Atlantic Richfield Company Research Articles

THE RIO TINTO MINE A VOLUNTEER CLEAN-UP SUCCESS STORY

Underground copper mining at the Rio Tinto mine in northern Nevada commenced in 1932 and continued intermittently for approximately forty years. Since 1975 the site has been essentially inactive. Mine operations included placement of tailings generated from ore processing in the Mill Creek drainage. In 1993, due to concerns about environmental damage to surrounding surface waters, four of the previous owners and operators of the site jointly formed the Rio Tinto Working Group (RTWG) to remediate the site in cooperation with the State of Nevada, Department of Conservation and Natural Resource and the Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). The Rio Tinto Working Group consists of the Atlantic Richfield Company, Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, and Cominco American Inc., The regulatory and technical approach taken by the RTWG to achieve their objective of proactively implementing remedial measures at the site, rather than following the CERCLA process, are discussed. The steps included preparing an 18-element remedial program to be completed at the site and negotiating an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) with the State of Nevada, which included a deferral from EPA for listing of the site on the NPL list. By entering into a cooperative relationshipmore » with the NDEP and avoiding the CERCLA process, the Rio Tinto Working Group was able to fast track site investigation and remedial designs, leading to a timely start up of remedial construction activities.« less

Moving Alaskan Oil to Market: Canadian National Interests and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, 1968–73

On 18 July 1968, Robert Anderson, chairman of Atlantic Richfield Company, announced that one of largest petroleum accumulations known world today had been discovered on north slope of (1) Estimated contain between five and ten billion barrels of oil, Prudhoe Bay location would, according Mr. Anderson, soon undergo commercial development, and and transportation studies would begin immediately. (2) Within two weeks, Atlantic Richfield and Humble Oil and Refining Company had awarded a contract Houston's Pipeline Technologies, Inc., to study feasibility of transporting... recently discovered Arctic oil market by a pipeline a port in southern Alaska. (3) By mid-February 1969, Atlantic Richfield, Humble, and British Petroleum Oil Corporation jointly declared that it was their intention proceed with construction of a $900 million dollar pipeline that would run about 800 miles in a generally southern direction from Prudhoe Bay area on Arctic Ocean across Alaska's Brooks [Mountain] Range Gulf of Alaska on state's southern coastline. (4) The oil would then be transported by tanker select refinery and distribution sites along U.S. west coast, particularly in state of Washington. (5) The trio of oil corporations, while strongly indicating a preference for a trans-Alaska pipeline/tanker transportation scheme, nonetheless noted that planning studies on alternate routes are continuing. (6) The possibility that large quantities of Prudhoe Bay oil would soon be transported on an ongoing basis by tanker along Canadian west coast was not received enthusiastically by Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau. Canadian authorities were particularly concerned over passage of tankers through environmentally delicate and economically important Juan de Fuca Strait and Strait of Georgia en route refineries in northwestern Washington State. According Donald Macdonald, minister responsible, proposed transit through Straits involved the consequent risk of disastrous oil spills Vancouver Island and British Columbia mainland. (7) This possibility was compounded by two disconcerting realities then confronting Trudeau government. First, routing of tankers from Alaska Washington State would be exclusively within American territorial and international waters. As such, not only would Ottawa be unable subject these ships Canadian maritime laws and regulations, but it would also have no legal leverage with which challenge proposed routing. Second, there was no jointly coordinated vessel management regulatory arrangement between Canada and United States oversee safe passage of ships through Juan de Fuca Strait and Strait of Georgia. Fearful of environmental and economic risks posed coastal waters and lands of British Columbia by a tanker accident and oil spill, Ottawa moved dissuade United States from pursuing this option. This article reviews strategy and position taken by Ottawa prevent American oil tanker traffic along Canada's west coast and, in particular, it closely examines Ottawa's attempts from 1971 1973 convince American government and business officials that an alternate transportation route, namely an overland pipeline through Canada's Mackenzie Valley region, was a more attractive choice. (8) Finally, reasons behind Nixon administration's decision reject routing scheme touted by Trudeau government--and by definition authorize trans-Alaska pipeline/tanker route--will be detailed and considered. Canadian and American National Interests In order convince Washington that industry-favored trans-Alaska plan should not be given regulatory approval (by Department of Interior) or political authorization (by Congress and White House), Canada decided pursue two courses of action simultaneously: first, diplomatically protest, publicly and privately, use of very large crude carriers (VLCC) for shipment of Prudhoe Bay oil from Valdez American west-coast terminals; and, second, promote vigorously an alternative route for transportation of Alaskan oil--a Mackenzie Valley pipeline. …

TREATMENT OF METAL CONTAINING GROUND AND SURFACE WATER IN PASSIVE SYSTEMS

This study is part of a collaborative effort between Montana Tech and the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) to find solutions for treating metal contaminated water (e.g., Cu, Zn, Cd, Mn, and Fe) from the Butte Hill as part of the remediation activities for the Clark Fork River Basin, in Southwestern Montana. The field demonstration systems were constructed in 1995 and include anoxic horizontal flow gravel bed wetlands with cattail plants, horizontal flow gravel/organic substrate wetlands with cattail plants, and a vertical upflow gravel/organic substrate system without plants. Flow through operation was started in May 1996 with a total flow into the treatment systems of approximately 100 m{sup 3}/d. Hydraulic residence time for the test cells varies between 1.5 and 10 days. Results from the first year of operation including startup and performance through the winter with respect to hydrology, geochemistry, and microbiology within the test cells are presented. Metal removal efficiencies for the various technologies were determined.

TREATMENT OF METAL CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER IN PASSIVE SYSTEMS: A DEMONSTRATION STUDY

A pilot scale field test on passive treatment systems for metal and sulfate removal from ground water and surface runoff, is being conducted in Butte, Montana. This study is a collaborative effort between Montana Tech and the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) to find solutions for treating metal contaminated water (e.g. Cu, Zn, Cd, and Fe). The field demonstration systems include anaerobic horizontal flow gravel bed wetlands with plants, horizontal flow gravel/organic substrate wetlands with plants, and vertical upflow gravel/organic substrate system without plants. The experimental design for sulfate and metal removal will be presented as well as the hydraulic design criteria used. Results from this test will be used to estimate system economics, long term performance and the life expectancy for these systems. Studies on mesoscale passive treatment systems such as 1.5 in high vertical upflow gravel/organic substrate columns are also presented. The parameters describing system performance are: hydraulic conductivity, volumetric sulfate-reduction rate, and metal immobilization rate.

5404948 Injection well flow measurement : Fletcher Paul Richardson, TX, United States assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

5404948 Injection well flow measurement : Fletcher Paul Richardson, TX, United States assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

R&D Planning at ARCO Chemical

When companies look for the planning process there seems to be none readily available. An applicable planning process usually incorporates elements from different methods, resulting in a tailor-made product specific to that organization. Furthermore, the methodology that is applied evolves and changes to meet the varying needs and structure of the company. Of most importance, then, is to learn how and why companies adopt their particular approach to planning and how it has paid off in serving the particular entity. Rather than discussing a general planning process, our aim is to show the process that has been implemented at ARCO Chemical for R&D planning, how it evolved and why, and to describe what we believe are the key elements of a successful planning process. For most companies, planning has most often been a budgeting exercise, with the importance placed on allocation of resources rather than on determining the direction the company should take to sustain its competitive advantage. A broader picture incorporating competitive trends, and potential environmental, legislative and economic issues was seldom included. Until 1987, ARCO Chemical Company (ACC) was a division of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO). The ACC plan was folded into the long-range plan of ARCO for capital and business forecasts. Since October 1987, ARCO Chemical has been a publicly traded company in which ARCO currently owns an 83.3 percent interest. ACC is organized by regions (Americas, Asia/Pacific and Europe), but the coordination of the regions and capital allocation decisions are the responsibility of the Worldwide Business Management group. R&D is a corporate activity with laboratories in all three regions. ACC's R&D planning process prior to 1987 generally followed the accepted norm. Traditional inputs from the business centers, either direct or indirect (depending on the funding basis), were used to guide the development of the coming year's efforts. The R&D department identified projects it would work on and a capital program was developed over a five-year period. The process leaned more toward budgeting than planning. The change in ownership necessitated major changes in how we managed our affairs. It had a major impact on the planning process within ACC, due to the presence of the investment community and the sourcing for capital from profits or outside debt rather than the parent. All parts of the ACC organization made the changes the new company required. A major change was the creation of a Worldwide Business Management Group to respond to the changing need for improving communication of our business within the global environment. This group now became the focus for the business activities on a product line basis. For R&D, this new group also became a key to the development of an improved approach to planning. Identifying the Right Approach Our efforts in the planning area took on a review of how we had been operating, what we needed to do to improve the process, and benchmarking how other companies had handled similar changes in dealing with this issue. Choosing the right approach proved to be no easy task. The challenge, recognized as we went into 1988, was to develop a systematic process that would clearly delineate the corporate goals for R&D and allow us to direct and focus the resources of the R&D department. In addition, it has important to provide a longer range perspective for the company, and to provide further opportunities to maximize the return on our R&D investment. Several studies conducted within the past decade have shown that a more productive R&D can find its roots in the integration of corporate R&D with other corporate functions. Furthermore, strategic integration of R&D and other functions is needed to maintain and gain technical leadership and to assure adequate support of programs aimed at fulfilling long-range corporate objectives (1,2). …

Using belief networks to forecast oil prices

Belief networks are knowledge-based models, developed by segments of the artificial intelligence and decision analysis communities, that have the potential to become important forecasting tools. ARCO1, currently under development at the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) and the University of Southern California (USC), is the most advanced implementation of these models in a financial forecasting setting. ARCO1's underlying belief network is an artificial intelligence knowledge base; it models all variables believed to have an impact on the crude oil market. Decision analytic elicitation techniques collect information about the market's variables, their value ranges, and their interrelationsships. A pictorial market model - developed on a MAC II - facilitates consensus among the members of the forecasting team. The system forecasts crude oil prices via Monte Carlo analyses of the network. Several different models of the oil market have been developed; the system's ability to be updated quickly in light of recent events in the Persian Gulf highlights its flexibility.

4839022 Method and apparatus for treating oil-water-solids sludges and refinery waste streams : James L Skinner assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

4839022 Method and apparatus for treating oil-water-solids sludges and refinery waste streams : James L Skinner assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

4666585 Disposal of petroleum sludge : Dale A Figgins, J Jay Grove assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

4666585 Disposal of petroleum sludge : Dale A Figgins, J Jay Grove assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

The solvent scene

ARCO Chemical Company, a Division of Atlantic Richfield Company, announces the introduction of Arconate⊂Propylene Carbonate (PC), a high boiling oxygenated solvent with low toxicity and broad solvent powers.

Development of a nutrition and weight-control program for atlantic richfield company employees

We developed and pilot tested a nutrition and weight-control program for Atlantic Richfield Company worksites. The program is appropriate for workers at all levels and can be implemented by company health professionals who are not nutritionists. The program's 9, 30-minute, weekly sessions consist of videotaped nutrition information followed by hands-on activities and a weekly weigh in of participants. A leader's manual provides background nutrition information and detailed directions for conducting the sessions.

4556476 Method for minimizing fouling of heat exchanger : Richard F Miller, Michael P Nicholson assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

4556476 Method for minimizing fouling of heat exchanger : Richard F Miller, Michael P Nicholson assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

Method for minimizing fouling of heat exchangers: Richard Miller, Ting S Go assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

Method for minimizing fouling of heat exchangers: Richard Miller, Ting S Go assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

Issues management in an uncertain environment

This article provides a detailed description of how the Atlantic Richfield Company uses issue analysis and issue management to monitor public issues and to develop action programmes to meet them. The authors also explain how the issues management activity is integrated with corporate planning and public affairs.

NSB nominations

President Reagan has nominated three members to the National Science Board (NSB), the governing body of the National Science Foundation (NSF). None have been confirmed by Congress. They are Simon Ramo, director of TRW, Inc.; Annelise G. Anderson, a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University; and K. June Lindstedt‐Siva, manager for environmental sciences at Atlantic Richfield Company and a director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.

4380156 Multiple source heat pump : Amir Ecker; assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

4380156 Multiple source heat pump : Amir Ecker; assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

Photographs in a Business Setting: Atlantic Richfield Company

Photographs in a Business Setting: Atlantic Richfield Company

4329179 Method for encapsulating arsenic-contaminated wastes : H W Kutta, assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

4329179 Method for encapsulating arsenic-contaminated wastes : H W Kutta, assigned to Atlantic Richfield Company

Collecting and Writing ARCO's History

WHEN A COMPANY undertakes the gathering of its own corporate history, an essential ingredient in the effort is the endorsement and support of the company's top management. Without this, the program will lack the carrying power to see it through to a successful completion. If the company ranks as one of the largest in American and world business,' the challenges of compiling its history will assume the same scale, and so will the importance of management support. With Atlantic Richfield Company, as the article by Enid Douglass notes, the inspiration for an interrelated group of history projects sprang directly from the concern of board chairman Robert O. Anderson and then-president Thornton E Bradshaw2 that the company was leaving the long and instructive history of

International Arbitrations between States and Foreign Private Parties: the Libyan Nationalization Cases

On November 29 and 30, 1971, Iran occupied three islands, which were nominally under British protection, in the Persian Gulf. As a result of Britain’s failure to prevent the occupation, the Government of the Libyan Arab Republic, on December 7, 1971, announced the nationalization of all of the interests and properties in Libya of BP Exploration Company (Libya) Limited (BP), a subsidiary of British Petroleum Company Limited. On September 1, 1973, on the fourth anniversary of the military takeover of Libya led by Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Government of Libya announced the nationalization of 51 percent of the interests and properties in Libya of nine international oil companies. Approximately 5½ months later, on February 11, 1974, on the eve of the opening of the Washington conference of major oil-importing nations, the Government of Libya announced the nationalization of the remaining 49 percent of the interests and properties in Libya of three of those nine companies: Texaco Overseas Petroleum Company (TOPCO), a subsidiary of Texaco Inc.; California Asiatic Oil Company (CALASIATIC), a subsidiary of Standard Oil Company of California; and the Libyan American Oil Company (LIAMCO), a subsidiary of Atlantic Richfield Company.