Review of Technology for Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Recovery

• Main Author: Sackinger, W. M.
• Other Authors: United States. Department of Energy.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: University of Alaska Fairbanks. Geophysical Institute. 1980
• Subjects: Fuels; Pipelines; Fluids; Petroleum Deposits; Document Types; Drilling; Polar Regions; Resources 020300* > Petroleum > Drilling & Production; Arctic Regions; Geologic Deposits; Natural Gas; Continental Shelf; 030300 > Natural Gas > Drilling; Production; & Processing; Mineral Resources; Gas Fuels; Exploitation; Well Completion; Water Waves; Continental Margin; Fossil Fuels; Permafrost; Fuel Gas; Reviews; Technology Assessment; Leasing; 03 Natural Gas; Transport; 02 Petroleum; Recovery; Energy Sources; Ice; Natural Gas Deposits; Gases; Petroleum; Offshore Sites; Arctic; permafrost; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2172/6571187; https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1188458/

The technical background briefing report is the first step in the preparation of a plan for engineering research oriented toward Arctic offshore oil and gas recovery. A five-year leasing schedule for the ice-prone waters of the Arctic offshore is presented, which also shows the projected dates of the lease sale for each area. The estimated peak production rates for these areas are given. There is considerable uncertainty for all these production estimates, since no exploratory drilling has yet taken place. A flow chart is presented which relates the special Arctic factors, such as ice and permafrost, to the normal petroleum production sequence. Some highlights from the chart and from the technical review are: (1) in many Arctic offshore locations the movement of sea ice causes major lateral forces on offshore structures, which are much greater than wave forces; (2) spray ice buildup on structures, ships and aircraft will be considerable, and must be prevented or accommodated with special designs; (3) the time available for summer exploratory drilling, and for deployment of permanent production structures, is limited by the return of the pack ice. This time may be extended by ice-breaking vessels in some cases; (4) during production, icebreaking workboats will service the offshore platforms in most areas throughout the year; (5) transportation of petroleum by icebreaking tankers from offshore tanker loading points is a highly probable situation, except in the Alaskan Beaufort; and (6) Arctic pipelines must contend with permafrost, making instrumentation necessary to detect subtle changes of the pipe before rupture occurs.