This year marked the 30th birthday of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), one of the largest pipeline systems in the world.  The 800-mile long, 48 inch diameter pipeline makes its way down from the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, Alaska.   Construction on the pipeline began in March 1975.  Three years later oil began to flow on June 20, 1977.  This monumental feat was possible with the help of over 70,000 people and approximately $8 billion.  Alyeska Pipeline Service Company was formed to design, build, operate and maintain TAPS.  The pipeline was originally a joint venture of the Atlantic Pipeline Company (today ConocoPhillips Transportation Alaska, Inc.), Humble Pipe Line Company (now ExxonMobil Pipeline Company) and BP Oil Corporation (now BP Pipelines (Alaska) Inc.).  Today,  a consortium of companies, including BP Pipelines (Alaska), ConocoPhillips Transportation Alaska, ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, Unocal Pipeline Company, and Koch Alaska Pipeline Company, all own a percentage of TAPS.   
  
The environment the pipeline traverses includes a diversity of wildlife and harsh Arctic terrain.  From seasonal migration of caribou to earthquake faults, design engineers had special challenges. One was the stability of the permafrost.  Soil sampling and other means were used to determine whether the pipeline could be buried as a conventional pipeline would be, or whether an alternative would be required.   Where heat from the oil in the pipeline might cause thawing and loss of foundation stability, the pipeline was insulated and elevated above ground.  Over half of the pipeline is elevated 5 to 15 feet above ground with specially designed vertical supports.  These vertical supports contain two 2-inch pipes containing anhydrous ammonia which vaporizes below ground, rises and condenses above ground thus removing ground heat whenever ground temperature exceeds the temperature of the air to maintain the stability of the pipe in the ground.   

Another factor that had to be taken into consideration when designing the pipeline was the three faults crossed by the pipeline.  The pipeline was designed to bear 20 feet lateral and 10 feet vertical displacement. The pipeline’s zig zag configuration also allows for movement in case of an earthquake.  In 2002 the pipeline withstood a 7.9 earthquake centered along the Denali Fault.  Furthermore, the pipeline also needed to cross three major mountain passes and over 500 rivers and streams.
 
Because of the extreme environment, ensuring the preservation and minimizing impact on the natural resources are crucial to Alyeska’s operation of TAPS.  Apart from regular monitoring of the pipeline, there are various environmental protection measures in place.  Additional contingency measures include leak detection systems, containment sites, and ongoing personnel training in oil spill response.  Aleyska also supports the Regional Citizens Advisory Council, an independent citizen body responsible for oversight of terminal operations and the Prince William Sound Tanker Spill Prevention and Response Plan. 
 
Since 1977, more than 14 billion barrels of oil have been transported via the pipeline and over 17,000 tankers have taken the oil to market.  At the height of North Slope production, the pipeline was transporting over 2 million barrels of oil per day. Although the volume of oil flowing through the pipeline has decreased, Alaska today supplies nearly 17 percent of the United States’ domestic crude oil production.  Current throughput remains at approximately 800,000 barrels per day.
 
Thirty years after the first oil flowed through the pipeline, TAPS remains an important component of the U.S. energy infrastructure. 

For more information visit www.alyeska-pipe.com.