NPTI BADARPUR

STUDY ON COAL TRANSPORTATION BY PIPE LINES

In partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of
Post Graduate Diploma Course in Thermal Power Plant Engineering

Submitted to NPTI, BADARPUR in Partial Fulfilment for the Requirement of

Post Graduate Diploma Course
In Thermal Power Plant Engineering (2014-2015)

GUIDED BY

SUBMITTED BY

BALLA ROHIT
DEEPAK R
KARANAM VENKATAPRASHANTH
KATTERI SREENIVASA RAO

India is currently among the top three fastest growing economies of the world. As
a natural corollary India's energy needs too are fast expanding with its increased
industrialization and capacity addition in Power generation. This is where 'Coal' steps in.
In India coal is the critical input for major infrastructure industries like Power, Steel and
Cement.
Coal is the mainstay for commercial energy catering almost 55% of the energy
demand which in turn fuel the growth engine of the economy. The efficient use of coal
requires enabling infrastructure support to transport the coal from mine head to
consumption centres. A quick look into the coal transport in India reveals that almost
50% of the coal transport is via the railways, 20% takes the road route, 12% through the
merry go round ( MGR) system. The transportation of coal is marred with inherent
problems like reserves situated in most difficult geographical terrains which is vastly
scattered and bulk of the coal lies in the belt of eastern corridor under the forest belt and
tribal areas.
Supply chain logistics is a major issue in transporting coal to consumption centres
in India as the allied transport infrastructure in India is really in a bad shape. The effect
is clearly visible as coal from pit heads lying idle for months and cannot find its way to
the railways sidings to be transported further. Almost 70Million tonnes of coal are lying
idle at pitheads, only making the inventory build-up and adds up to the cost of the coal
mining companies. In this context, effort to find new methods which are efficient and
cheaper in transporting coal is to be devised. Our project aims at studying transportation
of coal using pipelines.
Transportation of coal using pipelines are of two types

Coal slurry pipelines

Coal log pipelines

Coal slurry pipelines

In a coal slurry pipeline, the coal must first be ground to a uniform size of 100% 14 mesh with not more than 20% - 325-mesh by successive crushing and pulverization.
The coal is then distributed in the liquid phase by agitation and mixing and passed
through the pipeline to the end-use point. Coal slurry pipelines can make use of water,
methanol, crude oil, or other liquid transport medium. The coal is separated from the
liquid phase at the destination for subsequent use in combustion. The liquid may then
be disposed of by reuse or as fuel, discharged to receiving waters or returned to the point
where the coal is added to the pipeline.
Coal log pipelines
An innovative technology is being developed to transport coal through a waterfilled pipeline over long distances Called coal log pipeline"(CLP), this technology features
low water requirements and costs comparable to existing railways. The coal-to-watermass ratio is 3 to 1.The CLP concept presses coal into the form of circular cylinders-coal
logs-so that coal can be transported by water flowing through a single underground pipe.
(This method is being used in another application-transporting cylindrical capsules
hydraulically through pipelines.) The coal log pipelines have advantages of relatively lowenergy consumption and simple dewatering at the end of the pipeline. The diameter of
the coal log is about nine-tenths the diameter of the inside of the pipe. The log length is
always greater than its diameter, with ratios of about 1.8. Coal-log specific gravity is
preferably slightly greater than one, about 1.3. The coal logs are propelled by a pump
by-pass system and travel butted together. After the coal logs are transported to their
destination they come out of the pipe onto a moving screen where the logs are separated
from the water. The logs are crushed for sub sequent burning to meet the fuel
specifications for different boilers for a power station with a fluidized-bed combustor only
simple crushing is needed. For a power station with pulverized coal or cyclone-type
boilers the logs may he pulverized.

Improved techniques, changes in economic conditions and environmental

pressures and concern about surface waste disposal in the near future are likely to make

pipeline technology a viable mode of transport in a large number of industrial and

infrastructure development activities. While the fuel policy committee, Government of
India, has noted that coal slurry pipelines are more suitable to meet the fuel requirements
of thermal stations, the requisite R&D efforts towards general use of pipelining in the
country is inadequate. More scientific studies need to be conducted and the viability of
new technologies need to be examined.