Pipeline Restarted After Leak on Bypass Piping Stopped

The source of a leak at Remote Gate Valve (RGV) 32 has been identified as a loose fitting on a valve on a secondary piece of piping that bypasses RGV 32.

A baseline maintenance coordinator was conducting routine inspections just south of Atigun Pass and discovered the leak at approximately 8:20 a.m., Tuesday, January 9, 2007. The pipeline was shutdown at 8:35 a.m.

Alyeska immediately activated a response team near the site and an Incident Management Team in Fairbanks to manage the situation with the objectives to stop the leak, initiate cleanup efforts, and determine necessary repairs for a pipeline restart.

Once the source of the leak was identified, the fitting was quickly tightened and the leak stopped. Both sides of the secondary piping were isolated from the pipeline and crews tested the pressure requirements of the valve and determined it fit for normal operations. Meeting these requirements allowed Alyeska to begin normal operations and the pipeline was fully restarted January 9th at approximately 3:00 p.m. – about 6 hours after it was shut down.

Once the leak had been stopped, the primary focus turned to oil recovery and cleanup.

There were approximately 800 gallons of oil on the right-of-way gravel work pad, covering about a 25-foot radius. The oil was confined to the work pad. The extreme cold, ranging from 33 to 44 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) helped minimize the environmental impact by turning the spilled oil to gel and limiting the spill area.

Throughout the day, oil spill response personnel worked with equipment, including a vacuum truck and hand tools, to recover and remove the spilled oil. The responders were able to pick up all oiled snow and free liquids at the site within 48 hours of spill discovery. The response followed a controlled, systematic approach to ensure personnel safety. While weather conditions aided in mitigating the environmental damage of the spill, the cold temperatures presented difficult working conditions for those in the field.

Following the removal of the oil and contaminated snow and gravel, the recovered product was transferred to Pump Station 5 where it underwent a separation process so that it could be metered and injected into the pipeline.

“Our goal is to have zero spills but we must be prepared for every situation,” said Jim F. Johnson, Pipeline Vice President. “Alyeska conducts pipeline spill response exercises throughout the year to train responders, field test equipment and improve our response techniques for situations like this.”