1. Oil & Gas Decisions Support Systems with Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Keith Cunningham, PhD
Research Professor
University of Alaska Fairbanks

2. Alaska’s Story
Emergency delivery of fuel to Nome AK in January 2012.

3. Trans Alaska Pipeline System
Prudhoe Bay to Valdez
800 miles
Constructed
48” diameter steel pipe
420 miles are above ground
Construction: 3 years 2 months (pipeline, pump stations and terminal)
Highest Point: Atigun Pass (~4700 ft.)

4. Oil & Gas
British Petroleum

5. Slumping Issues
Courtesy of Frank Wuttig

6. River Crossings Value Proposition?
TAPS carries 540,000 barrels per day.
At $50 per barrel = $26 million per day.

7. 2006 ConocoPhillips Study
Study reports record warm since to 2007 summer temps up 3.4 F 1949 to 2007 winter temps up 6.3 F Right of way is stripped of insulating vegetation

8. Situation Climate Change Economics Dealing with the consequences
Thawing in the summer & refreezing in winter
Havoc on roads, bridges, buildings & pipelines
Economics
Infrastructure design life
Maintenance strategies

9. Trans Alaska Pipeline System
Prudhoe Bay to Valdez
800 miles
Constructed
48” diameter steel pipe
420 miles are above ground
Construction: 3 years 2 months (pipeline, pump stations and terminal)
Highest Point: Atigun Pass (~4700 ft.)

10. Alyeska Issues Permafrost Thaw Unstable Slopes Frozen Debris Lobes
Applications in Alaska and the Arctic are earthworks and foundations for transportation infrastructure, including oil & gas pipelines.

11. Research Scenarios
Monitoring pipeline rights-of-way risks. PHMSA requires ROW flight 26 times per year. UAS can augment manned flights. BLOS focus. Inspection of new pipeline construction - prior to covering the pipe with earth. As-built data augmented with UAS. Close range & hover. Geotechnical Engineering of unstable soils, permafrost, and river crossings. Change detection in surface models.

12. Decision Support System
DSS – An information system facilitating management, operations, and planning
UAS are a component of the DSS

13. Three Pipeline DSS Scenarios
Persistent Monitoring Close Range Inspection Geotechnical Engineering Evolve pipeline data to operations information Define all DSS components and goals Sensors & UAS are secondary

14. Our DSS Components
Data Driven Integrate existing data with UAS remote sensing User Driven Leverage “tribal knowledge,” aka user’s experience Output Driven Transform data & experience to information Decision Driven More efficient operations Potential implications on Regulations & Policy

15. Concept Overview Monitoring Concept
Detection Data Information Decision
Machinery
Encroachments
Intrusions
Leaks
Hydrocarbons
Gas & Liquid
Change
Ground disturbances
Landscape
Archiving - Change
Automated
Monitoring
Data
capture
delivery
Pipeline
Analysis Centers
Common Architecture
Required
Actions
Field Locations or
Personnel

16. Prior Pipeline Monitoring
Manned Aircraft Leaks – Triple Phase Crude (gas, liquid, water) Leaks – Product (gas, liquid) Prior Research – PRCI, RAM, BP, & NASA Prior Sensors – Optical, Infrared, Hyperspectral, DIAL Unmanned Aircraft – NASA Sierra
Courtesy of ITT Corporation, Airborne Natural Gas Emission Lidar (ANGEL)

17. Prior Pipeline Inspection
Construction – ROW, Welds, Coatings, Survey As-Builts PHMSA Inspection Binder Prior Research – PHMSA & PRCI Sensors – Survey equipment, cameras & field notes

18. Geotechnical Engineering
Thermosiphon Operation – Permafrost Thaw & Slump DSS – Post processed and real time inspection Sensor – Noncalibrated vs Calibrated FLIR Platforms – Copter for close inspection
Courtesy of Jessie Cheery, Northern Science Services

19. Geotechnical Engineering
Branch of Civil Engineering dealing with earth materials: Rock & soils. Applications in Alaska and the Arctic are earthworks and foundations for transportation infrastructure, including oil & gas pipelines.

20. Geotechnical Engineering
Data Driven Approach – Thermosiphon Operation Optimal Season & Temp An art, not a science yet DSS – Efficiency & frequency Sensors – Smaller & cheaper FLIR Platform – Fixed & rotary wing Operational specifications for Alyeska Return on Investment

21. Thermosiphons

22. Blocked Thermosiphon

23. Automated Classification

24. Thaw Bulb under Work Pad
Typical Conditions
Excessive Thaw

25. VSM Movement Exaggerated View Potential Consequences:
Increased loads on support systems
Increased lateral loads to VSM
Pipe and VSM contact
High/low load distribution
Loss of pipe support
Talk about adjustable design. Design calls for distribution of weight on the VSMs within a range

26. Frozen Debris Lobes
Poorly understood Linked to thaw & hydraulics 1-2 Centimeters creep per day Some lobes moving 50 meters per year Impinging on Dalton Highway & Alyeska ROW

27. Geotechnical Issues Frozen Debris Lobes 1955 – Red 1979 – Blue
2008 – Green

28. FDL-A

29. Command & Control
UAF & Exelis conducted an FAA command and control (C2) study for UAS monitoring of the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

30. Keith Cunningham, PhD kwcunningham@alaska.edu
Unmanned Aircraft Systems are part of a tool kit for Decision Support Systems
Keith Cunningham, PhD