University of Regina professor Jim Warren writes in Pipeline Online about Big Green’s big vulnerabilities. This is part 2 of a 4 part series. The first column in this series described the masterfully executed campaign waged by environmental organizations in opposition to Alberta’s oil sands
Well it would help if that idiot Danielle Smith didn’t cover up the Kearl Lake leak of 5 million litres of tailings into the Athabasca River. It doesn’t matter if it’s a lot or a little. The optics are terrible and it gives more food to the environmental lobby. And given the colossul stupidity of this I’m not necessarily unsympathetic.
This is yet another example of how the UCP and the oil industry constantly score on their own goal over and over.
Because of this and other blunders the UCP is handing over the province to the NDP in May. The latest one question policy is another ridiculous blunder that feeds the media and the NDP. Geez UCP are you really that dumb?
Now deal with having the NDP in charge and you are doubly screwed.
Rain and snow makes those ponds impossible to just evaporation to work…so…you can see the engineering failure of overflow…heavy material can be deposited in those but failure over time is highly likely.
Like our poop holding facilities…eventually they release it on purpose to prevent overflow over the top.
Tailings lines can leak, but in my experience as a Senior Inspector for Tailings in an Oil sands mine, its usually the recycled piping used in branchs off the main tailings Trains..some which extend for many many kilometers. Typicall 28″ API 5L x65 material. Some sites use straight carbon steel of the variety noted above and in hi wear spots ensure that are CCO lined (Chromium Carbide Overlay). Most prevalent in the following places: Elbows, Mfgd Bends & Sweeps, Drains, Impact Spools and Y-Laterals.
Others use prefabricated spools lined with either epoxy or “Fedur”.
All designed to reduce internal wear.
I’m thinking without knowing for certain, 5M L may well have come via a blown Knife gate or the Y-Lateral it was attached to, or a vacuum breaker cratered something mechanical.
Where I work, 1 of three “Trains” is always down for maintenace Inspection and repairs where reqd. Aside from overlaying & often repairing the above noted components, Trailing and Leading Edge repair occurr with regularity. As for inspection, it consists of visual & UT readings…anything under 10mm T, is considered scrap or sent up to the Pads as recycled. Main Train spools are continuosly tracked. If the wear on the bottom is requiring a solution, they are rotated usually 90 deg, elbows will be flipped and re-installed and marked New TDC…once gone through the compass, either scrapped or sent to the Pads…other transportable spools are sent to the welding fab shop for CCO repair.
Most connections are of the Victaulic type due to ease of connection… valves/to Y-Laterals are bolted.
Fedur is non repaireable, expoxy can be repaired on site..with varioys different types of wear resistant epoxys.
….this process is 24/7 365.
And its a blast…!!!
Have seen only 1 leak in the past 4 months…a weird pin hole in an otherwise 14mm avg Wall T Pipe…and it was up on one of the Pads or Pedstals.
Thanks. It’s always nice to find someone who can explain these things.
Trudeau has already shown us the way. These by damaging our economy these ENGOs and their supporters are economic terrorists. Enact the Emergencies Act and freeze the bank accounts of anyone who supports them.
So the only vulnerability identified is the fact that they are large corporations with much the same bureaucracy and internal politics. Taking this further, the real vulnerability is that they are the furthest thing from grass roots organizations. Citizens, independent of corporations can turn public meetings and hearings against these organizations as long as the spin doctors working for the resource industry corporations don’t undermine the grass roots supporters by being involved and attempt to lead them or advise their management to compromise with big green.