COAL PIPELINE ECONOMIC AND EFFICIENT

During 1.5 year of operation, the Black Mesa Pipeline Inc. system has successfully moved 1,500,000 tons of coal as slurry for Peabody Coal Co. to the Mohave generating station through its 273 mi long, 18 in. dia pipeline (Abstract No. T2-2330) in a mountainous terrain in Arizona with 500-6500 ft elevation and a 3000 ft drop in the last 12 mi. The $36 million pipeline system includes four remotely controlled pump stations, well-instrumented test loops, control and communications facilities, and a slurry preparation plant where the coal is reduced to 8 mesh and water is added to form the slurry. The pipeline is capable of pumping 660 tons/hr of coal; to reduce the delivery rate, the flow rate is reduced and water slugs are inserted between batches of slurry. A battery of 40 centrifuges removes 75% of the water from the slurry to form a wet cake, which is dried and further pulverized in 20 ball mills. Dried coal is carried pneumatically to the powerplant combustion chamber. The system's emergency precautions and personnel needs and the operational problems met and solved are also described.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00301388
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at the 23rd API Annual Pipeline Confernece, Dallas, Texas, April 10-12, 1972.
• Corporate Authors:

  Petroleum Publishing Company

  211 South Cheyenne, P.O. Box 1260
  Tulsa, OK  United States  75221
• Authors:
  • Montfort, J G
• Publication Date: 1972-5-8

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 53-56
• Serial:
  • Oil and Gas Journal
  • Volume: 70
  • Issue Number: 19
  • Publisher: PennWell Publishing Company
  • ISSN: 0030-1388

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Coal pipelines; Economic analysis; Pipeline transportation; Pipelines
• Old TRIS Terms: Economic analysis (Pipelines); Pipeline economics
• Subject Areas: Economics; Marine Transportation; Pipelines; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00056122
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: American Petroleum Institute
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 15 1974 12:00AM