Engineering & Construction
The Alaska Pipeline Project is advancing ongoing technical and engineering work to refine plans for project design and construction. The project is conducting a number of engineering and technical studies to refine plans for the project's gas transmission pipelines and the gas treatment plant.
The project plans to construct and operate a high capacity pipeline capable of moving a large volume of natural gas from the North Slope of Alaska, through the State of Alaska, and to Canadian, North American and potentially international markets, depending on the route selected.
The project scope includes the following components:
- A gas treatment plant (GTP) near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, which will condition the gas for pipeline transportation.
- A gas transmission pipeline connecting the Point Thomson field in Alaska to the GTP.
- A gas transmission pipeline that will extend, subject to shipper confirmation during the Open Season process, from the GTP in Alaska to either:
- The Alberta Hub (Alberta Case); or
- Valdez, Alaska (Valdez LNG Case).
Design Methodology
The Alaska Pipeline Project has been designed to meet or exceed industry and government standards for pipeline safety to protect the public:
- The application of structured and proven project management processes and expertise for large complex projects will provide increased confidence to prospective shippers.
- A formal Front-End Execution Planning process to identify and address project execution issues early to minimize risk.
- Proven industry-leading technology specified for design, materials and construction to support safe, reliable and cost-effective operation.
- Utilization of proprietary, integrated hydraulics/geothermal/pipeline analysis modeling software for system and pipeline design.
Engineering Field Program
In 2011, the project conducted numerous engineering studies that will help guide construction design, including gas treatment plant optimization plans, and pipeline bore holes, water crossings and fault zones, and aerial mapping.
To learn more about the project's engineering field work, please visit Field Studies.
Pipeline Technology Program
The Alaska Pipeline Project is progressively advancing its assessment of the best materials and practices for building the planned natural gas pipeline. In order to advance the project design, the technology program is conducting a number of studies, including materials engineering and strain-based design testing.
An important component of the materials testing program is determining the best procedures for pipeline welding. The project expects to perform over a quarter million welds during construction, and the strength and toughness of those welds will be critical to ensuring the pipeline's durability for decades.
An important component of construction will be the welding process. The project expects to perform over a quarter million welds during construction, and the strength and toughness of those welds will be critical to ensuring the pipeline's durability for decades.
Project planners and materials specialists are currently conducting a variety of tests that involve welding together pieces of 48" diameter pipe, the actual size of the pipeline, to simulate what will happen in the field during construction. During the welding tests, variables such as the speed of the weld, the temperature of the pipe and the voltage are evaluated. All of the pipe sections from these tests will be X-rayed to assess the strength and toughness of the individual welds - and ensure that they meet industry-leading standards required by TransCanada and ExxonMobil. Once the testing process is complete, the Alaska Pipeline Project will have an established automated welding procedure that will be used in the field during construction.
Watch a short video about one of the project's weld tests.
The project is also conducting a series of full-scale testing of project pipe. The objective of this testing is to evaluate and validate the models used to predict pipe tensile and compressive stain capacity, and is designed to simulate strains caused by frost heave and thaw settlement. Pipe from several different mills will undergo testing.
The Pipeline Construction Process
The Alaska Pipeline Project is advancing plans for the construction and operation of a long distance, high capacity pipeline capable of moving a large volume of natural gas from the North Slope of Alaska to new markets. While project-specific construction plans are still being refined, the project’s plans for pipeline construction are in line with typical industry procedures.
Learn more about the pipeline construction process.
Gas Treatment Plant Optimization Studies
The Alaska Pipeline Project is progressing engineering and technology work on the gas treatment plant to be located on Alaska's North Slope. Optimization and development studies are underway in all areas of work, including process planning, engineering, regulatory requirements and project execution. These studies are having practical benefits, with the Alaska Pipeline Project GTP team having identified cost savings and improvements in plant lay-out.
The GTP team is also conducting on-site evaluations of fabrication facilities which may construct the massive modules that will comprise the plant. These on-site visits will help the GTP team assess manufacturing capabilities and further refine construction planning.