Alaska Oil Research Articles

Oil Industry Unveils Program To Combat Major Spills

Seeking to prevent another spill like the disastrous Alaska oil spill of three months ago, a top-level task force, composed of chief executives or presidents of eight major oil companies, unveiled ...

Offshore oil and gas development: Implications for wildlife in Alaska

The offshore oil and gas resources in Alaska, though having undergone extensive exploration, are still in the primary stages of development. The environmental impacts of offshore production would extend beyond the platform into the coastal zone and on land, as oil and gas are extracted, piped and shipped, and refined. This article discusses the vulnerabilities of the fish and wildlife species to oil and gas development activities. By determining the risks to wildlife before the onslaught of development, environmentally responsible management of the energy resources of Alaska and elsewhere can be accomplished.

Impact of Alaska oil spill spreading

Last week, signs intensified that Alaska's massive oil spill is a watershed event, rocking the oil industry in the way that the explosion of space shuttle Challenger shook the U.S. space program. Three weeks ago, on March 24, the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, spilling an estimated 11 million gal of North Slope crude oil, the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Since then, the media have conveyed, day after day, indelible images of an environmental disaster, detailing the spill's toll on pristine waters and shores, marine wildlife and fisheries, and the livelihood of regional residents. Just as with the Challenger disaster, public doubts are spreading about the competence arid credibility of involved government agencies and industry, and calls are rising for new policies and practices. Last Tuesday's Congressional Record, for example, published eight pages of speeches by House members attacking Exxon's unnecessary and extraordinary negligence, its botched cleanup operatio...

Alaskan oil spill

Alaskan oil spill

Oil and Gas Developments in Alaska in 1988

Six wildcats were completed or suspended and 6 federal and state lease sales were held in Alaska in 1988. The primary areas of interest continued to be the North Slope and the Beaufort Sea. Cook Inlet had a resurgence of exploration activity in 1988. The Bering Sea has held little interest since the last wells were drilled in 1985, except for the opening of bids in the long delayed North Aleutian Sale 92. Exploration in the Beaufort Sea has shifted to the east with the drilling of 2 wells. Onshore exploration continued to be confined to the central North Slope with the drilling of 2 wildcats. Cook Inlet drilling comprised the remaining wildcat activity. Three federal OCS sales were held in 1988. The first, Beaufort Sea Sale 97, was the third area-wide sale. The Chukchi Sea Sale 109 was a first offering and the last of the offshore frontier areas to be offered for leasing. The third lease sale, in the North Aleutian Planning Area, was held over from 1986 as litigation against the sale was finally resolved. Three state lease sales were held, one of which was the highly controversial Demarcation Point Sale 55 in state waters adjacent to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Chevron 1 Jago River (KIC) well. The other state sales were conducted on acreage around the Prudhoe Bay-Kuparuk area.

Oil and Gas Development in Alaska in 1987

During 1987, exploration continued its decline from the 1985 high. Four exploration wells were drilled or drilling in 1987 compared to 14 in 1986. Three of these wells were in the Arctic (onshore and offshore); the fourth was in the Cook Inlet basin. Seismic crew-months were 18.6 for 1987 compared to 30.3 months for 1986. Production, mainly from the super giant Prudhoe Bay field, increased to an average of 2.06 million BOPD, making Alaska the top oil-producing state. One new field, the Lisburne pool of Prudhoe Bay field, was put into production in late 1985, and a new field, the Endicott, was placed in production in 1986. Endicott field produces the first oil from a field in the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean. As 1987 closed, prospects for the restart of Conoco's Milne Point field and the announcement by Standard Alaska Production Company that it planned to develop its Beaufort Sea Niakuk discovery indicated that development would be in the offing in 1988.

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: The Return of a Hero Robert D. Hisrich, ed., Entrepreneurship, Intrapreneurship, and Venture Capital: The Foundation of Economic Renaissance. Alaska's Oil, Alaska's People Lawrence A. Palinkas, Bruce Murray Harris, and John S. Petterson, A Systems Approach to Social Impact Assessment: Two Alaskan Case Studies. Regional Trends Bernard L. Weinstein, Harold T. Gross, and John Rees, Regional Growth and Decline in the United States. The Particular and the General Derek Gregory and John Urry, eds., Social Relations and Spatial Structures. Growing Through Export Vittorio Corbo, Anne O. Krueger, and Fernando Ossa, eds., Export‐Oriented Development Strategies: The Success of Five Newly Industrialized Countries

Oil and Gas Developments in Alaska

Exploratory drilling was down more than 60% in 1986 compared to 1985. All exploratory drilling was concentrated exclusively in the Arctic while Bering Sea exploration was put on hold by federal courts. Geophysical activity plunged 42% from 1985. Oil production continued to climb as new-pool development at Prudhoe Bay continued, but there were rumors at year end that Milne Point field would soon be shut in. Exploratory activity in 1987 will probably decline even further.

Interior Sets Fight On Alaska Oil Patch

Interior Sets Fight On Alaska Oil Patch

Interior Sets Fight On Alaska Oil Patch

Interior Sets Fight On Alaska Oil Patch

Interior Sets Fight On Alaska Oil Patch

Interior Sets Fight On Alaska Oil Patch

Oil and Gas Developments in Alaska in 1985

Exploratory drilling in new as well as already tested basins was the highlight of 1985. Thirty-five wildcats were drilled, with 1 discovery being announced. Wells were drilled in the Navarin, Norton, St. George, Shelikof, and North Slope-Beaufort Sea basins. Geophysical activity increased slightly over 1984 but was down to only one-third of the 1982 level. Litigation to invalidate new outer continental shelf sales continued even as wells were being drilled in those basins affected. 1986 should see a dramatic decrease in exploratory drilling as well as in seismic activity.

Arctic underwater operations: Medical and operational aspects of diving activities in Arctic conditions : Rey, Louis (ed.), 1985. Graham & Trotman, London; 356pp

Opening Speech of the ICEDIVE 84 Conference by His Royal Highness Prince Bertil of Sweden I am very pleased to be invited to open the International Conference ICEDIVE 84, dealing with medical and technical problems of diving and related underwater activities in arctic conditions. Until recent times, the arctic was considered astrange and remote area of minor importance. However, in a world with diminishing natural resources, arctic areas have become a region of global importance because of their enormous resources and strategie position. Certain experts believe that more than 50% of oil reserves are sleeping in these northern areas which are cold, harsh and hostile to man. Operations in arctic areas are extremely difficult, expensive, and demand high levels of technical, scientific and physiological achievement. One should recall for example, that Alaskan oil investment onIy became economically viable after the 1973-1974 price explosion. Recent political/military troubles in the Gulf have increased interest in the development of polar resources. This conference is unique as it is the first time that medical and technical specialists interested in the problem of diving in arctic conditions have met in an international forum. Development of the arctic resources is a matter of international urgency, and it pleases me that scientists from the USA, Canada, the USSR, Australia and Europe have gathered here in Stockholm to present their experience and to discuss problems in this field.

OR Practice—Analysis of the Economic Effect of the Alaskan Oil Export Ban

Analysts in the federal government have repeatedly been drawn into the analytical debate over the merits of the existing ban on crude oil exports. This paper describes the most recent and sophisticated attempt to assess the economic effects of the export ban, employing a large nonlinear programming model of the world oil market. It describes the model, analysis, and analytical results, as well as the authors' perspectives on why the analysis failed to achieve its anticipated objectives. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the analysis for federal oil export policy, and by considering how the study results could have been made more accessible to federal policy makers.

In-Situ Combustion Appraisal and Status

Distinguished Author Series articles are general, descriptive representations that summarize the state of the art in an area of technology by describing recent developments for readers who are not specialists in the topics discussed. Written by individuals recognized as experts in the area, these articles provide key references to more definitive work and present specific details only to illustrate the technology. Purpose: to informthe general readership of recent advances in various areas of petroleum engineering. Introduction At the end of World War II, the oil industry started to look for new methodsof producing a higher percentage of discovered oil. Before then, percentage ofdiscovered oil. Before then, waterflooding and gas repressuring were the onlysecondary recovery methods in widespread use. Also, for the first time, the oilcompanies initiated a major effort to research petroleum production byestablishing research laboratories devoted to production rather than refining. production rather than refining. In-situ combustion was the first EOR processto be developed. Laboratory work was initiated in 1947, and four major field tests of the process were performed by 1958. The first full-scale commercial performed by 1958. The first full-scale commercial application of the process was started in 1959, and two of the original pilot projects were soon expandedto commercial scale. These early field tests demonstrated the wide range of applicability for the combustion process. Mobil Oil Co.'s work was aimed at the unrecoverable heavy oil (18 degrees API [946 mg/cm3]), while Sinclair targeted light oil (37 degrees API [840 mg/cm3]). Both were successful in recovering additional oil. This rapid development and acceptance of the process-12 years from initial research to commercial operation-has not continued. In fact, general acceptance and use of the process have been very slow. This slow acceptance can be traced to two main sources: the advent of cyclicsteam stimulation with its low initial investment and immediate oil production response and the high level of manpower production response and the high levelof manpower required to engineer and to operate a combustion project properly. These two factors, combined with project properly. These two factors, combined with the discovery and development of oil in Alaska, have retarded thewidespread use of the combustion process. However, the favorable energy ratiowith process. However, the favorable energy ratio with which the process can be operated, no technical depth limitation, and applicability to a wide range ofreservoir and fluid characteristics will eventually lead to widespread use ofthe combustion process in one of its many configurations. Factors Influencing the Combustion Process The combustion process, with its associated zones and temperatures, isdepicted in Fig. 1. While most descriptions of the process show the variouszones present in terms of a frontal advance model (i.e., full present in termsof a frontal advance model (i.e., full vertical sweep), Fig. 1 tries to show amore realistic picture of the bypass model. Gravitational segregation pictureof the bypass model. Gravitational segregation results in the override of the injected air and lessthan-full vertical sweep because of density differences inthe fluids. In a heavy-oil reservoir (viscosity less than 3,000 cp [greaterthan 3 Pa.s]), a frontal advance project probably would fail as a result ofhigh flow project probably would fail as a result of high flow resistance. Anoil bank would form downstream of the heat bank. Because of its high viscosity, this cold oil bank would require a very high pressure gradient to allow thefront to move at economical rates or even at air-injection rates necessary tosustain combustion. In the bypass model with reduced vertical sweep, the heat front moves at ahigher velocity for a given air-injection rate and, therefore, is closer to theproduction well. The average temperature in the production well. The averagetemperature in the unswept portion of the reservoir is higher because heat islost to the zone. not to the overburden, so the viscosity is lower. The oilzone ahead of the heat front has a larger surface area and, therefore, is thinner and offers less flow resistance. These three factors combine to reducethe flow resistance and to allow the front to move at an adequate rate, butthey result in a lower initial vertical-sweep efficiency. In the bypass model, burning continues on the trailing edge of the burning front, if vertical permeability exists, as the front moves through thepermeability exists, as the front moves through the reservoir. JPT P. 1943

Do Oil and Gold Mix in Alaska?: ABSTRACT

Excellent potential for sea-floor-placer heavy mineral deposits exists locally along the coast of Alaska within lands owned by the state. Aspen Exploration first applied for precious metal offshore prospecting permits (OPPs) from the state in 1980 for certain lands in Cook Inlet, including lands that are prospective for oil and gas production. Exploration to date has included geologic mapping, beach sampling at many locations, and a 6,400-mi low-level aeromagnetic survey. More than 20,000 ft of sediments underlie areas that appear most prospective for placer gold deposits, thereby facilitating geophysical interpretation of sea-floor magnetic anomalies. Work to date, now suspended, suggests large, linear, offshore heavy mineral concentrations, which likely include gold.Obtaining permits in Alaska is difficult, frustrating, and expensive. After 5 years of effort, no permits have been issued to Aspen. Primary opposition has come from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which has taken the position that insufficient biological resource information is available in the prospect areas. These same offshore areas, however, are held under oil and gas leases from the state by various companies. The difficulties encountered by smaller oil companies in attempting to carry out exploration in Alaska, which have forced virtually all of them to abandon their efforts in this state, are compared with difficulties hard-mineral companies are encountering. It is important to recognize that income to the state of Alaska from oil royalties and taxes is of such magnitude that needed support for hard-mineral exploration and mining is being suppressed by a hostile bureaucracy and by preservationists. End_of_Article - Last_Page 656------------

Oil and Gas Developments in Alaska in 1984

Exploratory drilling was widespread in Alaska in 1984. Thirty-five exploratory wells were active, with 1 new-field discovery announced in the Beaufort Sea. Geophysical activity showed an overall decrease from 1983, but a major exploration program began in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with 23 companies participating. Information obtained from this work may result in this area being opened to industry leasing after 1986. Major OCS sales were held in the Navarin basin and the Beaufort Sea, and both these areas will see wildcat activity in 1985. Oil and gas reserves increased in 1984. The number of development wells increased, with drilling concentrated on the North Slope. It is expected that exploratory drilling in 1985 will approximate that of 1984, but there likely will be some decrease in geophysical and geologic field work.

A Review of Research to Aid the Development of Commercial Arctic Marine Transportation: 1982 Trafficability Tests on the USCGC Polar Star

A multi-year "trafficability" research program was begun in 1978 to demonstrate that year-round commercial marine transportation in Arctic waters is feasible and to collect data necessary to begin developing the criteria to design and operate marine vehicles for that environment. Using U.S. Coast Guard Polar Class icebreakers, annual winter deployments had been made in 1979, 1980, and 1981 into the Bering and Chukchi Seas to collect environmental and ship performance data. Early in 1982, the fourth phase of these research activities was conducted on the USCGC Polar Star in western Alaskan waters as far north as the Arctic Circle. Participants in the research were the Maritime Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the State of Alaska, the Canadian Ministry of Transport, twelve participating companies of the Alaskan Oil and Gas Association, and the Newport News Shipbuilding Company. This paper reviews the results of this voyage and the data collected. The Polar Star was instrumented to continuously monitor and record propulsion and ship motion parameters and speed. Video recording equipment was used to document ice conditions. Extensive on-ice equipment was used to profile ice features and to measure other ice parameters. Numerous pressure ridges were profiled and ice cores taken to improve the understanding of Bering and Chukchi Sea winter ice conditions and ice strength. Level ice resistance tests were conducted. However, heavy level ice conditions were not encountered and it is planned to complete the level ice resistance tests in 1984. Other research tasks included an ice edge analysis, hull friction experiments, and an ice drift study.

Oil and Gas Developments in Alaska in 1983

Twelve exploratory wells were drilled in Alaskan waters in 1983. No discoveries were announced discoveries as all the wells were suspended or plugged and abandoned. Main industry interest continued to be in the North Slope and Beaufort Sea areas of the state. The most costly wildcat well in North American history was drilled unsuccessfully in the Beaufort Sea. OCS lease sales in the Norton basin and St. George basin of the Bering Sea dominated leasing activity.

Oil and Gas Developments in Alaska in 1982

Twenty-four exploratory wells were drilled in Alaska in 1982. There were no announced discoveries; all wells were suspended or plugged and abandoned. Geologic and geophysical activity increased substantially as preparations for OCS sales increased. OCS sale 71 dominated the exploration news in Alaska. More than $2 billion was spent by industry in this Beaufort Sea sale.