Wednesday, November 23, 2011

ANOTHER EXPLOSION ON THE TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE - ANOTHER WELD FAILURE?

23rd November 2011 Gas line explodes near Batesville, Mississippi - probable weld failure


(WMC-TV) - Panola County authorities are investigating what caused a natural gas pipeline explosion and fire near Batesville that forced the evacuation of 20 to 30 families.

There were no injuries or fatalities related to Monday's incident. Authorities allowed the fire from the ruptured Tennessee Gas Pipeline line to burn out overnight. The pipeline is located off Mississippi Highway 6 west of the Tallahatchie River and west of Batesville.

Emergency Management Director Daniel Cole said fire departments from across the county were mobilized but were released Monday night as the fire died.

"It is my understanding the line itself did not rupture," Cole said. "It was a leak."

Cole said families were moved to a community center about two miles away from the fire.

"Twenty minutes into that evacuation the gas found an ignition source and did ignite, and at that point in the time we deployed three fire departments to standby to protect structures that might have been in danger," he said.

Tennessee Gas personnel shut off the supply of gas feeding through the pipeline, allowing the excess gas to burn off.

Tuesday, local officials re-opened State Highway 6, and Macedonia Road, which had to be closed.

Then we have this from a week ago:

16th November 2011 Gas line explodes near Glouster, Ohio, destroys 3 Homes, Barn- CONFIRMED WELD FAILURE


10th Feb 2011, Hanover County, Ohio, a Tennessee Gas pipeline exploded. CONFIRMED WELD FAILURE


Incidentally, after the explosion in the same area on 10th Feb (see pic below) Tennessee Gas were ordered to carry out repairs at a number of sites as follows:
On March 11, 2011, PHMSA issued a Notice of Proposed Safety Order (Notice)1 to Tennessee Gas, alleging that certain segments of Respondent's natural gas pipeline system designated as the Line 200 Pipeline System had conditions that, without corrective measures, would pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property, or the environment. Specifically, the Notice alleged that the conditions causing a February 10, 2011 failure on Line 200-4 in mainline valve section 214 (Line Section 214-4), approximately 2.5 miles southeast ofthe town of Hanoverton, Ohio, and the March 1, 2011 failure on Line 200-1 in mainline valve section 209 (Line Section 209-1), approximately 0.5 miles downstream of the Cambridge Compressor Station 209, demonstrated the presence of integrity risks on those segments of Lines 200-1, 200-2, 200-3, and 200-4 running from Compressor Station 200 to Compressor Station 219, including the Pittsburg Spur (Affected Segments). PHMSA and Tennessee Gas entered into a Consent Agreement that was incorporated by reference into a Consent Order issued on March 31, 2011.2
At the time of the November explosion this work had not been completed. 

And remember, it's not just the immediate impact of an explosion. These pipelines are loaded with PCB's. When PCB's burn they form Dioxins (remember Bhopal?) PCBs are known to cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive harm. PCBs also damage and disrupts hormone activity especially in women, children and older members of the population. 

Columbia Gas Transmission - Superfund site - PCB's and other Contaminants

FYI, most of Columbia Gas Transmission's property in West Virginia constitutes a Superfund site due to high levels of PCB's, Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene and Mercury in adition to various Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. They were ordered to clean up in 1994, and are still doing it. So much for "Clean Natural Gas".

"Prior to 1976, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were widely used by industry in lubricating oils for electrical equipment and hydraulic systems because of their exceptional heat transfer characteristics. Portions of Columbia's pipeline, including natural gas compressors, have become contaminated with PCBs. Columbia maintains that these PCBs have been introduced into its pipeline system as a result of interconnections with natural gas transmission pipelines of other companies that used lubricating oil containing PCBS, and that Columbia did not use PCB lubricating oils in its natural gas compressors.
As a result of normal pressure and temperature changes within Columbia's pipeline, constituents contained in natural gas can condense into a liquid form within the pipeline. This liquid, or condensate, may contain, among other things, benzene, toluene, and xylene. The condensate may additionally contain PCB-contaminated lubricants that have entered the pipeline. Condensates must be removed to avoid damage to the gas compressors. Condensate is removed from Columbia's pipeline through numerous liquid removal points at various locations along the pipeline system. The most common type of liquid removal point consists of a liquid trap attached to the pipeline and a length of small-diameter pipe with an above-ground valve, Columbia's pipeline includes approximately 15,000 liquid removal points where condensates are or were removed from the pipeline. Condensate, removed from Columbia's pipeline was disposed by Columbia onto the ground at liquid removal points, stored in aboveground and underground storage tanks, and/or disposed of in trash disposal and burn areas at various locations along the pipeline system. As a result of this practice soils along the pipeline, in the vicinity of the storage tanks, and in the trash disposal and burn areas have become contaminated with, among other things, PCBS, benzene, toluene, and xylene.
There are approximately 3,000 locations along Columbia's pipeline where mercury-filled metering devices are used to measure pipeline flow and pressure. Routine maintenance activities performed on these devices has resulted in drips and spills of mercury from a number of these devices onto the ground in the vicinity of these devices. Soil in the vicinity of these instruments has become contaminated with mercury"

4 comments:

  1. You know what's funny, all you people do is complain about the Oil and Gas industry...I challenge you for 1 week...1 little week of your life to go without using anything that is petroleum based...so...that means...

    1. No transportation…other than walking...oh ya without shoes...rubber is petroleum based.
    2. Can't live in your house...guaranteed that at least 45 % of the materials used in the house are petroleum based..
    3. Don't eat...unless you grew it in a garden that you hand dug...with your hands...that rubber handled shovel you own...ya has petroleum based products
    4. any goods you bought at the store...take them back...they had to get there by truck which in turns uses gas or diesel fuel...so that's out of the picture...
    5. No TV...that’s got plastic...that's petroleum based.
    6. if you're a women...no makeup...oil based...petroleum based...use dirt it might make you look better.

    Dare you to take the challenge...Doubt you will because you blog on a computer that is made of plastic...oh petroleum based...You're lucky that the USA has the freedom of speech, which lets you say and speak your opinion....as did I with this comment...

    Good Day

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    1. BTW, y'all might take a look at my latest post? Bloody Columbia Gas Transmission AGAIN! So much for "clean burning natural gas with high BTU output.." Well, except for smoke from 9 houses, the surrounding woods, and asphalt from a 15 foot deep pit that was Interstate 77 - all in flames near Charleston, WV yesterday afternoon.. see my point? SISSONVILLE, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The wall of the natural gas pipeline that exploded in Sissonville, W.Va. on Tuesday had deteriorated to less than a tenth of an inch thick, the National Transportation Safety Board revealed Wednesday evening.

      The NTSB also said there was a sudden pressure drop in the pipeline just before the explosion but they still had not determined whether that caused the explosion.

      The explosion and ensuing fire destroyed four homes, damaged at least five others and damaged an 800-foot stretch of I-77.

      The 10-member NTSB team determined that the pipeline had lost seventy percent of its thickness in spots.

      Pieces of the pipeline will be sent to Washington, D.C. for further examination. SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY!! http://www.wsaz.com/breaking/home/BREAKING-NEWS--Explosion-Reported-in-Sissonville-183019371.html

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  2. Silly old Gas Patch! Sure.. "ya" .. we all want to go and live in a cave somewhere and die starving and miserable.. the point that this blog TRIES to make is that it is not the USE of products from gas or oil.. or algae or hydroelectric schemes.. it is the fact that safety.. of employees and the end-product user.. so often seems to be a tertiary consideration to the energy industry. And FYI, I personally try to limit my consumption of ALL produced goods.. I have a 10 KW solar array and NO electricity bills thank you.. ya know, if more people looked to DUMPING their TV, GROWING their own fruit, veg and meat for example.. like we do.. and also dumping the majority of prescription and non-prescription "chemical" medicines.. like we have.. then this country and its citizens would be a damn site healthier, fitter and less polluted than it/they is/are right now!

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    1. I'm just saying friend, that nothing is safe in this world...Sh*t happens...those solar panels..did you make them...or did you buy them off vendor?

      Just saying...until there is a natural resource that can power a cargo ship...or even a Semi Truck...Petroleum products will be used for years and years to come. It is the strongest, most powerful energy source..next to your sun. Until I see a solar powered ship or semi, I'll stick to my guns.

      Just FYI, a key natural gas development in the state is the 6,000-foot-deep Marcellus Shale rock formation, believed to contain more than 50 trillion cubic-feet of recoverable natural gas.

      It’s been called a game-changer for West Virginia’s economy. Marcellus Shale development has the potential to rejuvenate both the chemical and manufacturing industries.

      In addition to West Virginia’s natural gas production, state infrastructure handles three times that amount from other sources, making the state is an important supplier to the Northeast during the winter months when natural gas demand peaks.

      How do you heat your home...wood burner...? Electric?

      How about coal? Look at the accident rates for coal mines in West Virginia...Every industry that gives you the things we all need have potentially harmful results...most recent accident was in November of this year...

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