Eastern Railroad Discussion > Could this idea be a boon to rail traffic?

Balls of bitumen: Calgary breakthrough could bypass pipeline problem, researcher says


http://www.cbc.ca/1.4277320

Posted from Android

Since no one has answered your question since I looked at it last night, I'll give my 2 cents worth. It is a very interesting concept, especially if it can be shipped in open top tubs, gons, or hoppers. But how do you get them out? Will they survive in heavy snow or rain? Another question is, will the US really need Canadian Bitumen, even if by rail? Trump has approved all the pipelines that Obama quashed on environmental grounds. Trump does not care about the environment. When the Dakota Access and Keystone and other recently approved pipelines are completed railroads will be largely out of market for crude oil to the major markets unless the wells they pull from are not on a pipeline. And there seems to be plenty of oil right here in USA. Plus Trump does not want trade with other countries even if we border them. The balls of tar from Alberta will go against US trade policy. Meanwhile, while Trump kills off a lot of US rail traffic with his policies, Canada should have a lot of surplus US built tank cars to high standards and surplus coal gons to export you mineral assets to Asia and elsewhere.

First of all Trump didn't do anything with the Ketstone and Dakonta access pipes. Those were already under construction before he took office. He has only been in office 9months. Not enough lead time to effect those projects by this point.

The issue with Canadian crude is it has to be diluted by as much as 20% in order to flow through a pipe. Then that chemical has to be removed by the end user. If shipped by rail tank car it also has to be diluted 10-15% or use special heated rail cars.
If this method is found to be relatively cheap then the 20% gain over a pipe just might be enough for many customers to use it.
This isn't just to ship to US this is for it to ship anywhere. The crude is just too thick to move without extra cost.

Posted from iPhone

If this treatment makes rail spills less likely, it might help CANADIAN rail shipments more possible.

Posted from Android

Yeah, fine, you can make them into balls in a canning jar. But do they crush each other when you bulk load them into a hopper car, with the weight of 8 feet or more of their buddies pushing down on them? When the weather gets hot, do they all stick together and if they do, how do you get them back apart?

When it rains on an open hopper car, what kind of liquid comes out the bottom?

I hope somebody is thinking in those terms. Who knows, maybe you can roll them in kitty litter or something to prevent them welding back together.

Air injected into each ball? I wonder how the weight density compares with say coal?

Call me skeptic. Inevitably some leakage would happen. The car would have to be sealed and covered. There goes the savings.

Howeld,

I think you are wrong. Yes, most of those pipelines were already built. But Obama stopped completion. Trump rescinded it with an Executive order, it was on TV early in his time in office. Anyway, it is bad for rail biz for BNSF and CP and connections, like I said in my posts. Anyway, as a GD liberal having a lot of RR stock I am concerned. The primary objectors to completion were the native American Indian Nations, which have virtually no power at all even tho I am descendant of immigrants and I suspect you might be too. The other primary objectors were framers, probably REPUBLICAN, whose land got torn up and their enterprises disrupted to build the pipeline. So anyway, it is done, does anyone need thousands of almost new tank cars built to high standards?

JLinDE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Howeld,
>
> I think you are wrong. Yes, most of those
> pipelines were already built. But Obama stopped
> completion. Trump rescinded it with an Executive
> order, it was on TV early in his time in office.
> Anyway, it is bad for rail biz for BNSF and CP and
> connections, like I said in my posts. Anyway, as a
> GD liberal having a lot of RR stock I am
> concerned. The primary objectors to completion
> were the native American Indian Nations, which
> have virtually no power at all even tho I am
> descendant of immigrants and I suspect you might
> be too. The other primary objectors were framers,
> probably REPUBLICAN, whose land got torn up and
> their enterprises disrupted to build the pipeline.
> So anyway, it is done, does anyone need thousands
> of almost new tank cars built to high standards?

Obama stopped construction of the cross boarder portion of the Keystone XL.  This forced the traffic to remain on rail.  One could argue this is less sensitive to the environment. 

One man stopped it another restarted it.  Dangerous either way to have one man rule.

There are a number of petro-based products likely to remain on the rails for a while. Ethanol, hexane, butane, plastic pellets, etc.

But the movement of products like propane via pipeline seem to be increasing consistently.