Alyeska Pipeline > Tidbits

TAPS Facts Tidbits

Air temperature: Air temperature along route: minus 80 F to 95 F.
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company was established in 1970 to design, construct, operate and maintain the pipeline.
Atigun Pass: The high point of the pipeline can be found at Atigun Pass with an elevation of 4,739 feet.
Barrels through TAPS: More than 18 billion barrels have moved through TAPS.
Birds on TAPS: More than 170 bird species have been identified along the trans-Alaska pipeline.
Booster pumps: Booster pumps are located at all pump stations to move oil from the storage tanks to the mainline.
Buried pipeline: Miles of buried pipeline: 380.
Construction cost of TAPS: Cost to build: $8 billion in 1977, largest privately funded construction project at that time.
Construction of TAPS: Construction began March 27, 1975 and was completed May 31, 1977.
Construction time of TAPS: Construction Time: 3 years, 2 months.
Diameter of TAPS: Diameter: 48 inches.
Elevated pipe: Some 420 miles of the 800-mile-long pipeline is elevated on 78,000 vertical support members due to permafrost.
First oil movement on TAPS: First oil moved through the pipeline on June 20, 1977.
First pipe of TAPS: The first pipe of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System was laid in 1975.
First tanker: First tanker to carry crude oil from Valdez: ARCO Juneau, August 1, 1977.
Gate valves: 71 gate valves can block oil flow in either direction on the pipeline.
Heat pipes: There are over 124,000 heat pipes along the pipeline. These pipes transfer ground heat into the air to ensure soil remains stable and able to support the pipeline.
Leak detection systems: The Trans Alaska Pipeline System is protected by three separate leak detection systems that are monitored at the Operations Control Center in Anchorage.
Length of TAPS: Length: 800 miles
Maximum throughput: Maximum daily throughput was 2,145,297 on January 14, 1988.
Mountain ranges: Mountain ranges crossed by the pipeline: Brooks Range, Alaska Range and Chugach Range.
OCC emergency shutdown capability: OCC can initiate an emergency shutdown which will stop flow and isolate the pipeline in 15 minutes.
Oil discovery: Oil was first discovered in Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope in 1968.
Operations Control Center (OCC): The Operations Control Center (OCC), located in Anchorage, monitors and controls pipeline and terminal operations 24/7.
Pig: A mechanical device that is pushed through the pipeline by the oil to perform various operations on the pipeline without stopping the flow of oil.
Pigs along TAPS: Cleaning pigs sweep the pipe of built up wax, water or other solids that precipitate out of the oil stream. They also prevent the built-up of corrosive environment and makes the oil easier to pump.
Pipeline crossings: Crosses three mountain ranges and more than 30 major rivers and streams.
Pipeline wall thickness: The wall thickness of TAPS pipe is .462 inches for 466 miles of the route and .562 inches for 334 miles.
Pump stations: The Trans Alaska Pipeline System was originally designed with 12 pump stations, though it was decided that only 11 were needed and a 12th was never built.
SERVS: SERVS (Ship Escort Response Vessel System) exists to prevent oil spills by assisting tankers in safe navigation through Prince William Sound.
SERVS response equipment: SERVS (Ship Escort Response Vessel System) maintains one of the world's largest inventories of oil spill response equipment including more than 42 miles of boom and 100 skimmers, with a total recovery capacity of more than 75,000 barrels per hour.
SERVS Vessel of Opportunity Program: SERVS (Ship Escort Response Vessel System) has contracted over 350 fishing vessels for incident response in Prince William Sound.
Tanker turnaround: Average tanker turnaround time at the Valdez terminal is 22 hours and 20 minutes for berthing, offloading ballast, loading crude and deberthing.
Tankers: All laden tankers are escorted more than 70 miles through the Prince William Sound into the Gulf of Alaska.
TAPS: The pipeline is often referred to as "TAPS" - an acronym for the Trans Alaska Pipeline System.
TAPS leak detection systems: The Trans Alaska Pipeline System is protected by three separate leak detection systems that are monitored at the Operations Control Center in Anchorage.
Telluric currents: Telluric currents caused by the same phenomenon that generates the Northern Lights can be picked up by the pipeline and zinc/magnesium anodes. The anodes act like grounding rods to safety return these currents to the earth reducing the risk of damage to the pipeline.
The purpose of TAPS: The Trans Alaska Pipeline System was designed and constructed to move oil from the North Slope of Alaska to the northern most ice-free port in Valdez, Alaska.
Thompson Pass: Grade, maximum: 145% (55%) at Thompson Pass.
Valdez Marine Terminal: The Valdez Terminal covers 1,000 acres and has facilities for crude oil metering, storage, transfer and loading.
Workers during construction: The pipeline project involved some 70,000 workers from 1969 through 1977.