Why Alaska Put Its Oil Pipeline on Sliding Legs

Alaska's oil pipeline stands above frozen ground on supports that let it move. The reasons connect hot oil, permafrost, passive cooling, and the earthquake that tested its design. CHAPTERS 00:00 A pipeline designed to move 00:52 Crossing Alaska 01:14 The permafrost problem 02:50 Above and below ground 03:11 Passive cooling 04:29 Bends and expansion 05:39 Crossing a fault 06:43 Maintenance 07:28 Keeping oil flowing 08:04 Layers of protection 08:48 Working with the landscape RESEARCH https://alyeska-pipe.com/environmenta... https://www.alyeska-pipe.com/wp-conte... https://alyeska-pipe.com/?post_type=p... https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2003/fs014-0... https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/digi... https://www.shannonwilson.com/project... https://www.alaska.org/detail/trans-a... Historic and modern Alaska footage show different dates. Original engineering animations are conceptual, not construction drawings. Thermosyphon and fault-crossing illustrations are not to scale. VISUAL CREDITS Excerpts cropped/scaled, source audio muted, photos animated; original diagrams added. Adapted CC BY-SA material retains its listed licence. No endorsement implied. Arthur T. LaBar (CC BY 2.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... BLM Alaska (Public domain): https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... U.S. GAO (Public domain): https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... U.S. Geological Survey employee (Public domain): https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... JKBrooks85 (Public domain): https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Leijurv (CC BY-SA 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... ; https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... William J. Miller / Defense Logistics Agency (Public domain): https://www.dvidshub.net/video/846366... MSgt Perry Aston / Airman Magazine (Public domain): https://www.dvidshub.net/video/787321... NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA media usage guidelines): https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13554 U.S. National Park Service (Public domain):    • Classic Video: Pipeline! The story of the ...   Mike Brewington (CC BY 3.0):    • Chatanika   Terms: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ; https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright ; https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-cente... ; https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/disclaime... Original script, animation and score: Map Motive. AI-assisted editorial thumbnail. Thumbnail adapted from source 126801098, credited above; source licence retained on adapted material.