6 ms·

As a rule, it is far easier* to transport/handle liquids in large quantity than solids. Even ignoring the effort to convert/deconvert the oil at each end, I'm

As a rule, it is far easier* to transport/handle liquids in large quantity than solids. Even ignoring the effort to convert/deconvert the oil at each end, I'm not seeing this as a step forward that will improve the bulk of crude-oil transport -- baring a more detailed analysis than what reads to me as 'pipelines bad.' *Cheaper, safer, more efficient, requiring less maintenance, etc...

TeMPOraL 9y ago
> As a rule, it is far easier to transport/handle liquids in large quantity than solids.* Is it? For liquids, at all times you need a sealed container that doesn't leak. For solids, it's enough for the holes to be no larger than the individual solid object. This makes containers cheaper and requiring much less maintenance. As for this specific case, the article makes at least two points: - transporting solids can reuse existing infrastructure (rail + coal wagons), giving you flexibility - as opposed to requiring you to ship from only where the pipeline ends (or to build new pipelines); - with "one weird trick" (injecting some extra gas into the bubble) they can make each pellet buoyant, and it seems they also don't dissolve easily - the result is something that's potentially much easier to collect if you happened to spill it into an ocean.
- sgt 9y ago
  They wouldn't build pipelines in the first place if it didn't make business sense to do so. These pipes will be in place for a very long time (relatively speaking). I would also think that railroad or road for transporting a solid liquid is also less environmentally friendly than sending via pipelines. Of course, if you are assuming that the pipeline will burst, then it may not be, but one has to ensure that the pipeline is a safe option. Government oversight is needed in those cases.
  - TeMPOraL 9y ago
    I understand the argument from the article is about flexibility - a pipeline will be in place for a very long time, but it's not easy to move it around as the economical landscape changes. Meanwhile, rail will let you move the stuff to wherever it's currently better to have it.
- devdoomari 9y ago
  -> "they can make each pellet buoyant, and it seems they also don't dissolve easily" damn that would definitely help on spill cleanings!
sharpercoder 9y ago
Is bitumen a liquid or a solid? Technically, you can argue for either, but practically it seems to be very much a solid.
- jacquesm 9y ago
  Is water a liquid or a solid? It's a pretty simple question to answer if you know all of the parameters of the environment.
  - dotancohen 9y ago
    Not given "all the parameters of the environment" it is common to assume STP: Standard Temperature and Pressure. I think that's 20 degrees Celsius, 105 kPa of air pressure.
    - jacquesm 9y ago
      Well, under those conditions I would call bitumen a 'semi solid'. It is not hard in the sense of an actual solid, you can deform it but it definitely does not flow like a liquid.
      - dotancohen 9y ago
        That's a viscoplastic. Banana, chocolate, and dog droppings are some common examples.
        jacquesm 9y ago
        Thank you for that term, I didn't realize there was an appropriate word to describe that state.
      - riffraff 9y ago
        AFAIU, it's a liquid, and it does flow, it's just that it flows so slowly it's almost impossible to notice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment
barrkel 9y ago
The raw material isn't a liquid that can be pumped. This approach is converting the raw material into pellets instead of diluting it into a liquid, which is the current approach.

TeMPOraL 9y ago

> As a rule, it is far easier to transport/handle liquids in large quantity than solids.* Is it? For liquids, at all times you need a sealed container that doesn't leak. For solids, it's enough for the holes to be no larger than the individual solid object. This makes containers cheaper and requiring much less maintenance. As for this specific case, the article makes at least two points: - transporting solids can reuse existing infrastructure (rail + coal wagons), giving you flexibility - as opposed to requiring you to ship from only where the pipeline ends (or to build new pipelines); - with "one weird trick" (injecting some extra gas into the bubble) they can make each pellet buoyant, and it seems they also don't dissolve easily - the result is something that's potentially much easier to collect if you happened to spill it into an ocean.

sgt 9y ago
They wouldn't build pipelines in the first place if it didn't make business sense to do so. These pipes will be in place for a very long time (relatively speaking). I would also think that railroad or road for transporting a solid liquid is also less environmentally friendly than sending via pipelines. Of course, if you are assuming that the pipeline will burst, then it may not be, but one has to ensure that the pipeline is a safe option. Government oversight is needed in those cases.
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  I understand the argument from the article is about flexibility - a pipeline will be in place for a very long time, but it's not easy to move it around as the economical landscape changes. Meanwhile, rail will let you move the stuff to wherever it's currently better to have it.
devdoomari 9y ago
-> "they can make each pellet buoyant, and it seems they also don't dissolve easily" damn that would definitely help on spill cleanings!

sharpercoder 9y ago

Is bitumen a liquid or a solid? Technically, you can argue for either, but practically it seems to be very much a solid.

jacquesm 9y ago
Is water a liquid or a solid? It's a pretty simple question to answer if you know all of the parameters of the environment.
- dotancohen 9y ago
  Not given "all the parameters of the environment" it is common to assume STP: Standard Temperature and Pressure. I think that's 20 degrees Celsius, 105 kPa of air pressure.
  - jacquesm 9y ago
    Well, under those conditions I would call bitumen a 'semi solid'. It is not hard in the sense of an actual solid, you can deform it but it definitely does not flow like a liquid.
    - dotancohen 9y ago
      That's a viscoplastic. Banana, chocolate, and dog droppings are some common examples.
      - jacquesm 9y ago
        Thank you for that term, I didn't realize there was an appropriate word to describe that state.
    - riffraff 9y ago
      AFAIU, it's a liquid, and it does flow, it's just that it flows so slowly it's almost impossible to notice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment

barrkel 9y ago

The raw material isn't a liquid that can be pumped. This approach is converting the raw material into pellets instead of diluting it into a liquid, which is the current approach.