Economics of coal slurry pipelining: transportation and non-transportation factors

Journal Article · · Transport. J.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6646333

Farris, M T; Shrock, D L

There are three possible situations where slurry pipelining might be adopted for coal movement. These involve various combinations of geographic, economic, and institutional conditions. In virtually all instances, the issues come down to a question of use of slurry pipelines vs. use of railroads for coal movement. Other alternatives for coal movement, such as use of trucks for short-haul moves or use of waterways for long hauls, are generally not relevant. In the U.S., proposed source/use combinations for coal-based energy resources generally preclude these further alternatives: due to total volume or distance requirements, in the former case, or lack of available navigable waterways along desired transportation routes, in the latter case. A map shows the general source/use relationships pertinent to potential use of slurry pipelines for coal movement. The three basic sets of conditions for analysis dictated by these relationships are presented. The first situation involves exploitation of coal reserves that are not currently accessible by existing transportation systems and where geographic conditions preclude the construction of railroads, either technically or economically. The second basic situation occurs when there is a potentially suitable railroad system available between the coal source and its destination and there are no barriers to slurry pipeline construction. The third situation occurs when there are no existing transportation systems available for the movement of the resource and there are no obvious barriers to construction of either slurry pipelines or railroads. A fourth situation exists involving the potential construction of a slurry pipeline versus some new railroad construction required to meet an existing railroad system. This case is a hybrid of the second and third cases, requiring analysis of similar factors, and will not be discussed. All aspects of the cases are examined and conclusions drawn. (MCW)

• Research Organization: Arizona State Univ., Tempe
• OSTI ID: 6646333
• Journal Information: Transport. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Transport. J.; (United States) Vol. 18:1; ISSN TRNJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
013000 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
294001* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Coal
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COAL DEPOSITS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
EVALUATION
EXPLOITATION
FOSSIL FUELS
FREIGHT PIPELINES
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
LEGAL ASPECTS
PIPELINES
RAILWAYS
RESOURCES
SLURRY PIPELINES
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS