Economics a plus for coal slurry pipelines

Journal Article · Mon Jun 27 04:00:00 EDT 1977 · Chem. Eng. News; (United States)

OSTI ID:7088102

Slurry pipelines for coal transport are looming large in the immediate future of the national energy industry. Despite opposition from railroads, pipelines are becoming established as economically preferable and more environmentally acceptable. By 1980, the first major coal pipeline is expected to be in operation in the U.S. It won't drive the railroads out of business, but it will provide economic competition that is reminiscent of the Ohio pipeline of the 1950's that helped give birth to the unit train. It also will advance resource development in the West and, perhaps, launch a new era of labor stability. According to E. J. Wasp, vice president of Energy Transportation Systems Inc. (ETSI), a Bechtel Corp. subsidiary, the two biggest advantages of slurry pipelines are economic. There is an inherently high efficiency of transport that increases with volume and/or distance. There is also the long-term inflation protection characteristic of a capital-intensive system. The only coal pipeline now in operation is the Black Mesa pipeline, which transports coal from the Black Mesa in Arizona over a 273-mile route to a power plant in southern Nevada. This line delivers about 5 million tons of coal per year at a cost of slightly more than half that estimated for a comparable rail line.

• OSTI ID: 7088102
• Journal Information: Chem. Eng. News; (United States), Journal Name: Chem. Eng. News; (United States) Vol. 55:26; ISSN CENEA
• 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
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320205 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Transportation-- Pipeline
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
PIPELINES
RAILWAYS
SLURRY PIPELINES
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORTATION SECTOR