Cumulative Environmental Effects of Oil and Gas Activities on Alaska's North Slope (2003) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix F: Oil Spills
Appendix F: Oil Spills
Pages 208-227
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From page 208... ...
In-field pipelines (flowlines) carry TABLE F-1 Ten Largest Crude Oil Spills From TAPS, Pump Station 1 to Atigun Pass, 1977-2000 (Modified from Maxim and Niebo 2001b)
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From page 209... ...
Spills can potentially occur from pipelines, pump stations, support facilities such as aboveground and underground storage tanks, and support facilities such as tanker trucks. Spills can occur at any place where crude oil or products are handled, stored, used, or transported.
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From page 210... ...
0.2 _ 0.2 0.4 0.6 Fraction of Spills 0.8 1 FIGURE F-2 Actual Lorenz diagram for crude oil and products spills associated with exploration and production activities on the North Slope. SOURCE: Reprinted with permission from Maxim and Niebo 2001b.
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From page 211... ...
Of these, 117 were crude oil spills, and 1,473 were products spills. The total volume of crude oil spilled over the 23-year period was 4,908 bbl (206,136 gallons)
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From page 212... ...
. The 10 largest crude oil and products spills from TAPS Pump Station 1 to Atigun Pass are listed in Tables F-1 and F6; most were generally caused by equipment malfunction or operator error (Maxim and Niebo 2001b)
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From page 213... ...
Spills TABLE F-8 Five Largest Crude Oil or Mixed Crude Oil/ Water Spills That Affected Tundra Vegetation on the North Slope, 1977-1999 Year Oil Field Containment Area (m) Tundra Affected (m)
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From page 214... ...
shows a statistically significant reduction over time. 10 0.1 0.1 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 1975 Year FIGURE F-5 Volumetric spill rates for crude oil and products spills associated with exploration and production activities on the North Slope.
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From page 215... ...
~ 0.1Q U) 0.01 0.001 l A \ 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Year FIGURE F-7 Volumetric spill rate for crude oil and products spills associated with the Trans-Alaska Pipeline from Pump Station 1 to Atigun Pass (semi-log scale)
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From page 216... ...
for monitoring ethylene pipelines (Comfort et al.2000; Intec Engineering, Inc.1999) has been modified for crude oil pipelines.
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From page 217... ...
Although all oil spills on the North Slope have been onshore, preparedness is required for both onshore and offshore spills. Alaska Clean Seas, an industry-funded oil cleanup cooperative, is designated as the sole entity responsible for training, purchasing and maintaining equipment, and spill response, including cleanup.
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From page 218... ...
Contaminated gravel is rarely left in place but contamination beneath buildings or other structures that prevent immediate removal may remain (van der Wende, unpublished material, 2002~. Offshore Spills Even though there have been no major offshore spills on the North Slope, methods used to control offshore oil spills have been used for 30 years, during which time they have been improved and refined.
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From page 219... ...
This was a spill of 600 bbl (25,200 gallons) of crude oil and produced water that leaked from a valve in the Kuparuk oil field operated by ARCO Alaska.
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From page 220... ...
. There have been two crude oil spills greater than 500 bbl (21,000 gallons)
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From page 221... ...
found that minimum currents that would move crude oil under a smooth ice sheet were approximately 0.15 m per second (0.50 ft per second) , increasing to approximately 0.21 m per second (0.70 ft per second)
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From page 222... ...
· Fresh crude oil from both surface and subsurface spills will reside naturally at or near the surface in newly forming ice (grease, nilas)
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From page 223... ...
. To better understand the effects of crude oil spills in the arctic, a small amount of oil was intentionally released in a small pond on the North Slope in the summer of 1970.
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From page 224... ...
effects to zooplankton, phytoplankton, and insect populations, plus shorter-term effects on benthic algae and microbe populations (BLM/MMS 1998~. SCENARIOS OF OIL SPILLS Beaufort Spill Scenarios Oil field operators are required to prepare spill scenarios.
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From page 225... ...
1977 1,800 bbl spill at TAPS check valve 7 1977 30 bbl crude oil spill at TAPS Pump Station 1 1977 One 100 bbl products spill, North Slope 1977 83 bbl diesel fuel spill at Pump Station 3 1978 21 bbl diesel fuel spill at Pump Station 4 1979 1,500 bbl crude oil spill at Atigun Pass 1979 95 bbl gasoline spill at Ice-cut Hill 1979 39 bbl diesel fuel spill at Pump Station I Technological Advances Regulatory Events 1980 to 1985 U.S. Fish and Wildlife conducts biodiversity assay in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 1980 One 102 bbl product spill, North Slope 1980 6 bbl crude oil spill at TAPS Pump Station 2 1981 Oil production begins at Lisburne oil field; oil discovered 1967 1981 Oil production begins at the Kuparuk oil field; oil discovered 1969 1981 1,500 bbl crude oil spill at TAPS check valve 23 1981 5 bbl crude oil spill at TAPS Pump Station 1 1981 71 bbl product spill, North Slope 1982 200 bbl product spill, North Slope 1982 86 bbl diesel fuel spill at Franklin Bluffs camp 1983 to 1984 U.S.
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From page 226... ...
Establish a response planning standard of being able to contain and cleanup the worst-case discharge in 72 hr (2) Primary response option is identified as mechanical containment and recovery (3)
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From page 227... ...
APPENDIX F 227 North Slope Oil Spill Events Timeline 1995 Present Years 1995 to Present General 1996 Projects to develop the Alpine field are announced Events 1996 Northstar development begins and issues of response capability in the Arctic offshore during periods of broken ice are reconsidered 1997 Oil is discovered at Sourdough 1997 One 180 bbl product spill, North Slope 1998 Northstar oil spill contingency plan submitted 1998 Oil is discovered in the Sambucca and Midnight Sun Prudhoe Bay satellite oil fields Technological 1997 Extended vertical loops and antisyphons are used on the in place of check valves; this reduces the potential Advances for leaks 1999 LEOS system is installed on Northstar to aid in pipeline leak detection Second generation of wind-induced vibration damper is developed FUR first used on Alaska North Slope 2000 The use of HDD to lay pipe below the Colville River is nominated for ASCE 2000 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement of the year 2000 Research and development on spills in broken ice leads to tactics for responders 2000 Studies show that historical loss of well control has lead to no oil spills and minor environmental impacts 2000 By 2000, approximately 30,000 pipeline segments are fitted with wind-induced vibration dampers as a spill prevention technique 2001 Well cellar designs which reduce the potential for spills to the environment are developed Regulatory Events 1997 Joint industry and agency task force is set up to consider North Slope oil spill response issues 1997 ADEC identifies oil spills in broken ice as a major issue 1999 Northstar oil spill plan approved by ADEC 1999 Fall testing program conducted as part of Northstar, Endicott, and Pru&oe Bay contingency plan conditions of approval
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