How do oil pipelines work

How fast does oil flow through a pipeline? Oil pipelines are the most efficient way to move oil, but it does take a while. As above, it depends on the terrain, size of pipe, and pressure, but it moves at around 3 to 8 miles per hour, according to Allegro Energy Group.

How do companies decide where to build their pipelines? The best way to start figuring out where to build is following the path of existing pipelines or power sources. This minimizes the impact to the environment and surrounding communities. Balancing the factors of existing right of ways, stakeholders, and environment are all taken into account. Avoiding populated areas as well as areas of cultural significance narrow down the build sites. Then, environmental impact studies are done to ensure no negative effects.

Bodies of water are actually tunneled under with horizontal directional drilling, or HDD to keep them at least feet under the bottom of any water. Since pipelines travel so far, they cross under creeks, rivers, roads, fields, and parks. Easement agreements are understandings between pipeline companies and property owners concerning the building of a pipeline on private property.

The construction area around the pipe can be feet, but permanent rights-of-way can be much less. Pipeline companies are responsible for maintaining their right-of-way to protect the environment and people.

How are these pipelines actually built? As you might imagine, there are a lot of guidelines and laws in place for pipeline construction. The first step is to notify regulators and get the proper permits and approvals to build or expand pipelines.

Once that is done, the right-of-way is cleared and construction begins. Either a trench is dug to lay the pipe in or a hole is bored if the line needs to go under roads or waterways. Pipe connections are welded together and checked for consistency with x-rays or an ultrasonic scan. Anti-corrosive coating is applied to the welds, and an electric current is installed on the pipe to further protect it from corrosion, called cathodic protection.

All pieces of a pipeline undergo testing before they go into service. Feeder pipelines move the product from processing facilities and storage tanks to the long-distance haulers of the system: transmission pipelines. They can range from about the size of a bagel mm to the size of a large pizza mm. They can range from about the size of an empty paper towel roll mm to about the size of a large bale of hay 1, mm , with the majority being between mm and mm.

Distribution pipelines are used by local distribution companies to deliver natural gas directly to homes and businesses. They can range from smaller than the size of a dime Although they are a necessary part of the use and transportation of assorted petroleum products, there are environmental concerns with the construction and operation of pipelines that vary depending on how and where the pipelines are being built.

Some of the concerns include: [6]. Pipelines have been constructed extensively for many years and thus there are numerous steps taken to minimize any environmental effects. The environmental impacts cannot be avoided entirely, only reduced.

Although these issues are all concerning, most people are concerned with a rupture in a pipeline and a spill. A spill of petroleum products can cause significant environmental damage and pose a risk to human health—as they can burn, contain toxic chemicals, and pollute groundwater. However, pipeline ruptures are not extremely common, but they do occur. Older pipelines are much more vulnerable to rupture as a result of corrosion. Although large scale ruptures do not occur frequently, there were small scale ruptures in Alberta pipelines between and with fewer occurring each year.

Large scale ruptures release between and 10 cubic meters of liquids and do not occur as frequently. As was discussed above, Canadian pipelines are not only varied in what they can carry but expansive. Below are two different maps showing the paths of different Canadian pipelines, both for liquid and gas transport. Note how expansive these pipelines are, and how many cross either provincial or national borders.

Figure 2 shows a map of large Canadian and American liquid and gas pipelines. Fossil Fuels. Nuclear Fuels.