These experts say companies have put far too much faith in technology and inspection methods. The segment wasn't one of PG&E's top 100 safety priorities but the pipe may have been brittle and corroded by water and sewage, evidence indicates.
By Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times As federal investigators examine last month's deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, engineering experts already have a strong sense of what went wrong and say the evidence calls into question widely used industry estimates of pipeline safety.
A 28-foot segment of ruptured pipe shows signs that its steel had become brittle over the decades. The blast point also occurred at a dip in the landscape that left the underground pipe subject to corrosion from accumulating water and sewage. And that bend in the line meant more welds were used during construction, creating another potential vulnerability.
When the 30-inch-diameter line finally failed, it released an explosive force that exceeded the thrust of a space shuttle at launch, ejecting tons of asphalt and dirt into surrounding streets. A massive cloud of pressurized gas ignited moments later into a fireball that torched 55 homes and killed eight people.
Such pipelines exist under homes and neighborhoods throughout the country. California has 3,600 miles of pipe under densely populated areas.
A 28-foot segment of ruptured pipe shows signs that its steel had become brittle over the decades. The blast point also occurred at a dip in the landscape that left the underground pipe subject to corrosion from accumulating water and sewage. And that bend in the line meant more welds were used during construction, creating another potential vulnerability.
When the 30-inch-diameter line finally failed, it released an explosive force that exceeded the thrust of a space shuttle at launch, ejecting tons of asphalt and dirt into surrounding streets. A massive cloud of pressurized gas ignited moments later into a fireball that torched 55 homes and killed eight people.
Such pipelines exist under homes and neighborhoods throughout the country. California has 3,600 miles of pipe under densely populated areas.
View entire article here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-brittle-pipeline-20101007,0,3701185,full.story
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