First Pump Station Upgraded
Pump Station 9 switches to electrically driven pumps

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company reached a significant milestone as Pump Station 9, located near Delta Junction, successfully transitioned to electrically driven crude oil pumps. This is the first pump station to convert to modular, scalable equipment as part of Alyeska’s Strategic Reconfiguration (SR) project. This project involves installing electrically driven crude oil pumps at four pump stations and upgrading control systems using advanced modern technology and processes.

The SR project represents the largest project TAPS has undertaken since the original pipeline construction more than 30 years ago. It will position TAPS for efficient operation while maintaining and enhancing safety, operational integrity and environmental performance. The new system will also provide more flexibility for future increases or decreases in throughput. Alyeska will be able to vary pipeline throughput up to 1.1 million barrels per day. Major increases in throughput beyond that will require installation of additional pumps and motors. The new equipment will also lead to significant environmental improvements using modern pollution control technology.

Alyeska crews began the cutover to electrified pumps by alternating from the existing “legacy” pumps to the newly installed electrified pumps. The “legacy” system has been in place since the original startup of pipeline operations in the 1970s. This procedure gave engineers and technicians the ability to test the new system while running the two systems in parallel. Once verified that the new system was functioning correctly, the electric pumps started continuous operation. Crews will closely monitor PS 9, shown at right, in order to ensure the transition has been successful. Equipment operations and safety standards will be assessed during this period to make necessary adjustments. The testing phase is essential to provide assurance that the system meets Alyeska’s safety, integrity management and quality control standards. Once PS 9 has successfully transitioned to electrified operations, PS 3 will be the next in the reconfiguration process. Upgrades to PS 4 and PS 1 will follow.

“Our focus has been on the safe and quality startup of Pump Station 9,” said Kevin Hostler, Alyeska President and CEO. “We will learn from this as we move our resources to Pump Station 3. While this is an exciting time for us, work remains to get this project completed.

All of the work associated with Strategic Reconfiguration has been closely coordinated and monitored by state and federal regulating agencies including the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Joint Pipeline Office, representing twelve state and federal agencies with regulatory oversight of TAPS.