General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWithout a double lined pipeline, the sand will put a hole in it within 18months.
Especially at any curve or too rapid a change in elevation. This stuff is a pure abrasive, then the refinery will separate the oil and the sand.
The sole purpose for this pipeline is to dump that sand in the gulf and not in Canada.
Champion Jack
(5,378 posts)Coyotl
(15,262 posts)The purpose is to profit. To profit, you need to get the product to a market. In this case, downhill is south.
CK_John
(10,005 posts)problem is then sand.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)ROFF
(219 posts)The people that control the pipeline do not want to put any product that will damage their property into their equipment.
Think of it this way.
1. Would you purchase any fuel that had any sand in it? I doubt that you would. So the sand has to be removed at some point in the process. Why not before it is shipped?
2. Sand has weight, why pay for moving it if the sand is just going to be discarded?
3. If the pipeline owners accept oil that contains sand, they either have to remove it themselves or find a refiner that will take it.
There are good and valid arguments against any oil-sands pipeline, this isn't one of them.
CK_John
(10,005 posts)What do you think this is all about? This is untreated tarsand.
kentauros
(29,414 posts)I know it's often called "tar sands" but that's just a layman's derogatory name to make sure it pushes all the right buttons in those that are against the pipeline. I'm against pulling the bitumen out of the ground to begin with, but I don't have the clout to tell that corporation to leave it there. Only the Canadian government could do that and I don't think they will.
So, the "sand" supposedly in this piped product. First off, it's bitumen, commonly called asphalt in this country. No, it's not yet a road-surfacing material, only that in the oil cracking process, asphalt is at the very bottom of the cracking, with tar just a tad lighter and above it. And while this naturally occurring bitumen has sand in it, that will be removed by a preliminary processing before it's pumped through the pipeline.
The pipeline is a $7 billion project. If you honestly believe they'd actively ruin their new and expensive pipeline by putting unprocessed bitumen through it, then you need to talk to both a petroleum and a pipeline engineer on why that would never happen. Hopefully, they won't laugh at you
GeorgeGist
(25,322 posts)Hopefully, Obama will tell Harper to keep his dirty oil. Once refined, it's going to Asia anyway.