Sylvie Willis
Pipelines are essential for transporting energy products across the country. They are one of the safest and most cost-effective ways to move energy products, including natural gas and liquid petroleum. Liquid petroleum pipelines, for instance, transport liquid petroleum and liquefied gases, such as carbon dioxide. Crude oil, a type of liquid petroleum, is processed by oil companies to create refined products like gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel. Diesel fuel is also used as a backup power source in certain situations, such as in the case of the Piper Alpha explosion, where diesel generators could have been used to prevent a total power shutdown. The United States has over 2.6 million miles of pipelines, delivering trillions of cubic feet of natural gas and billions of ton-miles of liquid petroleum products annually.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is diesel fuel transported through pipelines? | Yes |
| How is diesel fuel transported through pipelines? | Liquid petroleum (oil) pipelines transport liquid petroleum and liquefied gases, including diesel fuel. |
| How many miles of pipelines are there in the US? | More than 2.6 million miles of pipelines |
| How much diesel fuel is delivered through pipelines? | In 2022, the US natural gas pipeline network delivered about 29.2 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas to about 78.3 million consumers. |
| What are the other costs associated with diesel fuel besides the cost of crude oil? | Refining costs, distribution and marketing costs, and taxes and fees. |
| How does the price of diesel fuel fluctuate? | Diesel fuel prices fluctuate based on supply and demand, seasonal changes, and costs of other blended components such as ethanol. |
| Are there any environmental concerns related to diesel fuel pipelines? | Yes, the Keystone XL pipeline, for example, has been the subject of environmental concerns and protests due to its transportation of tar sands oil, considered the "dirtiest fossil fuel." |
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What You'll Learn
Diesel fuel is transported through liquid petroleum pipelines
Liquid petroleum pipelines transport liquid petroleum and some liquefied gases, including carbon dioxide. Liquid petroleum includes crude oil and refined products made from crude oil, such as diesel fuel. Crude oil is processed by oil-producing companies to create refined products like diesel fuel.
The U.S. pipeline network delivered about 29.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2022. This network also transports hundreds of billions of ton/miles of liquid petroleum products each year. The pipelines enable the safe and cost-effective movement of large quantities of energy products to industries and consumers.
In addition to pipelines, diesel fuel can also be transported by truck, rail, and marine vessels. The distribution and delivery costs of diesel fuel include these various transportation methods.
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Pipelines are the safest and cheapest way to transport fuel
The safe movement of large quantities of energy products through pipelines is essential to fueling the economy and our way of life. They are the arteries of the nation's energy infrastructure and provide the resources needed for national defense, heating and cooling our homes, generating power for businesses, and fueling transportation systems. Without pipelines, it would take a constant line of about 750 tanker trucks loading up and moving out every two minutes, 24 hours a day, to move the same volume of energy products.
Pipelines are also more economical and environmentally friendly than other modes of transport like rail or trucking. They create 61 to 77% less greenhouse gas emissions than rail when transporting crude oil over long distances. Additionally, pipelines have a safe delivery rate of greater than 99.999%. For example, Enbridge, a pipeline company, moved more than 22 billion barrels of crude oil and liquids from 2008 to 2017 with a decade-long safe delivery record of 99.99966%.
While accidents do happen, as seen in the recent oil spill in Alberta, Canada, pipelines are still considered the safest way to transport oil and gas. A Fraser Institute study examined data from government sources and found that pipelines experienced fewer occurrences per million barrels of oil equivalent transported than rail from 2003 to 2013. Rail was more than 4.5 times more likely to experience an occurrence during this period. Furthermore, 73% of pipeline occurrences result in spills of less than 1 cubic meter, and 16% of occurrences result in no spill at all.
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Diesel is a refined product of crude oil
The United States' network of pipelines is an essential part of the country's energy infrastructure. Covering more than 2.6 million miles, these pipelines deliver trillions of cubic feet of natural gas and billions of ton/miles of liquid petroleum products each year. Liquid petroleum pipelines transport liquid petroleum and some liquefied gases, including carbon dioxide. Crude oil, a type of liquid petroleum, is found underground and can be refined into various fuels and other petroleum-based products.
Crude oil is a naturally occurring liquid that can be refined into various fuels and other petroleum-based products. It is composed of various kinds of hydrocarbons (chains of hydrogen and carbon). The hydrocarbon chains in crude oil come in various lengths, with longer chains having higher boiling points. Crude oil can be classified by density (API gravity) and sulfur content, with less dense (lighter) crude oils having higher API gravity and more light hydrocarbons.
To refine crude oil, it is heated to over 400 degrees Celsius, turning it into a vapour. This vapour then enters a fractional distillation tower, where it begins to cool. As the vapour rises, the hydrocarbon chains within it start to liquefy at different temperatures, creating different distillates. The longest chains have a boiling point above 400 degrees Celsius and turn into asphalt or bitumen, while shorter chains liquefy as the temperature decreases, forming fuel oil and other distillates.
Diesel fuel is one of the refined products of crude oil. It is a medium-weight gas oil that is collected at intermediate points in the distillation tower. While some distillates can be sold directly to markets, others, like diesel, require further processing. Cracking units, for example, use heat, pressure, and catalysts to break down large, heavy molecules into smaller, more valuable ones like diesel.
The availability and price of diesel fuel can be affected by various factors, including the supply and demand dynamics of crude oil, the efficiency of refineries, and the cost of transportation through pipelines.
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Natural gas pipelines transport natural gas
Natural gas pipelines are an essential part of the energy infrastructure in the United States and Canada, providing a safe and cost-effective way to transport energy products. The U.S. natural gas pipeline network is a highly integrated system with about 3 million miles of pipelines that link natural gas production areas and storage facilities with consumers. In 2022, this network delivered about 29.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to approximately 78.3 million consumers.
The process of transporting natural gas from production areas to consumers involves several steps. Gathering systems, composed of small-diameter, low-pressure pipelines, first move raw natural gas from the wellhead to a natural gas processing plant or a larger mainline pipeline. At the processing plants, hydrocarbon gas liquids, nonhydrocarbon gases, and water are separated from the natural gas before it enters the mainline transmission system. Wide-diameter, high-pressure interstate transmission pipelines then transport the processed natural gas to storage facilities and distribution centers across state boundaries. Compressor stations or pumping stations maintain the gas flow in the pipeline system. Finally, local distribution companies deliver natural gas to residences, businesses, and industries through small-diameter, lower-pressure service lines.
The U.S. natural gas pipeline network has expanded over the years to meet the increasing demand for natural gas. This expansion has resulted in the construction of new transmission pipelines to connect new and expanded production sources to consumers, particularly in the Northeast region. Similarly, Canada's pipeline system includes the regulation of transmission pipelines that cross provincial or international boundaries, ensuring the safe transportation of natural gas.
The extensive pipeline network allows for the quick and efficient distribution of natural gas throughout the continental United States. The system includes thousands of delivery, receipt, and interconnection points, as well as storage facilities and import/export hubs. Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), produced from organic matter decomposition, is also distributed through this network, offering a clean and viable replacement for diesel fuel.
While most natural gas fueling stations in the U.S. dispense compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) is also used in vehicles. LNG must be super-cooled and stored in its liquid form before being converted back into a gas for the pipeline distribution system. Large-scale liquefaction facilities provide LNG fuel for transportation, which is then delivered to stations via trucks.
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Tar sands oil is the dirtiest fossil fuel
Tar sands oil is widely considered the dirtiest fossil fuel in the world. The process of making liquid fuels from tar sands requires large amounts of energy and water for steam injection and refining. This process generates two to four times more greenhouse gases per barrel than the extraction of conventional oil. In Canada, the extraction process involves razing large tracks of the Boreal forest, removing an average of two tons of peat and dirt, and then removing two tons of sand. After the oil is processed, the toxic byproducts are discharged into tailings ponds. The Keystone pipeline, owned and operated by the TransCanada corporation, was developed to transport crude oil from the Athabasca tar sands in Alberta, Canada, to multiple destinations.
The pipeline carries tar sands crude oil from Alberta, Canada, through the U.S. heartland, into Texas, and to the Gulf of Mexico. It runs through the Ogallala Aquifer, which provides drinking water for millions of Americans and 30% of the nation's irrigation groundwater. The development of the Keystone pipeline faced opposition and was initially postponed by President Barack Obama in 2011. However, in 2012, Senate Republicans introduced legislation to force the Obama administration to approve the pipeline within 60 days, and the project was ultimately rejected due to an inadequate review period.
The extraction and use of tar sands oil have significant environmental and health impacts. Communities near tar sands strip-mining, drilling, and processing operations in Canada face health risks from increased air and water pollution, with reports of a rising incidence of cancer. Transporting tar sands via rail and pipelines also poses threats to public health, as do oil spills and the refining process. The refining of tar sands increases hazardous air pollution and produces a highly polluting byproduct, petroleum coke, which is often burned like coal.
Petroleum coke is one of the dirtiest fossil fuels, emitting at least 30% more CO2 per ton than the lowest-quality mined coals. The production and burning of petroleum coke are not included in industry estimates of tar sands greenhouse gas emissions. Even excluding petroleum coke, tar sands oil produces at least 14% more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional crude oils. While the oil industry profits from tar sands deposits, the local population and the environment bear the costs. Scientists agree that unconventional oil use, such as tar sands, must be stopped to constrain climate change.
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Frequently asked questions
Natural gas pipelines transport natural gas, while liquid petroleum (oil) pipelines transport liquid petroleum and some liquefied gases, including carbon dioxide.
Liquid petroleum includes crude oil and refined products made from crude oil, such as gasoline, home heating oil, diesel fuel, aviation gasoline, jet fuels, and kerosene.
Diesel fuel is a refined product made from crude oil. Generators can be run on diesel fuel.
