title: Pipeline transport of biomass.
abstract: The cost of transporting wood chips by truck and by pipeline as a water slurry was determined. In a practical application of field delivery by truck of biomass to a pipeline inlet, the pipeline will only be economical at large capacity ( >0.5 million dry t/yr for a one-way pipeline, and >1.25 million dry t/yr for a two-way pipeline that returns the carrier fluid to the pipeline inlet), and at medium to long distances ( >75 km [one-way] and >470 km [two-way] at a capacity of 2 million dry t/yr). Mixed hardwood and softwood chips in western Canada rise in moisture level from about 50% to 67% when transported in water; the loss in lower heating value (LHV) would preclude the use of water slurry pipelines for direct combustion applications. The same chips, when transported in a heavy gas oil, take up as much as 50% oil by weight and result in a fuel that is >30% oil on mass basis and is about two-thirds oil on a thermal basis. Uptake of water by straw during slurry transport is so extreme that it has effectively no LHV. Pipeline-delivered biomass could be used in processes that do not produce contained water as a vapor, such as supercritical water gasification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G8, Canada.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Jay B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Flynn
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D002170:Canada; D005648:Fuel Oils; D001467:Hordeum; D010578:Petroleum; D013997:Time Factors; D014186:Transportation; D014908:Triticum; D014867:Water; D014934:Wood
chemical_list: D005648:Fuel Oils; D010578:Petroleum; D014867:Water