LPG pipeline

LPG pipeline leak exploded impacting two passenger trains... 

The rupture of an 8 inch (20 cm) LPG pipeline resulted in the worst petrochemical incident in the Western Hemisphere (in terms of casualties). This tragic incident occurred in November 1984 within a LPG terminal. The facility received hydrocarbons from three refineries in a suburb of Mexico City. The LPG was stored in six spheres up to 630,000 gallons (2.4 million liters) each and 48 bullet tanks. A total inventory of about 3.8 million gallons (14,400 cubic meters) was on-site at the time of the explosion and fire. Mahoney reported property damages of 19.9 million. (U.S. 1984). [21]... 

Drilling crew drilled inadvertently into 10-inch interstate LPG pipeline, resulting fire lasted 2 days and required 1.5-mile evacuation zone for 24 h and an adjacent 14-inch LPG to be shut down. The drilling rig was completely engulfed in flames. 

Properties. The properties of the Hquid fuel oil produced by the SRC-II process are iafluenced by the particular processiag coafiguratioa. However, ia geaeral, it is an oil boiling between 177 and 487°C, having a specific gravity of 0.99—1.00, and a viscosity at 38°C of 40 SUs (123). Pipeline gas, propane and butane (LPG), and naphtha are also recovered from an SRC-II complex. 

Recoveries of 90—95% ethane have been achieved usiag the expander processes. The Hquid product from the demethanizer may contain 50 Hquid vol % ethane and usually is deHvered by a pipeline to a central fractionation faciHty for separation iato LPG products, chemical feedstocks, and gasoline-blending stocks. 

Storage and Transportation. Handling requirements are similar to Hquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Storage conditions are much milder. Butylenes are stored as Hquids at temperatures ranging from 0 to 40°C and at pressures from 100 to 400 kPa (1—4 atm). These conditions are much lower than those required for LPG. Their transportation is also similar to LPG they are shipped in tank cars, transported in pipelines, or barged. 

Calor Gas Limited, Coryton occupies a small site employing about 100 people to fill cylinders with LPG which is supplied by pipelines from both of the nearby refineries and stored in it.s seven tanks 350 tonnes total capacity. Large numbers of portable cylinders of all sizes, full and empty, are on the site totalling about 500 tonnes of LPG. These are transported by road gases are transported in tank trucks. 

Early in the morning of November 19, 1984, large quantities of LPG leaked from a pipeline or tank. The heavy LPG vapors dispersed over the 1-m-high dike (3 ft) wall into the surroundings. The vapor cloud had reached a visible height of about 2 m (6 ft) when it was ignited at a flare pit. 

This study investigated risks to the public from serious accidents which could occur at the industrial facilities in this part of Essex, U.K. Results are expressed as risk to an individual and societal risk from both existing and proposed installations. Risk indices were also determined for modified versions of the facilities to quantify the risk reduction from recommendations in the report. Nine industrial plants were analyzed along with hazardous material transport by water, road, rail and pipeline. The potential toxic, fire and explosion hazards were assessed for flammable liquids, ammonia, LPG, LNG, and hydrogen fluoride (HE). The 24 appendices to the report cover various aspects of the risk analysis. These include causes and effects of unconfined... 

Consumer installations which supply LPG to more than one user (e.g. metered estates, holiday home parks, caravan sites) require the gas supplier (i.e. the site owner/operator, not the LPG supplier) to obtain prior consent from the Office of Gas Supply (Ofgas) and, for the necessary pipework installation, from the Department of Energy, Pipelines Inspectorate. 

LPG is widely used for domestic service, supplied either in tanks or by pipelines. It is also used to augment natural gas deliveries on peak days and by some industries as a standby fuel. 

A drop in pressure was noticed in the control room and also at a pipeline pumping station. An 8-inch (20-cm) pipe between a sphere and a series of horizontal bullets had ruptured. Unfortunately, the operators could not identify the cause of the pressure drop. The release of LPG continued for —5-10 minutes when the gas cloud, estimated at 656 ft x 492 ft x 6.6 ft (200 m x 150 m x 2 m) high, drifted to a flare stack. It ignited, causing violent ground shock. 

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is the subject of API Standard 2510, The Design and Construction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Installations at Marine and Pipeline Terminals, Natural Gas Processing Plants, Refineries, and Tank Farms. This standard in turn refers to ... 

Does not include refiners own uses, or large pipeline sales to affiliated chemical plants. b Not included in LPG marketing statistics. 

Liquefied propane is marketed as a fuel for outlying areas where other fuels may not be readily available and for portable cook stoves. In this form, the propane may be marketed as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) or mixed with butane and pentane, the latter also constituents of natural gas (1.7% and 0.6%, respectively), LPG also is transported via pipelines in certain areas. The heating value ofpure propane is 2520 Btu/ft3 (283 Calones/m3) butane 3260 Biu/fL3 (366 Calories/m3) and pentane 4025 Btu/ft3 (452 Calories/m3). Propane and the other liquefied gases are clean and appropriate for most heating purposes, making them very attractive where they are competitively priced. 

The total investment will include 3600 million Euro allocated for the field development. This includes the sub sea well-stream pipeline system and the onshore processing plant and storage tanks. An other 700 million Euro will be invested in a LNG tanker fleet comprising 4 ships in the 140-145 000 m3 class [17]. The storage capacity of the Snohvit processing plant comprises two 125 000 m3 LNG storage tanks, one 45 000 m3 LPG tank and one 75 000 m3 condensate tank. 

Acrolein explosion occurs Petro pipeline explosion causes 508 deaths LPG tank explosion results in 452 deaths and 4258 injuries Leakage of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas in a pesticide plant causes exposure of half a million people to the deadly gas. More than 20,000 people died and more than 120,000 people still suffer from severe ailments... 

One advantage of the turbo-expander method for separating LPG from natural gas is that it allows the use of gas-pipelines to transport the LPG. LPG is costly to store and transport as it requires pressurised or cryogenic-vessels. By using gas pipelines, the lower cost transport economics of pipeline gas can be used. 

In the straddle plant option, LPG is left in the sales gas at the gas-plant. The much larger volume of methane dilutes the LPG and the gas including the LPG meets the pipeline dewpoint specification. The mixture is then piped over several hundred kilometres to the straddle plant. This uses a turbo-expander to separate LPG Irom the gas, maintaining the residual gas within the heating value specification. There are several such operations in Canada and Australia which have been described by Hawkins ... 

Notably, natural gas pipelines can be used to transport LPG. LPG is left in the gas stream in excess of that required by the end users of the gas. The excess is stripped out of the gas further down the line in a straddle-plant. Straddle-plants have been built in Alaska and Western Australia. ... 

The use of straddle plants enables the cost of LPG transport to be reduced to the level of that more typical for large scale gas transport which is typically 1/GJ for a pipeline of 1000 km distance. In terms of LPG this is about 50/tonne. 

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