Happened across this one http://www.cob.org/mayor/source/htm/accident
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Scary stuff
- Thread starter illflem
- Start Date
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They forgot one
Seminole Pipeline LNG storage facility near Brenham, TX. I believe it was in 1992. 3 people killed, 23 injured and $6. 5 M in damage.
Results of a National Transportation Safety Board investigation, released a year after the blast, blamed a poorly designed safety system for failing to warn that the underground storage tank was overfilled. The board also said operating errors contributed to the accident.
The blast was believed triggered when leaking fumes were ignited by a passing car. The explosion had the force of a moderate-sized earthquake, flattening many homes and rattling buildings as far away as 100 miles. The explosion also sent a gigantic ball of fire rolling through the area.
My wife and I were living in a rent house on the West side of Houston at the time (about 60 miles away). She had just left for work, and I was getting ready to lock the house up before I left for work. I heard what I thought to be one of those little boom-box cars driving by, but my garage door was shaking and the front door to the house shook open. The cat's tail was about 4" in diameter and she was standing under a table.
Seminole Pipeline LNG storage facility near Brenham, TX. I believe it was in 1992. 3 people killed, 23 injured and $6. 5 M in damage.
Results of a National Transportation Safety Board investigation, released a year after the blast, blamed a poorly designed safety system for failing to warn that the underground storage tank was overfilled. The board also said operating errors contributed to the accident.
The blast was believed triggered when leaking fumes were ignited by a passing car. The explosion had the force of a moderate-sized earthquake, flattening many homes and rattling buildings as far away as 100 miles. The explosion also sent a gigantic ball of fire rolling through the area.
My wife and I were living in a rent house on the West side of Houston at the time (about 60 miles away). She had just left for work, and I was getting ready to lock the house up before I left for work. I heard what I thought to be one of those little boom-box cars driving by, but my garage door was shaking and the front door to the house shook open. The cat's tail was about 4" in diameter and she was standing under a table.
Pigging
Is when they use upstream pressure to force a plug (pipe-pig) down a vented section of a pipeline to clean the ID of the pipe and drive accumulated liquids out to a catch tank. This can be a very dangerous operation.
We had a compressor with K-N energy in Kansas. The customer's guys were pigging the line without pulling the water out of the catch tank. The volatile liquids came in, floated on top of the water and spilled out of the top of the tank. A running pick-up ignited the vapors and killed one guy, the other was kneeling down behind a pick-up and was unharmed.
There are other pigs that are used to check pipeline welds and wall thicknesses. But, I think, the one they were referring to in illflem's post was the cleaning kind.
Is when they use upstream pressure to force a plug (pipe-pig) down a vented section of a pipeline to clean the ID of the pipe and drive accumulated liquids out to a catch tank. This can be a very dangerous operation.
We had a compressor with K-N energy in Kansas. The customer's guys were pigging the line without pulling the water out of the catch tank. The volatile liquids came in, floated on top of the water and spilled out of the top of the tank. A running pick-up ignited the vapors and killed one guy, the other was kneeling down behind a pick-up and was unharmed.
There are other pigs that are used to check pipeline welds and wall thicknesses. But, I think, the one they were referring to in illflem's post was the cleaning kind.
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Todd T, pigging can be a form of cleaning the internal pipe, or it can have an x-ray machine inside of the "pig" and takes constant readings of pipe thickness. About every 5 miles or so crews dig-up a portion of the line and as it comes by it downloads info for the previous x amount of miles. Under new federal laws, Pipelines must be "Smart Pigged" (contain x-ray equipment) once every two years. I work on the operations side (I control the pipelines) and my info on pigging may be off a little.
Being in the business, what scares me the most is how many companies run pipeline systems with just minimal insturmentation on pipeline systems that traverse large distances and varied terrain. The only way a pipeline controler (thats what we are called) can detect a possible leak is from our intsermentation (suction, discharge pressure, barrels per hour, etc). The less you have, the harder it is to determine if you may have a leak. And if it is faulty or questionable (old) it makes it that much harder. It is my experience that it is the small slow leaks that are near imnpossible to detect. The large leaks are much less difficult to detect because of the volume lost most of the time. I operate lines form the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico. Pipelines are becoming more dangerous because people and towns are expanding to areas where there was no one twenty years ago when the pipelines were built. Most companies will avoid residentual areas like the plague.
It is also up to the companies to train people in what to look for when operating a line. I have mentioned who I work for before, and up until 1998, we had no "Formal" training process for new hires!!!!! You were assigned a console or area, and trained by whoever the boss felt was most qualified. This method did not take into account the different ways people learn, or the way that some folks just can't learn from others. The teacher and student must be compatiable.
Being a Pipeline Controler is comparable to Air Traffic control. I will be the first to admit that ATC's have peoples lives in their hands all shift long and it is very stressfull. But to operate a pipeline that traverses thru west Austin Texas on down to Katy Texas to the Houston Ship Channel area is no piece of cake.
Imagine if you have a line that is moving 10,000 bbls of crude oil per hour, it takes 15-18 minutes to safely shut down (no pressure spikes or relief devices operating) and some yah-hoo decides it would be fun to break a lock on a remote site in the middle of no-where and close the 24 inch valve at that site?????
And imagine that you have stepped away from your bank of 6 computer monitoring screens for a nature break (no more than 3 minutes) and you are treated to a flashing red display that you must now take 15 to 45 sec. to analyze and PRAY you are inturpurting (sp) it correctly... ... ..... The pucker factor can be incredible.....
Being in the business, what scares me the most is how many companies run pipeline systems with just minimal insturmentation on pipeline systems that traverse large distances and varied terrain. The only way a pipeline controler (thats what we are called) can detect a possible leak is from our intsermentation (suction, discharge pressure, barrels per hour, etc). The less you have, the harder it is to determine if you may have a leak. And if it is faulty or questionable (old) it makes it that much harder. It is my experience that it is the small slow leaks that are near imnpossible to detect. The large leaks are much less difficult to detect because of the volume lost most of the time. I operate lines form the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico. Pipelines are becoming more dangerous because people and towns are expanding to areas where there was no one twenty years ago when the pipelines were built. Most companies will avoid residentual areas like the plague.
It is also up to the companies to train people in what to look for when operating a line. I have mentioned who I work for before, and up until 1998, we had no "Formal" training process for new hires!!!!! You were assigned a console or area, and trained by whoever the boss felt was most qualified. This method did not take into account the different ways people learn, or the way that some folks just can't learn from others. The teacher and student must be compatiable.
Being a Pipeline Controler is comparable to Air Traffic control. I will be the first to admit that ATC's have peoples lives in their hands all shift long and it is very stressfull. But to operate a pipeline that traverses thru west Austin Texas on down to Katy Texas to the Houston Ship Channel area is no piece of cake.
Imagine if you have a line that is moving 10,000 bbls of crude oil per hour, it takes 15-18 minutes to safely shut down (no pressure spikes or relief devices operating) and some yah-hoo decides it would be fun to break a lock on a remote site in the middle of no-where and close the 24 inch valve at that site?????
And imagine that you have stepped away from your bank of 6 computer monitoring screens for a nature break (no more than 3 minutes) and you are treated to a flashing red display that you must now take 15 to 45 sec. to analyze and PRAY you are inturpurting (sp) it correctly... ... ..... The pucker factor can be incredible.....
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Here
A Interstate petroleum pipeline has to be internally inspected (Smartpig) every five years. This is a expensive chore at about $500,000 per 100 miles ( all depending on size of pipeline ) . It is not a X-ray machine, but takes readings from feelers, and magnetic resonance. It tracks welds, internal corrosion, external corrosion, dents, and total distance. When we first started running smart pigs, you used to have to chase the pig and set magnetic boxes over the line every mile or so for reference points. Now we have learned that by placing metal plates every half mile on the line, we can reference them and have a permanent marking for the future runs. The pig is a self contained computer recording all information. This information is downloaded and then has to be interpeted. You usually can get the emergency dig points within 30 days, the rest of the information takes about 6 months... ... And then several months, (depending on number of anomalys) to dig up and investigate.
All welds made on petroleum pipelines have to be x-rayed, if a section of pipe is replaced it has to be pressure tested.
There are several types of pigs, cleaning, scrubbers, sizing, and of course Smartpigs. If you want to see a bunch of people panic try loosing a Smartpig in a pipeline and see what happens!
All Pipeline Integrity people would say was " That will be a charge of a $1,500,000. 00 if you can't get it out in 24 hours!"
A Interstate petroleum pipeline has to be internally inspected (Smartpig) every five years. This is a expensive chore at about $500,000 per 100 miles ( all depending on size of pipeline ) . It is not a X-ray machine, but takes readings from feelers, and magnetic resonance. It tracks welds, internal corrosion, external corrosion, dents, and total distance. When we first started running smart pigs, you used to have to chase the pig and set magnetic boxes over the line every mile or so for reference points. Now we have learned that by placing metal plates every half mile on the line, we can reference them and have a permanent marking for the future runs. The pig is a self contained computer recording all information. This information is downloaded and then has to be interpeted. You usually can get the emergency dig points within 30 days, the rest of the information takes about 6 months... ... And then several months, (depending on number of anomalys) to dig up and investigate.
All welds made on petroleum pipelines have to be x-rayed, if a section of pipe is replaced it has to be pressure tested.
There are several types of pigs, cleaning, scrubbers, sizing, and of course Smartpigs. If you want to see a bunch of people panic try loosing a Smartpig in a pipeline and see what happens!
All Pipeline Integrity people would say was " That will be a charge of a $1,500,000. 00 if you can't get it out in 24 hours!"
Re: off on another of my famous tangents....
Yeah Rich, it's called "PORKING" the rest of the world.
:-{}
Can I say that???????
Yeah Rich, it's called "PORKING" the rest of the world.
:-{} Can I say that???????
Uh, did Gitchesum have anything to do with that one? 
I'm staying out of Texas if so ! :{
I'm staying out of Texas if so ! :{Too many
We have too many Pipeline workers on this site. Can't get away with anything.
Sorry I missed that one, we just sent our deadweight tester in for calibration. You might want to tell everyone how hard it is to hydro a piece of pipe in the heat and the charting involved... ... ...
We are Smartpigging a section of pipe about 70 miles long in Sept. Do you want to join us Me4osu? It is 6" . 288 wall and will take at least two runs because of battery/memory capacity of pig. It was put down in 1942 and should be very interesting seeing the outcome. Should be pretty good, it has had good cathotic. The only worry is shallow line and lots of dryland farmers... ... ...
We have too many Pipeline workers on this site. Can't get away with anything.
Sorry I missed that one, we just sent our deadweight tester in for calibration.
You might want to tell everyone how hard it is to hydro a piece of pipe in the heat and the charting involved... ... ... We are Smartpigging a section of pipe about 70 miles long in Sept. Do you want to join us Me4osu? It is 6" . 288 wall and will take at least two runs because of battery/memory capacity of pig. It was put down in 1942 and should be very interesting seeing the outcome. Should be pretty good, it has had good cathotic. The only worry is shallow line and lots of dryland farmers... ... ...
Would love to Champane
But I am too busy helping our guys keep our compressors running. Otherwise, nothing would flow in the gas lines that Gichesum and Shrimpy run.
I have only seen poly scrapers run. One time through a 30" 0. 500" wall trunk in San Juan County, NM.
Talk about a man-made earthquake! I would like to see a smart pig run sometime. That would be cool. I'll try to let you know the next time I'm up in the Rifle, CO or Gillette, WY area.
But I am too busy helping our guys keep our compressors running. Otherwise, nothing would flow in the gas lines that Gichesum and Shrimpy run.
I have only seen poly scrapers run. One time through a 30" 0. 500" wall trunk in San Juan County, NM.
Talk about a man-made earthquake! I would like to see a smart pig run sometime. That would be cool. I'll try to let you know the next time I'm up in the Rifle, CO or Gillette, WY area.Funny story
In the summer of 1999 I was in the middle of a very bitter divorce from my ex-wife. I had already moved out of the house but she was still staying there. Our neighbor next door was a very good friend of mine (as well as being a real witty cut up character) and he and I stayed in close contact. Just a few hundred feet behind my ex's house there is three 30 inch lines that go from the Houston area to Chicago. During the feuding part of our divorce, that was very well known by the neighbors, one of these lines burst at about 9:30 one evening. It ruptured about 300 feet from her house. I was siting in a chair in another house that was 4 miles away, as the crow flies, and I thought the house was going to shake apart. The concussion was incredible. The following roar and rumble and house shaking lasted for a good 20 minutes. My neighbor's house was right there next to it too and he saw first hand what it was like. After the initial shock he called me on the phone. The first thing he said to me when I answered the phone was "Well, you missed her. Try again!" We still laugh about it.
The crater that the line blew out was huge. The fire burned all the trees in the area. Blistered paint on houses. Could have been a lot better if she had been standing in the right spot.
In the summer of 1999 I was in the middle of a very bitter divorce from my ex-wife. I had already moved out of the house but she was still staying there. Our neighbor next door was a very good friend of mine (as well as being a real witty cut up character) and he and I stayed in close contact. Just a few hundred feet behind my ex's house there is three 30 inch lines that go from the Houston area to Chicago. During the feuding part of our divorce, that was very well known by the neighbors, one of these lines burst at about 9:30 one evening. It ruptured about 300 feet from her house. I was siting in a chair in another house that was 4 miles away, as the crow flies, and I thought the house was going to shake apart. The concussion was incredible. The following roar and rumble and house shaking lasted for a good 20 minutes. My neighbor's house was right there next to it too and he saw first hand what it was like. After the initial shock he called me on the phone. The first thing he said to me when I answered the phone was "Well, you missed her. Try again!" We still laugh about it.
The crater that the line blew out was huge. The fire burned all the trees in the area. Blistered paint on houses. Could have been a lot better if she had been standing in the right spot.
Seen on a bumper sticker.
"I miss my ex-wife,
but my aim will improve with practice. "
"I miss my ex-wife,
but my aim will improve with practice. "
Real interesting
I had the chance to work a O. T. detail with they guys from Delta Gulf last summer, got a good close up look on what they do and what they use. First off, have to say some of the best folks I have ever met. Most of the regulars are from down south, some from as far away as Alaska. Anyway, while most of my attention was on their diesel equipment, while I wasn't busy with traffic , I received a great education on their task at hand and how they do it. We have a large gas line (Tn. Valley) that runs right through the center of my town. They were in town for most of the summer removing line that dated back to the 50's, I believe, and replacing same with a new and improved version. They xrayed every length before it was placed into the ground, with a device that was shaped like a ring. Probably one of the few O. T. details that I would have done for free.
Scott W.
I had the chance to work a O. T. detail with they guys from Delta Gulf last summer, got a good close up look on what they do and what they use. First off, have to say some of the best folks I have ever met. Most of the regulars are from down south, some from as far away as Alaska. Anyway, while most of my attention was on their diesel equipment, while I wasn't busy with traffic
, I received a great education on their task at hand and how they do it. We have a large gas line (Tn. Valley) that runs right through the center of my town. They were in town for most of the summer removing line that dated back to the 50's, I believe, and replacing same with a new and improved version. They xrayed every length before it was placed into the ground, with a device that was shaped like a ring. Probably one of the few O. T. details that I would have done for free. Scott W.
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