Pipeline 101
Monitoring Pipeline Integrity

Almost half of the 800-mile-long Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is underground and difficult to visually inspect. Alyeska monitors this 380 miles of buried pipeline with state of the art in-line inspection devices commonly called “smart” pigs. The pigs are pushed through the pipe by the oil. Operators use several types of “smart” pigs to periodically inspect for pipeline corrosion and deformation using nondestructive sensor technologies including ultrasound and magnetic sensors. Another type of pig uses an inertial navigation system to determine whether underground pipe has moved, the degree of curvature and to test for pipe wall deformation.