E. PIPELINE TRANSPORT

E. PIPELINE TRANSPORT Pipelines provide the most convenient mode of transport for petroleum, petroleum products and gas in bulk quantities over a long distance. Nowadays, solid minerals too are transported by pipelines after converting them into slurry.

Major Pipeline Network in the World Although pipeline transportation is being employed by several coun­tries, the North American, Western Europe and Middle East countries are the regions with the largest network of pipelines. In America, pipeline network consists of four major systems: (i) the gas pipeline system carrying on natural gas; (ii) the system carrying petroleum and refined products; (iii) the system carrying solids, such as coal; and (iv) the system carrying water.
In the USA, there is a dense network of pipelines for carrying petroleum. A famous pipeline of the USA is known as "Big Inch", who carries mineral oil from the wells of the Gulf of Mexico to the north-eastern part.

In Europe, Russia, Germany, UK, France, Italy and Denmark have large pipeline network. One of the longest pipelines in Europe runs from Marseilles (France) to Karlsrube (Germany), covering a distance of over 800 km. The Russian system of pipelines, is .one of the largest networks of pipelines in the world. This system includes crude pipelines, product pipelines and gas pipelines. One of the longest pipelines, called COMECON, in the world connects oil wells of the Ural and the Volga regions to the countries of East Europe.

The Middle East pipeline network functions basically as a link between the production regions in the desert and the refineries on the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea. Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq have fairly well developed system of pipelines.

Pipeline Networks in India In India, solid minerals are transported through pipelines in two areas: iron ore in the form of slurry is carried from Kudremukh to Mangalore port, and rock phosphate concentrates are taken from Maton mines to Debari smelter plant in Udaipur district of Rajasthan. Mineral oil is carried from Kandla port to Koyali and Mathura refineries through a pipeline.

The Hazira­Bijaipur-Jagdishpur (HBJ) pipeline has linked Hazira on the west coast and Jagdishpur in Sultanpur district (Uttar Pradesh). The 1,730 km long pipeline carries gas to a number of steel plants, viz., Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan, Auraiya (Etawah), Aonla (Bareilly) and Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh). A new pipeline was laid from Salaya in Gujarat to Mathura via Viramgam which covers a distance of 1,220 km. Pipe connection also exists from Barauni to Kanpur and Delhi. Another such line links Mathura and Jalandhar via Delhi and Ambala. Important pipelines also link Naharkatiya oil fields to Guwahati and Siliguri.