A pipeline has been proposed to carry natural gas 1715 miles fro Alaska\'s North

Question

A pipeline has been proposed to carry natural gas 1715 miles fro Alaska's North Slope to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The (smooth) pipe diameter will be 52 inches. The gas will be at high pressure, averaging 2500 lbs/in².

(a) Why such high pressure?

The proposed flow rate is billion cubic feet per day at sea-level conditions.

(b) What volume flow rate, at 20 C, would carry the same mass at the high preessure?

(c) If natural gas is assumed to be methane, what is the total pressure drop?

(d) If each pumping station can deliver 12,000 hp to the flow, how many stations are needed?

Explanation / Answer

a)The high pressure reduces the volume of the methane being transported. This compression also works to propell the gas through the pipeline. For part d: Along the way there will be stations that measure the flow of gas along the pipeline, monitor the pressure, and reduce the volume as needed to maintain the billion cubic feet per day rate. (Historically, these are needed about every 40-100 miles. That should help you check your answer.) Hopefully this is somewhat helpful to get you started. Sorry that I don't know the other stuff for sure. I did some calculations for the rest but I'm not positive I used the right formulas. I won't post an answer unless I am positive about it. I am positive that part a is correct and I have a feeling you can do this problem better than I can once you understand the question. Good luck :)

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