The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-10
AN ENORMOUS PIPE LINE.
An Australian Water Conduit Over
Three Hundred Miles Long.
Engineering News.


The Coolgardie project proposes the de-
livery of five million gallons of water per
day at a point in the mining regions of
Australia 32S miles from the reservoir in the
mountains near the coast where 1T is inn
pounded. To force the water through a pipe
line for this long distance, not only must
it's friction be overcome but ii has to be
actually raised a total vertical distance of
$50 feet Further, the district through
which the pipe line passes is a desert whose
soil is so corrosive to iron that it is deemed
safest not to bury the pipe in the ground at
ALL
Another reason for having it exposed is
that in a pipe line of such great length
avoidance of leaks is essential. If an or
binary pipe line leaks a thousandth part OF
it's flow in a mile, the loss may be a trifins
matter; yet even so small loss in a pipe
line of this length would amount to nearly
a third of it's flow. In the arid desert
through which this pipe line will pass, 1t Is
thought that the soil might absorb small
leaks, so that they would not show at all
on the surface of the ground If the pipe
were buried. Facility of inspection, there
fore, is another important reason for Keep
ing the pipe above ground instead OF bury
ing it.
burying water pipeS-to get them out OF the
way and to keep them from freezing in
winter-do not obtain at all in the region
over which this pipe line will pass; and as
the cost of eXcavating and backnlllng
trench 32S miles long will be saved by plac-
ing the pipe on the surface, the decision not
to bury 1t seems on the wn6 e WISE ;nHo one
in keeping the pipe on the surface is the
necessity of providing for expansion and
contraction In an ordinary cOntin-
uous steel conduit, buried in the earth in a
temperate climate. the extremes OF temper
ature of the water passing through 1t viii
probably not exceed 80 degrees.
Turning now to the Coolgardie conduit, to
he laid unprotected on the surface of the
ground and with a distance between pump
ing stations as great as seventy-five to
eighty miles il is evident that the water
confined from evaporation and exposed in
tralian sun may reach a very high temper
AZURE in it's passage from one pumping sta
ton to the next, which. in the case of the
longest conduits, will require nearly three
DAYS The English engineers estimate the
range of temperature which Will occur in
think this rather an underestimate. 1t will
be seen at once that with such a range of
Temperature internal strains would be set
up in the pipe which might become so great
as to cause movement and leakage at the
joints.
Expansion joints are. therefore, essential
to the safety of the pipe and the English
engineers propose that such joints shall be
placed at intervals of about 120 feet for the
whole length of the conduit, which would
make a total of about 1900 expansion joints
in the length of the conduit.
The engineering problem presented, then
(and one which we need hardly say is witn-
sion joint for pipe of twenty-six TO thirty
one inches in diameter, which shall provide
for motion reaching flve-eighths OF an
inch. which shall sustain pressureS reach
ing two hundred pounds per square inch,
which shall be and remain tight, with little
as possible a permanent part OF the pipe
line