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Carlile hauls 100-ton truckable modules to North Slope Cozad trailer, with 125-ton capacity and 80 foot deck, handpicked members of heavy haul team key to success Randy Brutsche PNA Contributing Writer
Beginning in late February of this year, Carlile Enterprises Inc. made three back-to-back trips to move three truckable modules up the haul road to the North Slope. The modules, built in Anchorage by VECO Corp. and Alaska Petroleum Contractors Inc. for Phillips Alaska Inc. (formerly ARCO Alaska Inc.), were for the Alpine oil field. Under development, Alpine is located on the northeastern border of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
This writer accompanied Carlile for two of those trips, the transport of the Alpine modules M-2 to Alpine and module P2-AL03 to Kuparuk oil field.
Module M-2 was transported to Alpine in three loads stacked atop one another to form the complete module. M2 produces hydrocarbon condensate — miscible injectant enriching fluids — to be reinjected into wells to help maintain operational pressure in the Alpine formation and to promote oil recovery by acting as a solvent to flush more crude oil out of the formation and into the wells.
Module P2-AL03 provides diversion capability at Kuparuk’s central processing facility where the pipeline from Alpine ties into the existing pipeline at Kuparuk. As Alpine’s product flow rate fluctuates with the ups and downs typical in oil production, this module will divert excessive production to a 55,000 barrel temporary storage tank at Kuparuk’s central processing facility or take product back from the storage tank to make up for inadequate production. This will help ensure consistent flow and prevent over-pressurization of the pipeline system from Alpine, through Kuparuk’s central processing facility 2 and toward Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.’s pump station one.
Gearing up for the trip Carlile’s Cozad trailer, with a 125-ton capacity and a deck that can be configured in working lengths of 20 to 80 feet, is the key piece of equipment for moving truckable modules to the North Slope. Preparations for the trip to the North Slope included configuring the deck to its full 80 foot length and checking the trailer’s frame, electrical and air systems, 80 tires and 40 sets of wedge type brakes.
The prime mover, the semi tractor that hooks to the front of the trailer, is a five-axle unit. It has two additional axles that are lowered when needed to carry additional weight. Prior to both trips, this tractor was subjected to a top-to-bottom inspection and fitted with eight new tires on its traction wheels and new components in its drive lines.
In addition to the prime mover, Carlile sent four push trucks to help move the load up the hills between Anchorage and the North Slope. Prior to departure, these semi tractors were also subjected to thorough inspections. New parts were installed where any questionable parts were found.
The prime mover and two of the push trucks were also fitted with matching, final drive, gear sets in their rear ends. These low ratio gears provide greater power at a lower speed and allow the drivers to select identical “pulling gears” to use when moving the load up the steeper grades of the haul road.
Finally, all push trucks were fitted with push decks on the rear and push bumpers on the front. The push decks, customized to fit each individual truck’s frame and fifth wheel connection, provided two functions. They are essentially a short flat bed that is loaded with North Slope bound freight, in many cases drilling mud, to provide the weight necessary for the trucks to develop adequate traction. The push decks also have structural members at the rear for other push trucks to push against.
Off to a roaring slow start Getting the 214 foot tractor/trailer combination wiggled out of the yard was no small task. Even more time-consuming was the cross-town commute of less than ten miles from Carlile’s new corporate headquarters, freight dock and maintenance shop on First Avenue in the Ship Creek industrial area. It took a full day to get the tractor/trailer to Alaska Petroleum Contractor’s fabrication facility at King and 100th Avenue or VECO’s fabrication facility at Raspberry Road just off of “C” Street. Getting the combination off the road again at either location seemed like a simple task until the monstrosity rolled up to the front gate.
The demanding task of moving the trailer under a module inside a fabrication facility, positioning the trailer exactly so the module sets balanced side to side and front to rear, lifting the trailer’s deck up to lift the module off of its temporary blocking and chaining the load to the trailer’s deck took another day.
DOT permit restrictions and stipulations The state of Alaska’s Department of Transportation and Public Facilities granted overweight, oversize permits to Carlile to transport the Alpine modules. The permits contained many provisions and restrictions, including a stipulation that said the loads could only be moved within the municipalities of Anchorage and Fairbanks between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.
Another DOT stipulation dictated Carlile use a different combination of prime mover tractor and a “jeep,” an extra set of axles with a gooseneck, to cross several of the bridges leading out of Anchorage, spreading the loads’ weight out as far as possible.
Another permit stipulation required that the loads be moved across several bridges at a walking pace — literally with a person walking before the prime mover — to eliminate any shock loading of the bridges.
A module heads north Beginning just past midnight, the Carlile team and its fleet of pilot cars began to move the load through Anchorage. At intersections where the load made a turn, no matter how wide the intersection, the load had to be steered at the front and the rear. Even at intersections where it was not making a turn, it had to be zigzagged through the intersection, into the oncoming lane, to avoid low hanging traffic lights.
Finally on the Glenn Highway, just past Ship Creek, the load had to be routed into the fast lanes to clear the “million dollar” road condition warning sign.
The first bridge encountered by Carlile’s heavy haul team as it left Anchorage was typically the Tudor overpass crossing the New Seward highway. Just before the bridge, the load was stopped and “chocked” in place with a push at the rear.
The front of the load was lowered onto large, square timbers. Then the five-axle prime mover was disconnected from the load and pulled to the side.
The alternate three-axle tractor, with a two-axle jeep was brought into position, backed under the front of the load and its air and electrical lines are connected. The load was raised off the timbers at the front and the load was moved across the bridge at a walking pace.
Once across, the process was reversed to remove the alternate tractor/jeep combination and replace the five-axle prime mover.
This entire process was repeated at several bridges heading out of Anchorage and through the Palmer-Wasilla area.
Finally, north of Anchorage at the Hiland scales, DOT officials scrutinized the load in terms of height, width, total length, length between axle groups, weight per axle group and total weight. For the M-2 module, the longest, heaviest load of the 2000 season, the tractor, trailer and load was officially recorded at 382,520 pounds. Carlile permit was for as much as 405,000 pounds.
From the scales, the load was moved just down the highway to the Hiland exit where it was parked for the day to avoid traffic.
One more day gone.
Making good time, relatively speaking The DOT restriction of load movement between midnight to six a.m. applied only from Anchorage to Big Lake and within Fairbanks. Outside of these urban areas, the load could be moved at any hour of the day.
At Big Lake on the fourth day, the last bridge requiring an alternate tractor/jeep combination was cleared. As a result, the daily mileage goal jumped from approximately 15 miles to as high as 100 miles.
While moving along the highway, the pilot cars work to scout the route ahead for obstructions such as traffic accidents and stalled vehicles. Their job is to move traffic around the load. Oncoming traffic is halted until after the load has passed. Traffic delayed behind the load was flagged around the load as soon as the load could be safely slowed down or stopped along the side of the highway.
If the gravel is the size of bowling balls, you’re on the haul road Just north of Fairbanks was Hilltop, a truck stop with fuel, food and a hot shower. The last stop before beginning the long trek north up the haul road, Carlile’s vehicles take on a full load of fuel and fill up fuel barrels and plastic gas cans. From there, it’s about 400 air miles to the North Slope with one fuel facility midway at Coldfoot.
Not too far north of Fairbanks, a road sign announced, “Pavement Ends” and within sight of that sign, another announced, “Leaving Fairbanks Northstar Borough.” This sign, like so many Alaska road signs, was riddled with gun shots, front and back.
From this sign on, the road was a heavy industry, gravel road with little-to-no shoulder, sided by deep ditches and steep banks. At points, the stones that made up the gravel roadbed were larger than softballs, sometimes approaching the size of bowling balls.
About 70 miles north of Fairbanks, just past Livengood, the Steese Highway cut off to the west, and the James B. Dalton Highway continued north as the “haul road.” The steepness of the grades and the tightness of the haul road’s curves make it one of the most demanding routes a truck driver can face.
“There are two kinds of truck drivers on the haul road,” said Steve Petit, position one push truck driver for Carlile Enterprises’ heavy haul division. “Those who have wrecked and those who have yet to.”
The demanding hills were identified by their respective mile markers. A small reprieve of relatively flat land occurred before a series of hills began at 8-mile to and ended at 12-mile.
Drivers say the most demanding hill is 44-mile. (See front page photo.)
The Carlile heavy haul team begins with Paul Miller, driver of the prime mover, the tractor hooked to the front of the Cozad trailer. Miller says of his job in the seat of the prime mover, “You can go from hero to zero, just like that.”
Next month, the challenging move up the haul road.
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