Point Thomson airstrip in use. © Exxon Mobil Corporation
gas for future recovery. Additionally, the processing facilities, pipelines, and drilling components had to be designed with corrosion-resistant materials to account for certain chemical compounds contained in the production stream. These factors, among others, increased the difficulty of design, material selection, fabrication and construction, and had a significant impact on the robustness of safety programs and training at Point Thomson. Point Thomson is located in a remote area, 60 miles east of Prudhoe Bay and 60 miles west of the village of Kaktovik. The combination of remote location and limited permanent infrastructure made it difficult to transport equipment and materials to the site, and careful planning was required to capitalize on short construction and logistics windows. Not to mention the extreme and often unpredictable arctic weather conditions created many challenges for execution of construction activities. ExxonMobil’s work with Alaskans and Alaska companies was critical to successfully develop the field, and thousands of Alaskans worked both on-site and around the state during peak construction.
Q
What’s different about the fittings, pumps, compressors, and pipes at Point Thomson compared to Prudhoe Bay?
A
Due to the high pressure design requirements and chemical compounds contained in the production stream, a large number of components were custom-made with very high strength configurations and corrosion-resistant materials.
Q
What is ExxonMobil looking to learn about the Point Thomson reservoir “plumbing” during initial condensate prowww.akbizmag.com
May 2016 | Alaska Business Monthly
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