In the Field
Remote Gate Valve 72 - valve replacement focus of June pipeline maintenance shutdown

More than 100 employees gathered just a few miles north of Fairbanks in late June to replace Remote Gate Valve 72. The valve – “RGV 72” for short – was replaced as part of a scheduled 36-hour pipeline shutdown because its leak through rate fell short of Alyeska’s performance standards. Engineers tested RGV 72 in September 2007 and determined that the valve was not sealing as designed.

Even in the most ideal conditions, a valve replacement is extremely difficult. The RGV 72 replacement was further complicated by its location, where its physical footprint is much smaller than at other gate valves along the 800-mile pipeline. The person in charge of orchestrating the shutdown work was Jerry Vega, Alyeska project manager.

“The challenge we had at the site is we don’t have much room to work,” Vega said, pictured at right. “It was a very tight, congested area. When you factor in all the equipment, materials and people involved, everything had to be planned just right.”

Crews spent most of May and June preparing the worksite by building and welding scaffolding and access stairways and platforms, and also creating a containment dike around the valve. They brought in equipment, and worked to prepare the section of pipe that contains the valve so that, come shut down, it could be cut out and replaced.

The removed valve, which weighs more than 64,000 lbs, will now be transported to Alyeska’s Fairbanks fabricating facility for repairs. After testing the seals, it will be stored in case it can be used to replace another mainline gate valve in the future.

Click here to watch a video featuring Alyeska employees and contractors discussing the successful valve replacement.