Slurry Pipeline Design with Geometric Programming

The objective of pipeline design is the selection of pumping station sites, pipe diameters, and pipe wall thicknesses economically over the length of the pipeline with regard to the pressures within the pipe. A new technique in nonlinear optimization called geometric programming offers a fast and inexpensive way to design a pipeline as a function of project costs and pipeline pressures. Once the characteristics of the fluid and the terrain have been incorporated into the model, a digital computer quickly solves the geometric program. Some recent studies show that for long distance coal slurry pipelines in mountainous terrain, additional pumping stations and changing pipe outer diameters may be cost beneficial. An additional pumping station may reduce the static pressure in a substantial length of pipeline which decreases the cost of the pipe.