Ammonia pipelines

A Russian ammonia pipeline of nearly 2400 km extends from Togliatti on the Volga River to the Port of Odessa on the Black Sea, and a 2200-km, 250-mm dia branch line extends from Godovka in the Ukraine to Panioutino. The pipeline is constmcted of electric-resistance welded steel pipe with 7.9-mm thick walls but uses seamless pipe with 12.7-mm thick walls for river crossings. The pipeline is primed and taped with two layers of polyethylene tape and suppHed with a cathodic protection system for the entire pipeline. Mainline operating pressure is 8.15 MPa (1182 psi) and branch-line operating pressure is 9.7 MPa (1406 psi) (11). 

A pipeline is the cheapest form of transportation to operate, but it requires a large capital investment and therefore a large throughput. Until 1969 the long-distance pipelines carried almost exclusively natural gas or petroleum products. In that year a pipeline running 850 miles (1,370 km) from Texas to Iowa began carrying anhydrous ammonia to markets in the Midwest. Since then other ammonia pipelines have been completed. 

Three factors favored construction of ammonia pipelines. First, over 50% of this country s agricultural nitrogen is used in the Midwest and between 40 and 65% of this total is applied directly to the soil as anhydrous ammonia. Second, the low price of natural gas needed for the production of ammonia favored a Gulf Coast plant site or one near a large gas field. Third, much of the Midwest is inaccessible to cheap barge transportation. 

You are developing emergency evacuation plans for the local community downwind of your plant. One scenario identified is the rupture of an ammonia pipeline. It is estimated that ammonia will release at the rate of 10 lb/s if this pipeline ruptures. You have decided that anyone exposed to more than 100 ppm of ammonia must be evacuated until repairs are made. What evacuation distance downwind will you recommend ... 

In the United States, two ammonia pipelines deliver ammonia to the Mississippi delta and to the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle region. Direct sales by basic producers are generally at wholesale prices. Basic producers also sell to distributors and jobbers for resale to end users buying smaller quantities. Distributors of ammonia to industrial end users have their own storage facilities, packaging plants and distribution networks. They are able to supply end users that buy in less-than-truckload quantities (a minimum of 1,000 to 2,000 pounds or 450 to 910 kilograms) or in cylinders or bottles57. 

Morgan SE. 1997. Ammonia pipeline rupture risk assessment to cattle. Vet Hum Toxicol 39(3) 159-161. 

Ammonia pipelines in the US Midwest (adapted from Thomas and Parks, 2006). 

MAPCO ammonia pipeline (Figure 7.3) was the first interstate system in operation. The initial charging of... 

Tampa Bay Pipe Line ffTorida)-The newest of the U.S. anhydrous ammonia pipeline operations was commissioned in 1978 at a length of 100 km. About 3 years ago, the length was extended to 132 km 18]. 

The common contract rates used by the pipeline are based on 12-month minimum tonnage. Table 7.11 shows rates published by MAPCO Ammonia Pipeline -[.9]. Note-that-thc-rates -are not dependent on the distance of the shipment. 

Table 7.11. MAPCO Ammonia Pipeline Annual Volume Rates ... 

Table 7.12. Spot Prices for MAPCO s Ammonia Pipeline Transportation, US / tonne...

MAPCO Ammonia Pipeline Tariff, I.C.C. MAPO No. 1, issued March 2,1992. 

During the overhaul of plant, a fire and rupture of ammonia pipeline occurred. 

There are three major ammonia pipelines two in the U.S. and one in the USSR. One of the American pipelines (MidAmerica Pipeline System) transports ammonia from the Texas Panhandle to points in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Its total peak capacity delivered to a number of points is 8000 t/day [22]. The other U.S. pipeline, the Gulf Central Pipeline, transports anhydrous ammonia from major producers along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast to points in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Indiana and Missouri [23]. Further information on the maintenance and repair of the MidAmerica Pipeline System is given in [24]. The total weight of ammonia in the MidAmerica Pipeline System, when full, is approximately 20,000 tons. Lock valves are 10 miles apart so it would be possible that 400 tons could get out between lock valves [22]. It is known from [12] that in one accident 700 tons of liquid ammonia leaked from the pipeline in the USSR. In the USSR pipeline accident, the aerosol cloud of ammonia covered a forested territory about 40 km in area however, all residents in the region were evacuated in time. Pipeline operations in the U.S. are governed by the national Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968, as amended in 1979 [17]. 

A large amount of ammonia is stored in the transportation system in vessels, barges, tank cars and in ammonia pipelines. According to [65] the Gulf Central Pipeline holds about 70000 tons of ammonia. 

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