Pipeline

For this post, we will explain one of the unique transportation that is pipeline transportation. We explain what type of goods that can be carried by pipeline, the operating and service characteristics, the advantages and the disadvantages of this type of transportation.

Okay, for the first is what is the function of pipeline. Actually, pipeline transportation was not same like the others type of transportation. This type of transportation only carried liquid and gases. Coal also include in the item that can be carried by pipeline. Pipeline usually carry oil and natural gas.

For the operating and service characteristics, pipeline carried oil and oil products such as crude oil and oil products. Crude oil is a pure oil that have not been go through any process yet and oil products is a oil that already been process become one product that come from oil. After that is natural gas, for your information, natural gas pipeline companies produce about 10% of the gas they transport. Independent gas companies produce the remaining 90% and transport it via the pipelines.

Coal is one of the goods that can be transport using pipeline, coal is moved in pulverized form in water. Once the coal has reached its destination, the water is removed and the coal is ready for use. After that is chemical, the common chemicals that transport by pipeline is anhydrous ammonia which is used in fertilizer. The other types of chemical is propylene and ethylene.

Now let's move to advantage and the disadvantage of using pipeline transportation. For the advantage is, the rates is low, it also can give a benefit to warehousing function and this type of transportation are very tough. Pipeline was not affected by weather. For the disadvantage, the speed is slow and this type of transportation not provide any door to door service. Besides that, pipeline also unflexible because they serve limited geographic areas and limited points within that area.