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<br />"'1" <br />:~- <br />C'j <br />...-.l <br />'-..' <br />C) <br /> <br />f <br /> <br />COLI.OO SCHOOL OF MINES <br /> <br />. <br />RESEARCH INSTITUTE <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS <br /> <br />This report presents the logic behind the conceptual design of a coal <br /> <br />capsule pipeline connecting Axial, Colorado and Oxnard California." The route <br /> <br />selected is 967 miles long and the system will transport 10 to 15 million <br /> <br />tons of dry coal annually. <br /> <br />The pipeline itself is a conventional 3D-in. slurry type of pipeline. <br /> <br />It is constructed of high-strength welded steel pipe and is coated and <br /> <br />wrapped externally and is buried at least 3 feet below the ground surface. <br /> <br />The pipe is also coated on the inside with a 30 mil coating of plastic or <br /> <br />epoxy resin. This is done so that the corrosive water used will not attack <br /> <br />the steel. The coating will also ensure a smooth interior surface so that <br /> <br />the capsules will not be torn or otherwise damaged in transit. <br /> <br />The water used to transport the capsules from Axial to Rifle, Colorado <br /> <br />will be freshwater from the Yampa River. At Rifle, this water will be dumped <br /> <br />into the Colorado River and saline water from the Glenwood Springs-Dotsero <br /> <br />area will replace it. At the west coast, the saline water will be discharged <br /> <br />into the Pacific Ocean. While no chemical data were obtained in the course <br /> <br />of this study, the saline water reportedly has about half the dissolved <br /> <br />solids of seawater. Further chemical analyses will be required to assess the <br /> <br />potential for environmental damage, if any. <br /> <br />Coal from the Axial area will be crushed to pass \ inch and then dried. <br /> <br />Following the drying, the coal will be packed into a heavy duty plastic tube <br /> <br />to form the capsules. Each capsule will be about 12.5 feet long and 2.1 feet <br /> <br />in diameter, and will contain approximately 1.4 tons of coal. Packing of the <br /> <br />coal will be controlled so that the capsules have the same bulk density as <br /> <br />the saline water. <br /> <br />While the report assumes individual capsules, the concept of long trains <br /> <br />of capsules (Aquatrain) produced by a continuous manufacturing process has <br /> <br />'21 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />~ <br />'1 <br /> <br />, ~-', <br /> <br />,. <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />:-..J <br />..,:,-'.-,"] <br />~. ~. ,~ <br /> <br />, ',c: '_.~ . <br /> <br />. .' -,~ <br />, t.>..~ <br /> <br />'.f' , <br /> <br />;~ <br />'; <br /> <br />