Technical and Economic Feasibility of a Freight Pipeline System in Texas: Year 2 Report

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Technical and Economic Feasibility of a Freight Pipeline System in Texas: Year 2 Report

S. S. Roop / L. E. Olson / J. E. Warner / C. A. Morgan / D. H. Bierling

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has accelerated the rate of growth between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Tremendous quantities of goods now flow between these three trading partners, mostly transported by truck. Texas, because of geographic location, serves as the principal land-side gateway to Mexico, and, as a consequence, hosts truck traffic from all over the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. This truck traffic is beginning to dominate certain Texas highways. It costs the state large sums of money to maintain the condition of the affected roadways. The current research is aimed at determining whether non-traditional systems can alleviate the congestion and wear problem by shifting truck-carried goods to an alternative mode. Freight-conveying pipelines are being evaluated in this context. This second year report addresses key technical issues associated with aerodynamics, vehicle design, energy consumption and availability, trucking logistics, Texas geology, system capacity, and terminal design. The report also presents a business model formulation that will serve to induce use of the system by a customer base comprising the current freight transportation industry.