METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORTING A HYDROCARBON FLUID

摘要

A method for transporting a hydrocarbon fluid, such as crude oil and/or natural gas, comprises: • - drilling a chain of double ended U-shaped boreholes (1A, 1B) into the earth crust (12), such that at least one pair of the boreholes has an adjacent pair of upper ends at or near the earth surface; • - lining each of the boreholes with an at least partly expanded impermeable liner (14) comprising an expandable tubular, which is circumferentially expanded after insertion into the borehole; • - interconnecting each pair of adjacent upper ends of the chain of lined U-shaped boreholes by a connection conduit; and • - transporting the hydrocarbon fluid through a transportation pipeline with one or more W-shaped sections provided by the chain of lined U-shaped boreholes and the connection conduit. The method allows transportation of hydrocarbon fluids through elongate predominantly underground pipelines safely and with a minimum of environmental impact in arctic and other environmentally sensitive areas.