Call before you dig!

[deere755]

Makes me a little nervous as I live less then a mile from a gas pipeline.

 

[Redneck in training]

I was working on a compressor station somewhere in Alabama years ago. One morning when we gathered in the control room the entry door flew in and all windows out. All of us run out of the building and saw one of the large metal buildings with walls folded like a flower. Its roof flew like Frisbee several hundred feet away. There was a guy standing in the middle still with cigarette in his mouth shaking uncontrollably.
The welding contractor vacated the building and left only one guy behind just for the case. He showed up for work in the morning walked in the middle of the building and lit a cigarette. There wasn't enough gas to sustain burning but sufficient amount to explode. The flame went away from him so he was just scared sh$&less but unhurt.
Investigation found a small leak from pipeline just under the building.

 

[tatra805]

Looking at the pictures i see it very possible that this was caused by the drilling.

We had a similar one back in 2004 in belgium. Liquid gas high pressure pipeline of 40" at 75bar.

(Second link contains graphic content.)

Belgian Gas Explosion Kills 15 (washingtonpost.com)

gaspipeline_belgium_2004


Only last week was a part trial of this accident. The leak was caused by a backhoe, the explosion happened at the moment the fire brigade arrived to investigate the gas-smell call from one of the workers.


The """"funny"""" thing in such a case is that the pipeline operator can not do anything but closing off the first 2 valves and wait till it burns out.

 

[kthompson]

Years ago saw a welder working over head using torch and arc welder. He was standing on one of those trash cans made from 55 gallon drum with the lid that is dome shaped and cone to drop the trash through. He laid his torch down after using it and picked up the welder. Seems his torch was leaking gas (probably had handle pressed open) into the trash can. Sparks from welder set it off and he was lifted up just a few feet but enough he will no doubt always remember it. I have.

Really a wonder no one was ever hurt in that shop. It has two large cutting tables and often they would have a striker issue where all torches did not auto light and it pick up inch plus steel plates when they did light. Oh the fun of that place.

 

[J_J]

If any of you guys think that was caused by a post hole digger , raise your hand. Where is the post hole digger, and where is the guy that was running it. The article said the cause is under investigation, so they don't know. Look at the direction of the smoke, that would be the same path the gas would flow, and it would stick close to the ground. They even said that someone had called the gas company.

 

[hbarski]

I'm not raising my hand....

Snopes Gas Main

 

[JazzDad]

Ahhh, good ole Snopes.

I was 90 miles from the Brenham explosion. I thought it was an earthquake, as the 2 story building I was in swayed. There were waves on the swimming pool.

 

[Ridgewalker]

If any of you guys think that was caused by a post hole digger , raise your hand. Where is the post hole digger, and where is the guy that was running it. The article said the cause is under investigation, so they don't know. Look at the direction of the smoke, that would be the same path the gas would flow, and it would stick close to the ground. They even said that someone had called the gas company.

JJ, me thinks everyone was kidding. You would have to have a 20' auger to hit that pipe with a PHD.

I wonder if the soil that got baked with grow anything in the spring...

 

[J_J]

JJ, me thinks everyone was kidding. You would have to have a 20' auger to hit that pipe with a PHD.

I wonder if the soil that got baked with grow anything in the spring...

Perhaps, maybe the original poster will explain. At least, put one of those faces on the right . or or

 

[Gary Fowler]

This is a repost someone started a few days ago with the "Call before you Dig" BS. The original explosion email was circulated last summer. People like to start rumors and take a real photo, sometimes doctor them up digitally and send them off. I am reminded of the one that was send around a few years ago saying that the Hubble telescope caught pictures of the shuttle explosion. Dont remember how many of those I got before folks realized it was a hoax which should have been an easy one since Hubble looks at the stars not at earth which is what that one was showing in the background.
By the way, I dont think I ever heard of a gas pipeline being larger than 48". Some low pressure water lines yes but that size line would have to be 4" or more thick to hold the pressure and they just dont make pipe that thick in that diameter. Standard wall thickness dont go higher than Schedule 80 after it passes 24 inch diameter. Then it is all 1/2 thick max from that point on. That is likely the reason for the rupture. The exterior corrosion coating was likely damaged during installation and not detected. It took a few to several years to rust a hole in the 1/2 thick pipe, then you have the problem. Pipeline companies are supposed to run a smart pig thru the lines are regular intervals to check for corrosion. I guess they missed this one.

 

[Redneck in training]

This is a repost someone started a few days ago with the "Call before you Dig" BS. The original explosion email was circulated last summer. People like to start rumors and take a real photo, sometimes doctor them up digitally and send them off. I am reminded of the one that was send around a few years ago saying that the Hubble telescope caught pictures of the shuttle explosion. Dont remember how many of those I got before folks realized it was a hoax which should have been an easy one since Hubble looks at the stars not at earth which is what that one was showing in the background.
By the way, I dont think I ever heard of a gas pipeline being larger than 48". Some low pressure water lines yes but that size line would have to be 4" or more thick to hold the pressure and they just dont make pipe that thick in that diameter. Standard wall thickness dont go higher than Schedule 80 after it passes 24 inch diameter. Then it is all 1/2 thick max from that point on. That is likely the reason for the rupture. The exterior corrosion coating was likely damaged during installation and not detected. It took a few to several years to rust a hole in the 1/2 thick pipe, then you have the problem. Pipeline companies are supposed to run a smart pig thru the lines are regular intervals to check for corrosion. I guess they missed this one.

Actually they make them larger but not often. The pipeline from Orenburg to Western Europe is 1600 mm = 63" before it branches somewhere in Western Ukraine. There are seven parallel Nuovo Pignone compressors run by a GE gas turbine of (if I remember it right) 10 MW/unit every 129 km=75 miles. Five is needed for full capacity. Discharge of the compressor station is 74 barg and suction is about 45 barg. (1100 psig/650 psig). 30 ft of pipe weights about 10 metric tons.

 

[kenmac]

If you don't call for a line locate & something like this happens .You are responsible for the damage/loss of life. That's the chance many take every day . All it takes is a call & a little wait time b 4 you dig

 

[Ronbo]

My son in law reviews the logs that the pigs produce when they inspect the pipelines. They are scanned by a computer and then he reviews them. The pig may check up to 100km (yes they do km in the US). He had to take tests and be certified by the government to do this. They look for corrosion, bad welds, and hot taps. I also have several patients that are pipeline welders. They tell me that most of the pipelines i the US were installed between 1924 and 1934. That makes them pretty old. The repair is made by cleaning off the old insulation by chipping and sandblasting. They then take a 1/2 pipe made to fit over this pipe and up to 10 ft long and weld it over the top. Another one is welded on the bottom. This is all done while there is product flowing through the line under pressure. These patches are then xray'd. It would not be feasible to run a pig through to test a 10 ft section. The pipes are up to 84" I believe. If you ever get a chance to look at a map of the pipelines, you would not believe how many there are. More than the freeway system.

Ron

 

[archeryantny]

Perhaps, maybe the original poster will explain. At least, put one of those faces on the right . or or

perhaps if maybe you read the sixth post of this thread you would realize that the original poster (myself) had no clue as to any of the details the pictures. I just figured i would pass them along to you guys. TBN has given me hours of useful instruction and entertainment I was just trying to give a little back.
.....as for smileys I really don't like them.

 

[J_J]

This is what happens when you accidentally run a post hole digger into a gas main.

make sure you CALL BEFORE YOU DIG.



http://i43.tinypic.com/2yxlojq.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/1zl7tdi.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/qxnqrb.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/102j87s.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/2vwzjew.jpg

You made this post as though you knew what caused the explosion.


Post #6 does not relieve you of the fact, that you made a bold statement as to the cause of the explosion. The title was also misleading. I finally tracked down the cause of that scene. It was purely an accident caused by rusty pipe. I was suspicious at the git go. Those are good pictures, but do not make up a story to support them.

 

[archeryantny]

Jj I received this in an e-mail. The title of the e-mail was called "call before you dig" and it gave the story of how someone was working with an auger or post hole digger, hit the main and blew up. I didn't mean to intentionally mislead. In post six I realized that I didn't have enough info on the matter so I admitted the fact that I had no clue about it.

 

[jgrreed]

Just doesn't seem right to me. That big of an explosion would require that gas was leaking and building up for quite a while and then ignited.

Heck of a lot of destruction whatever happened.

I've seen one of these lit off on purpose for practice in Saskatchewan once. The 'lasting' fireball actually 'billows' out that far, not just the initial explosion. The one they lit in Sask got to some ridiculous height, like 30000ft or something, I remember them saying that it could've brought down an airliner.

-Jer.

 

[jgrreed]

I can see calling before you dig with a BH or use a post hole auger but what about if all you want to do is till ?
Should you still call even though you won't be going nearly as deep tilling?

I wouldn't if all I was using was a regular tine tiller. When we used to subsoil at the farm we'd have a locate done, as we were 18" or so down.

DO NOT TRUST that these lines are as deep as they're supposed to be!! Especially the gas!! If you pull up a telephone line, no biggy, but the gas!! Whoever stated that you're on the hook if you wreck it without having a locate done is dead right.

I just had gas brought onto our acreage this fall. The Ape/Contractor was is in a huge rush, and kept threatening to leave without doing it until next year if I didn't hold up my clinic and meet with him on a moments notice. He then had his young hired hand hand expose an existing propane line and telephone line that were located already. The "boss" Ape then proceeded to pull his vibrating plow through both of them!!!! The gas company figured that "he probably just didn't want to splice two ends together so he was trying to lay the new line on top of the existing". Nice....., really nice. He did repair the gas line, but the tele line is mine to take care of..... They also didn't have the courtesy to relight my water heaters, furnace, etc. As a last momento of my $4200 day (cost to have gas brought in), he clipped the cement based corner post at out gate on the way out of the yard, pulling the cement plug completely out of the ground. He didn't mention that to anyone, but did 'fess up when I called him on it. I'm sure not all contractors are nearly as sloppy as this dude was, but still......

My point being that these lines are not being put in under strict controls, or caution. TRUST NO ONE in this case!!!

-Jer.

 

[dqdave1]

I also received an email saying it was caused by a post hole digger.

 

[ray66v]

Its weird that the car port and garage don't seem to be burnt?
tom

If the damage in the surrounding areas is mostly from the heat of the fire left burning after the explosion, the house which appears to be at the edge of this hot zone, is in line to have shielded the garage from this effect.

On close inspection, the carport and the back of the minivan do seen to have some sings of damage.