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BP probes Prudhoe's pipes



By Upstream staff 

Supermajor BP said on Friday there was no evidence of serious corrosion problems inside a Prudhoe Bay, Alaska pipeline according to preliminary data collected during a recent inspection, according to Reuters.

BP used a smart pig to investigate part of the eastern oil transit line that was allowed to remain in service last August after a similar test on another section of pipe showed severe corrosion in several places.

However, BP engineers are continuing their analysis of the information collected by the smart pig, Reuters said.

The company is installing a pig launcher on the western side of the field for inspections of the western transit line in November.

BP was under orders from the US Department of Transportation to inspect both the eastern and western oil transit pipelines with smart pigs last March after a corroded section of the western line ruptured and spilled over 200,000 gallons of crude oil.

BP has said that it will replace all 16 miles of the transit lines on both the eastern and western sides of Prudhoe Bay this winter even if tests show some segments are in serviceable condition, Reuters said.


Friday, 27 October, 2006, 19:27 GMT  | last updated: Friday, 27 October, 2006, 19:29 GMT

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