Methods of transporting petroleum and their relative economic importance

The choice of the method of gas or oil transmission depends largely on the distance to be covered, the natural conditions and on the property of the material to be transported.

Besides oil pipe linesboth petroleum and its products may be transported in special containerssuch as barrels or cans. The latter are usually smaller in sizethan the former. They are made of steel either by welding or riveting steel sheet. Much metal is needed for this method of transporting oil and oil products. Neither barrels nor railroadtank cars are sufficient for transporting large quantities of oil. Water transportation of oil intank ships or in tankers holds the second place in economic importance. From the point of view of international trade, this method of transportation would rank first as a great part of the foreign trade is conducted in tankers.

Inour country with its vast territory the transportationof oil through pipe lines proves to be of great importance: on the other hand the transportation in barges is no less important for moving crude oil as well as its refined products over areas where rivers are not scarce. As far as gas transportation is concerned there is only one way to transport gas and that is through pipe lines.

Prior to 1920 a considerable part of long distance transportation of crude oil was accomplished by means of railroad tank cars. Now railroad tank cars are used as a carrier of refined products that go into domestic consumption.

Among all mentioned above ways of transporting oil and gas pipelines have proved to be most economical.

The story of pipelines and their builders is one of the most dramatic and colorful chapters in the history of modern industrial development. While most people are aware of the rapidity of technological change in today’s world, few are aware of the often invisible underlying structures – such as pipelines – that made this progress possible. The unrecognized role of pipelines in this process is, in a way, a testimony to the effectiveness of their design and function. Unlike other, more visible forms of transportation, pipelines operate silently and unobtrusively, and like the body’s circulatory system, pipelines are an unseen but vital supply network and an indispensable tool in the ongoing technological revolution. Just as petroleum and natural gas will be the lifeblood of industry to the end of the century, so too will pipelines continue to function as the veins and arteries providing the crucial link between producers and the ultimate consumers of energy.

Since pipe lines by far the most important factor in modern petroleum transportation, we shall be chiefly concerned with the transportation of petroleum bу this method.

V. Answer the following questions.

1. What means may the transportation of oil and its products be accomplished by?

2. What containers are used for the transportation of petroleum?

3. What method of transportation is the most important?

4. What method of transporting oil ranks second in importance?

5. From what point of view is this method especially important?

6. What method of oil transportation ranks first from the point of view of international trade?

7. Why does the transportation of oil in barges prove to be of great importance in our country?

8. What is the only means of gas transportation?

9. What are the largest pipe lines in our country?

10. What does the choice of the method of oil transportation depend on?

11. Why is a pipeline network compared to the body’s circulatory system?

VI. Translate into Russian according to the example.

		которые нужно построить
example:	The pipelines to be built	которые можно построить
		которые будут построены

1. The distance to be covered is more than 1000 miles. 2. The material to be transported is crude oil. 3. Trunk pipe lines to connect these oil fields with nearby refineries will be built within the next two years. 4. The construction work to be finished by the end of this year is in progress. 5.Many ores to be obtained in this process are of great value to our industry. 6.There are two conditions to be considered when transporting gas through pipe lines. 7. The loss to be expected from corrosion is too great.