, days after BP began shutting down much of Prudhoe following the discovery of corroded transit pipe in the nation’s largest field.
A drilling rig was traveling on a gravel road when some of its tires sank in a soft spot. The rig tilted toward a rack of pipelines, including a line that typically carries 20,000 barrels of crude oil, natural gas and water daily from the Point McIntyre field north of Prudhoe Bay.
The line was shut down in mid-July for scheduled maintenance to an oil gathering center in the western half of Prudhoe, BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said Aug. 16. The Point McIntyre line is among pipes leading to the facility — called gathering center 1 — and was being phased back into service when the rig listed.
As a precaution, BP shut down and depressurized the line and workers brought in a vacuum truck to pick up any oil in case of a spill. Pressure surge knocked line off supports After the rig was righted, the second mishap occurred shortly after midnight Aug. 11 as workers moved to restart the line. A pressure surge thrust liquids through with such force that a portion of the elevated line was knocked off support mounts and onto the tundra. Beaudo said the pipeline stayed intact, no oil leaked and no one was hurt.
The line has been lifted back into place and was set to be inspected Aug. 16. Beaudo said he didn’t know when its oil flow will be restarted.
“There’s no real tangible difference in production,” he said.
Such an occurrence is uncommon, but not unheard of, according to Beaudo, who said the incident is under investigation.
Normal production at Prudhoe Bay averages about 400,000 barrels a day, about half the current output by North Slope fields.
But it currently is producing 150,000 barrels daily while the eastern half of the field is closed. Once gathering center 1 is back in full operation, daily production in Prudhoe Bay will be around 200,000 barrels, Beaudo said.
BP plans to resume full production after 16 miles of transit pipeline are replaced.
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