Kyle Fackrell

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 15 miles south and
finally 32 miles east to the refinery (see figure below). Cost for materials, labor and fees
to run the pipeline across BLM ground is $300,000 per mile.

Cost of drilling through the existing mountain would be a one-time cost of $4,200,000 on
top of the normal costs ($300,000 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 $150,000 and will delay the project by 5 months
costing the company another $75,000 per month.

For any pipeline run across private ground, your company incurs an additional $90,000
per mile cost for right-of-way fees.
Kyle Fackrell

Cost of running pipeline strictly on BLM ground

Scenario 1: Running the pipeline 8 miles west, 15 miles south, and 32 miles east to the
refinery.

() = 55miles($300,000per mile) = $, ,

Scenario 2: Running the pipeline 24 miles east through the mountains and 15 miles
south to the refinery.

() = $4,200,00 Mountain drilling fee + $150,000 EIS fee + 39miles($300,000per mile)

+ 5months($75,000 delay fee per month) = $, ,
Kyle Fackrell

Cost of running pipeline through private property

Scenario 3: Running the pipeline the shortest distance (D) across the private ground to
the refinery.

= 242 + 152 = 28.3

() = 28.3miles($390,000per mile) = $, ,

Scenario 4: Running the pipeline 15 miles directly south across private ground and 24
mile east across BLM ground to the refinery.

() = 15($390,000 ) + 24($300,000 ) = $, ,
Kyle Fackrell

Optimal cost of pipeline

Scenario 5: Running the pipeline across private ground at an angle then running it east
on BLM ground to the refinery.

() = ($390,000 ) ( 2 + 225 ) + ($300,000 )(24 )

1
() = 390000 ( 2 + 225)1/2 2 300000
2
390000
() = 300000
2 + 225
390000 390000
2 +225
300000 = 0 2 +225
= 300000 390000 = 300000( 2 + 225)

390000 13 169 2
= 2 + 225 = 2 + 225 = 2 + 225
300000 10 100

169 2 = 100 2 + 22500 69 2 = 25000 2 = 326.087

= 18.05789

(18.06) = $390,000 ((18.06)2 + 225 ) + $300,000 (24 18.06 )

$390,000 (23.47687 ) + $300,000 (5.94 )

(18.06) = $, ,

Angle () at which the optimal path leaves the well.

23.472 +152 18.062 180

cos() = cos 1(.5304) = 57.9675
2(23.47)(18.06)

=
Kyle Fackrell

Graph for the cost function () = 390,000( 2 + 225) + 300,000(24 )

Scenario one and two both include running pipeline strictly on BLM land. Scenario one takes the
longest route by avoiding the mountain to the east and the private ground to the west. This
scenario ends up costing the most at $16,500,000. Scenario two tries to get to the refinery with
the least amount of distance covered by going through a mountain and without crossing private
ground. This scenario is a lot shorter than scenario one but still costs $16,425,000.
Scenario three and four both go through the private land to get to the refinery. Scenario three
covers the least amount of distance by going straight to the refinery and ends up costing
$11,037,000. Scenario four tries to get across the private ground as quickly as possible by going
directly south and then east on BLM ground the rest of the way. Scenario four costs
$13,050,000 to complete.
Kyle Fackrell

Scenario five is an attempt to go across both private and BLM ground in order to get the
smallest cost. Scenario five ends up being the most cost effective solution with a total cost of
$10,937,981.

Reflection
Calculus is a subject that is very applicable to the real world. I have discovered many different
ways of using calculus to solve real life problems from my calculus 1 class alone. Some of these
examples include: finding out if it is possible to break glass with sound, finding the best spot in a
rock concert that wont damage your hearing, and the maximum speed of a roller coaster.
These are just a few of the many real life applications I have learned by taking just one calculus
class. Calculus can be applied to my current area of interest, which in Computer Science and
Information Systems. Examples of how calculus can help me CSIS include: machine learning,
probability, network analysis, and optimization. This is only my first calculus class so Ill
probably find even more real life applications in my next calculus course.