UPDATE: Cuero TX explosion was a 42" Natural Gas Gathering Line

UPDATE #2: This pipeline was indeed a 42" Natural Gas line, but a *gathering* line.
This explains why it was not on NPMS.

I just got an email from Vicki Granado, who does PR for Energy Transfer Partners.

This pipeline was a 42" natural gas (rich/wet gas) gathering line, which explains why it is not on NPMS.
Here are her responses following my questions:

> Also, can you tell me

> 1: the MAOP of the pipeline which failed,

1300

> 2: the operating pressure at the time of the failure

821

> 3: confirm the diameter 42"

(yes)
> 4: confirm the product being transported –

natural gas
> 5: the age of the pipeline which failed?

Don't have that at this time

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ORIGINAL BLOG POST BELOW -- 

See attached.

FYI

On Mon, Jun 15, 2015 at 1:08 PM, William Huston <williamahuston@gmail.com> wrote:

As some of you know, I've been studying large gas pipeline failures, examining the blast impact radius, trying to improve the federal PIR formula, which underestimates actual impact radius in every case I've examined, sometimes off by a factor of 100%. (the predicted PIR is only 50% of the actual impact radius).

One problem has been the lack of data for very large high pressure pipelines. Many 42" pipelines are being proposed now (Spectra AIM, Kinder Morgan NED, Dominion Atlantic Coast, etc) and sometimes these are being proposed through or dangerously near residential areas.

FYI I urge people to multiply the federal PIR formula by 2x to get a better sense of the potential impact radius for pipelines up to 36", and for a 42" pipeline, use a factor of 4x. This is because there has been a lack of data on 42" failures.

Until now:

https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2015/jun/14/it-looks-like-daylight/

I am seeking any info, especially aerial photos of the Cuero, TX failure, as well as MAOP if anyone can find this. Please send to me directly: WilliamAHuston@gmail.com.

If you send to this list, please CC:me , because not everything sent to this list gets distributed.

Thanks!

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