Economic evaluation of a coal slurry pipeline from West Virginia to Maryland

Conference · Fri Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1985 · Am. Soc. Mech. Eng., (Pap.); (United States)

OSTI ID:5849291

Haim, D W; Fister, L C; Davis, E M

A coal slurry pipeline system to link coal fields in West Virginia and western Maryland with port facilities on the Maryland shore of Chesapeake Bay is postulated and evaluated technically and economically. Coal sources are identified from coal industry data covering mine production, capacity, and recoverable reserves. A gathering system utilizing four slurry preparation plants is developed to ship 15 million tons per year from six counties in West Virginia and two counties in Maryland. The initial pipeline rate (in dollars per ton) compares favorably with rail rates for comparable movements. Because the pipeline is capital-intensive, escalation of the base pipeline rate is expected to be lower than that of rail rates, resulting in substantial future savings. The cost of gathering coal to the four preparation plants comprises a significant portion of the annual operating cost of the entire pipeline system. Substantial savings will be realized if the coal can be gathered from a smaller area. Even greater savings are possible if the number of preparation plants could be reduced.

• Research Organization: Bechtel Petroleum Inc., Houston, TX
• OSTI ID: 5849291
• Report Number(s): CONF-850201-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Am. Soc. Mech. Eng., (Pap.); (United States) Journal Volume: 85-MGT-10
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
013000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COAL MINES
COAL PREPARATION PLANTS
COAL RESERVES
COST ESTIMATION
DISPERSIONS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION III
FOSSIL FUELS
FREIGHT PIPELINES
FUEL SLURRIES
FUELS
HYDRAULIC TRANSPORT
HYDROLOGY
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LAND TRANSPORT
MARYLAND
MATERIALS
MINES
MIXTURES
NORTH AMERICA
PIPELINES
PRODUCTION
RAIL TRANSPORT
RESERVES
RESOURCES
SLURRIES
SLURRY PIPELINES
SUSPENSIONS
TRANSPORT
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
USA
WEST VIRGINIA