Alyssa Green

MATH 1210
Calculus I
Salt Lake CC, Math 1210
Pipeline Project

The U.S. Interior Secretary recently approved drilling of natural gas wells near Vernal, Utah. Your
company has begun drilling and established a high-producing well on BLM ground. They now need to
build a pipeline to get the natural gas to their refinery.
While running the line directly to the refinery will be the least amount of pipe and shortest distance, it
would require running the line across private ground and paying a right-of-way fee. There is a mountain
directly east of the well that must be drilled through in order to run the pipeline due east. Your company
can build the pipeline around the private ground by going 8 miles directly west and then 16 miles south
and finally 40 miles east to the refinery (see figure below). Cost for materials, labor and fees to run the
pipeline across BLM ground is $480,000 per mile.
Cost of drilling through the existing mountain would be a one-time cost of $4,500,000 on top of the
normal costs ($480,000 per mile) of the pipeline itself. Also the BLM will require an environmental
impact study before allowing you to drill through the mountain. Cost for the study is estimated to be
$600,000 and will delay the project by 8 months costing the company another $100,000 per month.
For any pipeline run across private ground, your company incurs an additional $360,000 per mile cost for
right-of-way fees.
Your company has asked you to do the following:
a) Determine the cost of running the pipeline strictly on BLM ground with two different cases:
i)
One running west, south and then east to the refinery.
Cost =64 miles $ 480,000=$ 30,720,000.0 0

Alyssa Green
MATH 1210
Calculus I
ii)
One heading east through the mountain and then south to the refinery.
Cost =48 miles $ 480,000+ $ 4,500,000+ $ 600,00+ 8 months $ 100,000=$ 28,940,000.00

b) Determine the cost of running the pipeline:

i)
The shortest distance across the private ground to the refinery.
Z =35.7770 miles
Z = 1024 +256
Z 2=322 +16 2
Cost =35.7770miles ( $ 480,000+$ 360,000 )=$ 30,052,753.30

Alyssa Green
MATH 1210
Calculus I
ii)
Straight south across the private ground, then straight east to the refinery.
Cost =16 miles($ 480,000+ $ 360,000)+32 miles $ 480,000=$ 28,800,000.00

c)

L
1
6

Finding the cost function:

D=32x

L= 162 +(32x)2
L(x)=840,000 16 2+(32x )2

Alyssa Green
MATH 1210
Calculus I
2
C ( x )=840,000 162 + ( 32x ) + 480,000 x

0 x 32

Solving for the length of pipe across BLM land:

C' ( x ) =

420,000
2 (32x )+ 480,000
256+(32x )2

C' ( x ) =

840,000(32x)

0=

256+(32x)2

840,000(32x)

256+( 32x)2

480,000=

+ 480,000

+ 480,000

840,000(32x)

256+(32x )2

2.304 1011 =

7.056 1011 (32x)2

256+(32x)2

D=32x

7.056 1011 D 2
2.304 10 =
2
256+ D
11

11

11

2.304 10 (256+ D )=7.056 10 D

13

11

11

5.89824 10 +2.304 10 D =7.056 10 D

5.89824 1013=4.752 1011 D2
D 2=124.121212
D=11.14097 miles
D=32x

Alyssa Green
MATH 1210
Calculus I
11.14097=32x
x=20.85903 miles

Solving for the length of pipe across private land:

L= 11.140972 +16 2
L=19.4967 miles

Solving for the angle which the optimal path left the well:
sin =

16
19.4967

=55.15

from due east

Finding the total cost of the optimal path:

C ( x )=840,000 16 +11.14097 +(480,000 20.85903)
2

C ( x )=$ 26,389,560.28
Graph of Cost Function:

Alyssa Green
MATH 1210
Calculus I

The overall findings for the pipeline project is it is most cost effective to build on private land at
55.15 from due east for 19.5miles then return to BLM ground and build for 20.9 miles. The
overall cost function was C ( x )=840,000 16 + ( 32x ) + 480,000 x this function can determine any
2

cost for traveling across private and BLM ground. To see how this function was determined you can
review the calculations above. Even though this is the most cost effective route it is not the shortest if
you want to take the shortest route you would cross private land for 35.777miles as shown in scenario
b part i. So depending upon the goal, whether it be to make the pipeline most cost effective, shortest,
or some other factor depends on the scenario that should be chosen.

Reflection
There are many things to learn about in Calculus I but the main focus is on derivatives.
Derivatives have many real world applications such as finding velocity and acceleration from a position
function. This can be applied to the real world in many ways such as finding accelerations of amusement

Alyssa Green
MATH 1210
Calculus I
park rides and determining how fast a car can stop. Derivatives also play a role in related rates which are
real world applications such as a balloon releasing air or a leaking water tank. Derivatives have many
applications to solve problems from the real world. Derivative are also highly useful in real life if you
look at physics the basis of physics problems are rooted in calculus and determining how things change
with time. My area of interest is mechanical engineering and there are many problems that apply such as
related rates and areas under curves to determine formulas that relate to everyday life such as sliding
down a hill and the resulting friction. Almost everything in calculus has a potential application for my
area of study.