AK Journal of Commerce- It has been a warm winter so far, and operators of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System operators are thankful. But winter has just begun, and the worry of cold temperatures in Interior Alaska and a midwinter “event” that halts pipeline operations, like what happened in 2011, is never far from mind.
Since that suspenseful event when Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. engineers were concerned they couldn’t restart the pipeline, they have been aggressive about putting countermeasures in place.
It costs money, but heating the oil flowing through the pipeline has now become standard procedure.
Without the heating, oil could cool to 31 degrees Fahrenheit or lower by the time it reaches Valdez, at the pipeline’s southern terminus, a temperature at which ice formation and wax buildup would cause operational problems, Alyeska officials say.
