So, there's a big fight over the Kinder Morgen pipeline in Gillespie county. I want to ensure I understand a few things correctly.

I BELIEVE I was told:

A) These are much higher pressure, and any crack causes a catastrophic failure.

B) Any cracks, detected by the monitors, will propagate faster than the pipeline can be shut down.

C) Any leak would, essentially, kill everything for a 3000' radius. (I was told 1% survival rate, with protection).

D) The steel is very dependent on its epoxy coating - such that, if Jackass tries to tap it, scratches off the coating, before giving up, and reburying it, it would corrode, and eventually fail.

One fellow told me 14,400 the other said 1,400.

Both said conventional pipelines were 700-800

They both said they could only cut the gas every 60 miles

Bradley.Kohr.II said:

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So, there's a big fight over it in Gillespie county. I want to ensure I understand a few things correctly.

I BELIEVE I was told:

A) These are much higher pressure, and any crack causes a catastrophic failure. there are several types of cracks known to occur on pipelines, rarely are they catastrophic, and most are monitored via in line inspection tools that specifically look for the possibility of cracking (SCC/SSC/etc.)

B) Any cracks, detected by the monitors, will propagate faster than the pipeline can be shut down.if you were to have a ductile crack suddenly form and rupture, the result would likely be catastrophic. The monitoring equipment and regulations by PHMSA mitigate the remaining threats from other types of cracking

C) Any leak would, essentially, kill everything for a 3000' radius. (I was told 1% survival rate, with protection).This sounds very inflated but it the PIR is calculated based on the MAOP/MOP of the line, the flow rate, and hypothetical rupture sizes. If the pipeline were to rupture and an ignition sources were to be present, assuming this is a natural gas line, it would be catastrophic. One of the biggest threats for pipelines is 3rd party damage...

D) The steel is very dependent on its epoxy coating - such that, if Jackass tries to tap it, scratches off the coating, before giving up, and reburying it, it would corrode, and eventually fail.

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Is this a crude line? Otherwise an illegal tap is extremely unlikely and would probably be picked up during an aerial patrol or ROW inspection. The type of coating is likely Fusion Bonded Epoxy (FBE) which is an excellent coating but if a small holiday occurs and the catholic protection system is compromised or you have some sort of interference with AC currents, it can cause localized accelerated corrosion. Most of the time these are found during CP surveys or ILI inspections.

according to rumor, illegal gas line taps were pretty common in S TX

Bradley.Kohr.II said:

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One fellow told me 14,400 the other said 1,400.

Both said conventional pipelines were 700-800

They both said they could only cut the gas every 60 miles

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1440 is likely what they told you. The "conventional" pipelines you're referring to likely have the same capability to operate at an ANSI 600 but have an established lower MOP/MAOP. If the line has an MAOP/MOP of 1440, it was engineered to operate at a much higher pressure and 1440 is way below that threshold.

Bradley.Kohr.II said:

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according to rumor, illegal gas line taps were pretty common in S TX

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Maybe on a small gathering, flow, or trunk line that is not regulated by the state/PHMSA. A 42" pipeline will be regulated and this will not be an issue.

The statement about cracks to me is a pretty extreme exaggeration. Yes, cracks are bad and will cause leaks, but they aren't by themselves going to make the pipe unzip and spontaneously release all it's contents. Something has to cause the cracks and it has to be a method that is prone to propagation. Stress corrosion causes cracks but natural gas is (I think) unlikely to cause that. Stress can also cause cracking, but that is usually related to mechanical issues such as vibration or poor pipe alignment during construction. None of these strike me as immediate or even likely failure mechanisms in a natural gas pipeline.

The pipeline will be built to code, most likely one of the ASME piping code (search for ASME B31.3 if you want to educate yourself). ASME code requires testing of newly constructed piping to verify performance prior to placing it into full time service. Both non-destructive techniques, such as pipe mill reports, welding certifications, x-rays, and (most importantly) live testing are used to mechanically verify the pipe. Live testing usually involves filling the pipe with water and pressurizing it to 1.5x the maximum expected operating pressure to ensure it's ok. This test will Intentionally stress any potential weak points and cause them to fail.

The part about the epoxy coating is again somewhat exaggerated. Yes, the epoxy coating protects against corrosion, but damage to the coating does not mean instantaneous total pipeline rupture. The pipeline will corrode where the coating is damaged, but that takes time, possibly even decades to reach a failure point. Pipelines like this are required to undergo periodic inspection, likely with smart tools as previously mentioned which can not only detect the thinning wall, but record it's exact location. The pipeline operator will then repair it if they are approaching minimum required thickness. Corrosion failures start as pinholes, which again will not make the pipe unzip and fail catastrophically.

Lastly, transportation pipelines like this frequently track product in and out because leaks are not only an issue from a safety and environmental standpoint, but losing product you paid good money to pull out of the ground, compress, and put in a pipeline gets real expensive long before it ever becomes hazardous to the general public.

Unless they were building the pipeline right under my house, I probably wouldn't personally lose any sleep about either the pressure or the size of the pipeline. I probably wouldn't lose much sleep about that pipeline even being on my own property, but that's me and based on nearly 15 years working in the chemical industry.

It's all fun and games until the inevitable happens.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/heavy.com/news/2019/01/mexico-pipeline-explosion-graphic-videos/amp/

The 24" KM gas line being installed since Sept in Harris/ Liberty Co. has already caused a catastrophic failure.

The rural county roads they are using to access the new line have been torn up bad. The large Trackhoe and dozers they haul on the roads weigh close to 180,000 pounds including the heavy haul rigs and the asphalt/ gravel road base has been crushed and reduced to muddy roads with terrible holes.

I wish they would have to only access the project off state owned roads. Mat the rest of the route.

Ragoo said:

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It is more likely B31.8 and regulated by DOT.

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B31.8 = Gas
B31.4 =liquid

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Ragoo said:

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It is more likely B31.8 and regulated by DOT.

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B31.8 = Gas
B31.4 =liquid

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did we find out if it was a gas or NGL line?

I am as much of a small government as anyone but they are very good referees over these types of projects.

I'm assuming it's one of their gas projects but I am not familiar enough with all of their projects to know exactly and the OP never really made it clear.

What catastrophic failure? If it's still being installed nothing is flowing through it to fail

Bradley.Kohr.II said:

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So, there's a big fight over the Kinder Morgen pipeline in Gillespie county. I want to ensure I understand a few things correctly.

I BELIEVE I was told:

A) These are much higher pressure, and any crack causes a catastrophic failure.

As mentioned, pipeline companies are REQUIRED to run smart tools or other identification methods on a regular basis. SCC is nothing to screw with, but today's epoxy coatings do not typically allow disbonding, which is required for SCC to grow.

B) Any cracks, detected by the monitors, will propagate faster than the pipeline can be shut down.

100% false. These cracks grow slow. I've cut SCC samples out of pipe that was installed in the 50s and it still was a ways from failure. Hard to tell when the crack growth started, but you see my point

C) Any leak would, essentially, kill everything for a 3000' radius. (I was told 1% survival rate, with protection).

Pipeline leaks are more common than explosions. A leak can be repaired fairly easy and won't kill anything except the grass. An explosion is always possible, the biggest threat of this is 3rd party damage.....farming accidents, digging around the pipe, etc.

D) The steel is very dependent on its epoxy coating - such that, if Jackass tries to tap it, scratches off the coating, before giving up, and reburying it, it would corrode, and eventually fail.

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100% false. Anodes and rectifiers are required. Corrosion rectifiers send current through the ground to the pipe to deplete anodes instead of the pipe. These systems are also heavily regulated and regular checks and surveys are required and the records audited. New anode beds have to be installed where the current is too low. Even with coating missing, the CP protects the steel, and the potential readings will show the missing coating that needs repair.

The pipeline in question is a gas pipe, not crude or NGL.

I'm guessing Permian Highway Pipeline is what is being discussed here:

https://phpproject.com/

42", 1440psig is pretty standard for a large gas transmission project.

Kinder made a pretty questionable decision routing this through the hill country instead of going further south where people are more accustomed to O&G infrastructure projects. They may save some miles of pipe but are stirring up a lot of opposition.

I do not know what an NGL is, but I was told that it was for the LNG port in Houston.

Part of the issue, is they are being jackasses - rather than do a 2 or 3 degree deflection, they are running it 80' from one ladies jacuzzi, and 200' from her front door.

And a big part of it, is lots of folks do not understand why they need a new easement, instead of using one of the existing ones.

And the whole, "stealing property for no societal benefit" part

SanAntoneAg said:

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It's all fun and games until the inevitable happens.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/heavy.com/news/2019/01/mexico-pipeline-explosion-graphic-videos/amp/

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Damn.....That's a pretty wild video. I've never seen real humans running around while on fire.......just cats.

Do these lines utilize some type of cathodic protection?

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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If people only knew how many pipelines were around... if live in Houston you're probably less than a mile from a major pipeline. If you live on or near a golf course, I can almost guarantee it.

As someone mentioned above, the worst part about a pipeline this size is the construction and soil displacement for installation. Once it is installed and operational, I wouldn't worry about it. KM has a very robust pipeline Integrity group and Rich doesn't want to be on the news for hurting anyone or damaging property. It's not good for business.

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Yep. The maps with all the spaghetti lines of the US pipelines is pretty cool to see. Almost as cool as the offshore maps. The average person has no clue.