Word: permafrost
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...prevent the $1 billion line's 180° oil from melting Alaska's permafrost, the report urged that only 52% of the pipe be buried underground, the rest to run aboveground with crossings for big game animals and protection for fish spawning grounds. Oil companies would be liable for all damage caused by oil spills. Because a federal court has enjoined the pipeline builders, and final approval awaits various public hearings in Alaska next month, the Interior report is still "tentative...
...biggest TAPS problem would come from burying the pipeline in permafrost; no one really knows how the soil would behave. Oil would enter the pipe at a geothermal temperature of more than 100°; pumping and friction would boost that to 180°. As a result, critics charge, the hot oil might create a "thaw bulb" in the permafrost as deep as 50 ft. If the pipe broke, either by sagging into the mush or by being jolted by an earthquake, the aftermath would make the Santa Barbara spill look like a picnic. Critics also fear breaks at the pipe's lowest...
...pipe will be buried in the permafrost and how much will be elevated above it. The Geological Survey feels that 50% of the line should be raised on stilts over the unstable ground. TAPS wants to bury 90% of the line where it will be safe from vandals. Besides, lifting the pipe on stilts costs about 25% to 60% more per mile than burying it?quite an increment on a $1.7 billion job. Details clearly have to be worked out. Ray Morris of the Federal Water Quality Administration describes the first plans that he saw last year: "We reviewed cartoons...
Hickel pointed out that the proposed line would carry hot oil over frozen soil. Unless designed with extreme care, he insisted, it would act like a hot poker on a cake of ice. After thawing the permafrost, the line might sag into the slush and finally break, spilling oil that could do great harm because it would last for years. Moreover, the line's route would cross earthquake zones. Since each mile of pipe would have a capacity of 100,000 barrels of crude, any break in the line could have disastrous consequences...
...Geological Survey, the engineers have ordered corrosion-resistant steel pipe and plan to provide remote-control shut-off valves along the route. In addition, they must respect the ecology of the areas the pipe crosses. However, their plans call for burying 90% of the pipeline in the permafrost, while the Geological Survey wants about 50% of it raised on stilts over the tundra. Until the differences can be worked out, Hickel says, work on the pipeline will not begin...