HYDRAULIC TRANSPORTATION OF COAL FROM COLLIERIES TO COAST

A positive displacement pump is being developed for pipeline transportation of coking coal to a -50mm export specification, at a concentration and velocity which will allow transportation in the plug flow region, minimising degradation of the particle structure, and pipeline friction losses which will be lower than with turbulent or laminar flow. Pump operation is by hydraulic powered free pistons in a rotating cylinder block, with cylinders overlapped by stationary inlet and discharge ports in a water lubricated and sealed rotary valve. Before this development coking coal was not considered suitable for transportation in slurry form, for the valves in the double acting duplex piston pumps used for slurry pipelines, cannot be divorced from the slurry and require that the solid material must be reduced to a fines consistency before introduction into the pump section. A feasibility study is outlined for the hydraulic transportation of 10 million tonnes of -50mm coking coal, 50 kilometres from the bowral area west of the escarpment to an offshore ship-loader at Port Kembla. This study shows that economic factors alone would dictate that the development of a pumping system for long distance transportation of coking coal is necessary. The greatest impact from the slurry transportation of coking coal would be the slurry loading of large ships which could be loaded while moored in deep water, saving on demurrage costs, and taking advantage of the reduction in shipping rates for vessels of 100000 to 150000 tonnes.(a) /TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy

  204 Lygon Street
  Carlton, Victoria  Australia  3053
• Authors:
  • Boyle, B E
  • Boyle, L A
• Publication Date: 1976-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 9 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Coal; Coal mines; Conduits; Fuels; Handling and storage; Hydraulic structures; Hydraulics; Loads; Operating costs; Pipe; Pipelines; Pressure; Pumps; Ships; Slurry; Storage facilities; Transportation; Underground structures
• Uncontrolled Terms: Particle size distribution; Subterranean
• Geographic Terms: Australia
• Old TRIS Terms: Hydraulic conduits; Slurries
• ITRD Terms: 8006: Australia; 3850: Fuel; 4729: Grout; 5567: Load; 221: Operating costs; 6200: Particle size distribution; 3361: Pipe; 5412: Pressure; 1060: Sleeper (railway); 9137: Storage; 4372: Subterranean
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Economics; Energy; Planning and Forecasting; Society; Transportation (General); I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00142416
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: Conf Paper
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 19 1977 12:00AM