Transport & Flows — Local vs Global
Do we ship atoms or ship shapes? In our build, logistics is a design choice: move the least mass the shortest distance with the cleanest motion — and let electrons do the heavy lifting.
First rule — ship value, not dirt
Logistics is a physics game. Each kilometer multiplies your mass. So we make mass smaller before we move it: sort → concentrate → cast → finish. With clean power, the best place to do heavy transforms is near the mine, then ship shapes by rail or ship. The world gets beams and wires, not dust and tailings.
- Early rejection (Part 2) cuts useless tons immediately.
- Local smelting (Parts 4–6) swaps coal for electrons and avoids shipping low‑grade rock.
- Standard shapes (this part) pack into trains and ships like Tetris.
Energy by mode — cheat sheet (indicative)
Electricity per ton‑kilometer (kWh/t‑km). Ranges include terrain and loading. We pick conservative planning points.
| Mode | kWh/t‑km | Planning point |
|---|---|---|
| Belt conveyor (covered) | 0.02–0.05 | 0.03 |
| Electric rail (heavy freight) | 0.02–0.06 | 0.04 |
| E‑truck (200 t site; highway 40 t GCW) | 0.15–0.35 | 0.25 |
| Short‑sea battery ship / barge | 0.01–0.03 | 0.015 |
| Aerial ropeway (bulk) | 0.03–0.08 | 0.05 |
For mountains or poor rights‑of‑way, ropeways and conveyors beat roads. For 50–1,500 km, rail wins. For water, ships laugh gently.
Two reminders
- Grade matters more than distance for trucks (see Part 7).
- Electrons are local; matter is heavy. If it can be done with wires instead of wheels, choose wires.
What to ship — the ore → coil ladder
Mass multipliers (indicative ratios to make 1 ton of final steel)
| What you ship | Tons shipped | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Finished coil/plate/sections | ~1.00 t | Best logistics; local finishing only |
| DRI/HBI (for local EAF) | ~1.05 t | Small trim losses |
| Iron pellets/concentrate | ~1.6–1.8 t | Reduces shipping vs ore |
| Run‑of‑mine ore | ~2.0–2.4 t | Don’t do this to your trains |
Numbers reflect typical yields; site geology can shift them. The principle doesn’t.
Copper version (to make 1 t cathode)
| What you ship | Tons shipped | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Cathode (99.99%) | 1.00 t | Rod/wire near demand |
| Concentrate (~30% Cu) | ~3.3 t | Smelt at port hub if needed |
| Ore (~0.8% Cu) | ~125 t | Please no |
Sorting early (Part 2) keeps these ratios friendly.
Rule of thumb: ship shaped things
Pre‑calculated scenarios
Scenario A — 1 Mt of steel to markets 1,000 km away
Rail spine + 50 km e‑truck last‑mile to customers.
| What you ship | Tons | Rail energy | Last‑mile energy | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finished coil/plate | 1.00 Mt | 1.00×1000×0.04 = 40 GWh | 1.00×50×0.25 = 12.5 GWh | 52.5 GWh |
| DRI/HBI | 1.05 Mt | ~42 GWh | ~13.1 GWh | ~55 GWh |
| Iron pellets | 1.7 Mt | ~68 GWh | ~21.3 GWh | ~89 GWh |
| ROM ore | 2.2 Mt | ~88 GWh | ~27.5 GWh | ~116 GWh |
Rail: 0.04 kWh/t‑km • Truck: 0.25 kWh/t‑km. Smaller mass wins quickly.
Scenario B — 300 kt of copper across 3,000 km (rail)
| What you ship | Tons | Rail energy | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathode | 0.30 Mt | 36 GWh | Best logistics |
| Concentrate (30% Cu) | 1.00 Mt | 120 GWh | Port smelter option |
| Ore (0.8% Cu) | 37.5 Mt | 4,500 GWh | …No. |
Cleaning the mass early is the whole game.
Scenario C — Ship solar modules by sea (they’re light!)
1 GW of modules (~50 kt) moved 10,000 km by short‑sea/ocean battery‑assist.
| Mass | Distance | kWh/t‑km | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50,000 t | 10,000 km | 0.015 | 7.5 GWh |
We would rather ship finished, high‑value, stackable modules than ore any day.
Scenario D — Campus conveyor vs road
Move 10 Mt/yr over 8 km inside a site.
| Mode | kWh/t‑km | Annual energy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covered conveyor | 0.03 | ~2.4 GWh | Quiet, enclosed |
| E‑trucks (site) | 0.25 | ~20 GWh | Use for flexibility, not base flow |
Conveyors are pipes for solids. Where we can, we build them.
Patterns — local vs global
Pattern 1: Campus‑first
- Mine → sorting → smelting → casting on one site
- Ship coils, billets, cathode, modules
- Best when: good rail/port access; local water & land
Pattern 2: Coastal hub
- Short inland rail to shore; heavy kit at port
- Short‑sea battery ships distribute regionally
- Best when: rugged terrain inland, easy coast
Pattern 3: Distributed finishing
- Ship slab/coil/cathode; finish near cities
- E‑trucks do the last 50–200 km
- Best when: diverse small customers, quick turnaround
When do we still ship concentrates?
Yards, footprints & neighbors
Rail & port anatomy
- Inland siding: 2–3 km loop, electric switchers, covered bulk transfer.
- Port: shore power only; battery tug assist; silence as a policy.
- Containers: standard 20/40 ft for coils, billets, modules — forklifts love standards.
People & peace
- Acoustic berms and trees along yards; under‑panel meadows at PV fields.
- Dust: conveyors covered; transfer points enclosed and filtered.
- Lighting: downward‑only; owls keep their night shift.
Tap‑to‑open Q&A
“Why not do everything local to demand?”
“Do we need e‑fuel ships for oceans?”
“What about mountains and no rail?”
“Can we just build longer power lines instead?”
Up next: Glass & Stone — Solar Glass, Bricks & Bindings Without Smoke (Part 9). We’ll melt sand with sunlight and stack it into cities that sip energy.