PRTI should be able to grab particles from PIPE/PPIP without needing to have a gap, and PRTO should be able to output particles to PIPE/PPIP without needing a gap.
Use Cases:
Seamless pipes. Having a gap between your portal and pipe that cannot be decorated (or covered with energy particles) is pretty annoying.
PRTO output workaround. Instead of needing to worry about how particles exit PRTO, you can just attach PIPE/PPIP to it, and it will always output to that pipe.