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Pipeline transport is a transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquid and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air have also been used. As for gases and liquids, any chemically stable substance can be sent through a pipeline. Therefore sewage, slurry, water, or even beer pipelines exist; but arguably the most important are those transporting oil and natural gas. Often these pipelines are inspected and cleaned using pipeline inspection gauges ("pigs").
Oil and natural gas pipelines Pipeline transport, pioneered by Vladimir Shukhov and the Branobel company in the late 19th century, is the only economic way to transport large quantities of oil or natural gas over land. Compared to railroad, it has lower cost per unit and also higher capacity. Although pipelines can be built even under the sea, that process is both economically and technically very demanding, so the majority of oil at sea is transported by tanker ships. Oil pipelines are made from steel or plastic tubes with inner diameter from 30 to 120 cm (about 12 to 47 inches). Where possible, they are built above the surface. However, in more developed, urban or environmentally sensitive areas they are buried underground at a typical depth of about 1 metre (about 3 feet). The oil is kept in motion by a system of pump stations built along the pipeline and usually flows at speed of about 1 to 6 m/s. Multi-product pipelines are used to transport two or more different products in sequence in the same pipeline. Usually in multi-product pipelines there is no physical separation between the different products. Some mixing of adjacent products occurs, producing . This interface is removed from the pipeline at receiving facilities and segregated to prevent contamination. Crude oil contains varying amounts of wax, or paraffin, and in colder climates wax buildup may occur within a pipeline. To clear wax deposition, mechanical pigs may be sent along the line periodically. For natural gas, smaller feeder lines are used to distribute the fuel to homes and businesses. Government regulations in Canada and the United States require that buried fuel pipelines must be protected from corrosion. Often, the most economical method of corrosion control is by use of pipeline coating in conjunction with cathodic protection. Accidents Pipelines conveying flammable or explosive material such as natural gas or oil pose special safety concerns. For a complete list see Pipeline accidents Some oil/gas pipelines Some oil/gas pipeline companies Water pipelines
Beer pipelines Bars in the Veltins-Arena, a major football ground in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, are interconnected by a 5 km long beer pipeline. It is the favourite method for distributing beer in such large stadiums, because the bars have to overcome big differences between demands during various stages of a match; this allows them to be supplied by a central tank. See also | ||||||||||
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