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Division approves Prudhoe ops amendments
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
The Alaska Division of Oil and Gas has approved requests from Hilcorp North Slope for three projects as amendments to the Prudhoe Bay unit operations plan.
The most recent, dated May 10, is for authorization to construct a temporary polymer injection facility at W Pad at Prudhoe. The purpose is to inject polymer in W Pad wells to increase production. W Pad is some 17 miles northwest of Deadhorse.
The division said the temporary facility will consist of several modules to be placed centrally on the pad. The temporary facility is estimated to be in place for about one year, with the project planned to start in June and conclude by December.
Included in the plan are:
*Leveling the existing pad to prepare for module installation;
*Place rig mats and insulation to support skids;
*Installing a water let down module, 20 feet by 8 feet;
*Installing a polymer hydration module 40 feet by 8 feet;
*Installing a polymer injection pump module 40 feet by 8 feet;
*Installing a polymer loading and storage module 40 feet by 8 feet:
*Installing some 2,500 feet of 2-inch polymer injection piping on existing pipe racks; and
*Tying modules to existing aboveground facilities including power and water.
Pigging shelter Also at W Pad at Prudhoe, the division on May 6 approved a request to install a pig shelter, a 32- by 20-foot shelter on a steel frame over existing pipelines on the western side of the pad.
The division said the purpose is to provide a shelter for pig-launching operations on W Pad, with the project expected to begin June 1 and be completed by December.
Plan activities include:
*Installing steel foundation bracing and VersaTube framing;
*Constructing the 32- by 20-foot pigging shelter;
*Installing associating piping and values; and
*Installing a safety guardrail.
In the first quarter of the year, W Pad accounted for some 4% of Prudhoe crude oil production, up from 3.2% in the first quarter of 2018.
Main Construction Camp On May 6 the division approved a Hilcorp request to install a new aboveground water tank at the Main Construction Camp at Prudhoe. The division said the existing water tank subsided over time and is no longer suitable as the main tank for the MCC fire suppression system.
The new site will be excavated and a foundation constructed to hold the tank, which will be tied in to the existing tank. The existing tank will remain in place and minimal changes will be required in the piping layout. Work is expected to start in June and be complete by the end of the year, the division said.
Plan activities include:
*Constructing the foundation for the new tank; and
*Installing the new 370,000-gallon water tank.
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