ARCO Alaska tests horizontal directional drilling for pipeline crossing at Colville River

One cased pipe, one drill pipe under river for Alpine pipeline; camps, drill rigs demobilizing

Kristen Nelson

PNA News Editor

The test phase of an ambitious plan to put the Alpine field pipelines under the Colville River ended in mid-April.

Field operator ARCO Alaska Inc., which is testing a 4,300-foot pipeline crossing bored under the river with horizontal directional drilling techniques, said it learned a lot and is on schedule to complete the work next winter.

The first such river crossing ever done in permafrost conditions, the buried link is key to the plan to move oil from the Alpine field west of the river to connect with the existing North Slope pipeline system. (See photo essay on the Alpine development in section B and North Slope pipeline story page A8.)

During a tour of the project in late March, ARCO Alaska spokesman Ronnie Chappell said they were “moving up the HDD (horizontal directional drilling) learning curve” for drilling muds, temperature of muds, bits and drilling speed. ...

The rest of this story is available from Petroleum News • Alaska by calling the circulation manager Dan Wilcox at 522-9469 for back issue copies.