MP 200 was an $27 million project done in the winter of 1985 after a small “wrinkle” caused by settlement under the pipe at the Dietrich River was detected by a C/D (corrosion and deformation) pig. While temporarily redirecting the river channel, about 4,000 feet of pipe was rerouted and 404.67′ of additional pipe was added. The project was completed on April 22, 1985. This may have been the last major project 100% done with in-house engineering and drafting at Alyeska’s Bragaw St. facilities.
Related: On Jan. 6, 1985, DRA injection was initiated at MP 203 to support the reroute project. It remained in place until Oct. 3, 1991 when it was removed due to declining throughput. DRA refers to Drag Reduction Agent. Looking like a golden syrup, DRA is a long chain hydrocarbon injected into the oil pipeline that reduces friction due to turbulence. This reduction in friction was very important in earlier high production times as it allowed us to increase through-put beyond the rates our pumps could achieve.
[DAJ]
Leave a Reply