Pipeline vs Truck 1

[mmmumuw]

Hello,
I wonder if someone ever calculate the comparation of power consumption between the thick mud transportation by pipeline and by truck.
If necessary
The capacity is say it 300 m3/hr
height 250 m and length 2000 m. But for dump truck, it should be much longer because dump trucks have to take round way.
The solid content is, say it, 50% and the sg 1.8 to 2.2.
Thank you.
with best regards

 

[zdas04]

You might try to explain why you're transporting "thick mud" and how far and how often.

For produced water, the analysis between trucking and pipeline is done for nearly every project, but the source and sink are geographically fixed. When I think of uses of "mud" I can't imagine that the uses of it would be geographically fixed.

David

 

[mmmumuw]

Thanks David,
It is in the open pit mining sites. We are used to applying trucks to transport thin mud(o-o not thick-sorry, misters)after dewatering. (Actually they add it with dry solid) for better handling.
First, I guess pipeline is better, because the trucks also carry their own weight. But I am not sure, because the empiric diesel oil consumption is so low, according to the users.
Again, sorry David and all of you. The mud is very thin slurry, beyond the range of centrifugal slurry pumps capability.
Thanks,
Muwardi

 

[waross]

The move over the years in the heavy oil sand industry has been from conveyors originally when distances were short, to heavy haulers (200 ton trucks) as distances increased, to pipe lines as distances increased further.
Two caveats;
I understand that there may be some pre-separation in a properly designed pipeline which saves some downstream costs.
These decisions are made on the basis of total cost, not just the cost of energy.


Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[racookpe1978]

Permitting issues (now very, very restrictive!) throw a whole new handful of sand into the calculation.

"Driving trucks" on a public road to the site may cause no regulatory attention at all (or cause a lot of attention if they attract a politician/homeowner/layer's interest!) while a pipeline or conveyor belt may need months of paperwork and enviro impact studies on beaver dams and mosquito breeding ponds.

It doesn't matter what the real cost is if a politician or activist group can prevent a cheaper solution from being implemented.

 

[itsmoked]

and what are the labor rates? $0.25/hour to drive the truck or $25/hr.

Where is this operation at, Bangladesh or New York?

What happens if the flow stops on a full pipeline of that mud? Disaster?

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[BigInch]

2000 m is 3.2 miles. Probably wholely contained at the mine site. In any case, probably not much in the way of permitting, as pipelines go.

If the line stops with mud in it? Turn on the water pump and move the mud out.



**********************
"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world’s energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies)

http://virtualpipeline.spaces.live.com/

 

[786392]

Dear Respected 'Big Inch'

I think probably there seems some 'Typo' in Mile's Figure;(2000/1600)=1.25 Mile

and at the most this may be approximated to 1.3 Miles I believe.

Kindly correct this; if I'm not totally mistaken.

Best Regards
Qalander(Chem)

 

[itsmoked]

786392; He's using dwarf miles.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[mmmumuw]

Actually I want to compare the energy required, in case there is someone ever calculate it for real.
I imagine, for a truck hauling, the vehicles need to bring the truck bodies, one trip full contained and one trip fully empty for one work cycle. In the pipeline (in this case, paste pumping) the stuff which moves is only the mud. But according to the record, trucking needs more power and fuel!
I wiil not calculate too far until social and political cost. Just wonder.

 

[BigInch]

Evaluation of other than the captial cost of pump & pipeline, pump power cost and capital cost of truck & fuel, might be found if you consider the flexibility of trucks to change their point of load origin, point of load delivery and route quite easily, where moving a pipeline would be considerably more difficult. Is it such that the pump might have to be moved as the mining operation progresses, hence causing the pipeline to be lengthened, the route changed, or similar modification, etc.?

You may want to evaluate using a cost/CYd-mile, which should be easy to obtain from the truck operators and then do a similar resulting unit calculation for a pump & pipeline option.

**********************
"Pumping accounts for 20% of the world’s energy used by electric motors and 25-50% of the total electrical energy usage in certain industrial facilities."-DOE statistic (Note: Make that 99% for pipeline companies)

http://virtualpipeline.spaces.live.com/