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!''") ,-; (-j ~ <.. ~) c::: Section 3. THE AQUATRAIN PROJECT Objectives The AQUATRAIN Project has two primary, but by no means exclusive, object ives: 1. To collect saline water in the Colorado River Basin, transport it to closest pOints of most beneficial use, and/or dispose of it in the least-cost manner. 2. To provide an economically competitive method of moving coal and other commodities from source points to markets using a part of the savings in commodity transport costs to pay for the salinity control function. An anticipated result of these combined objectives is to minimize the costs of energy from new coal-fired electric utility powerplants by providing low-cost delivery of superior grade coal and/or coal products and making saline water available for powerp1ant cooling purposes. This will: (a) reduce the use of gas and imported oil for firing powerplants and conserve those resources for other more beneficial uses, and (b) reduce the use of freshwater for powerplant cooling. Transport Technology New opportunities for pipeline us.e and technology development are rapidly emerging as AQUATRAIN progresses. The most promising operating system under consideration for AQUATRAIN is a liquid carbon dioxide (C~)/coal slurry technique. Arthur D. Little Inc., and W. R. Gr~ce & Co., have been working for several years on development and commercialization of a patented liquid CO /coal slurry transportation technology. A pilot plant co~plete with 2- and 3-inch-diameter pipeline loops (Figure 1) is operating and data collected are being evaluated. Complementing research on liquid CO? is the r.ecent experience of coal-fired powerplants in storage, use, and handling of pulverized coal. Most powerplants currently receive and store lump coal. While finely ground coaTis not a commodity typically delivered to powerplants, it has been successfully stored and used. AQUATRAIN would employ the technology of liquid CO? transport of pulverized coal to serve powerp1ants along the corridor route, and confirmation of fine coal handling techniques is planned. A significant advancement in the liquid GO? transport technology has been realized recently. Pilot plant t~sts now indicate that a slurry mixture of 85 percent coal/IS. percent liquid CO2 can be transported long distances. The increased ratio of coal to liquid CO2 will make the pipeline even more cost- effective and will allow more sources and markets to be served along the corridor route. Use of the 85/15 ratio also will reduce the amount of CO2 required. 9