The gas industry has an excellent safety record in operating high pressure transmission pipelines. Nevertheless, it is important that pipeline operators have an understanding of the possible consequences of an accidental gas release, which may ignite, in order to help manage the risks involved. This paper describes two full scale experiments, conducted as part of a research programme into the consequences of pipeline failures, undertaken by an international collaboration of gas companies. The experiments involved the deliberate rupture of a 76km length of 914mm diameter natural gas pipeline operating at a pressure of 60 bar, with the released gas ignited immediately following the failure. Instrumentation was deployed to take detailed measurements, which included the weather conditions, the gas outflow, the size and shape of the resulting fire, and the thermal radiation levels. The results provide important data for the validation of mathematical models, used in developing risk assessment methodologies, and in establishing those standards and design codes for gas pipelines that are risk based.

The gas industry has an excellent safety record in operating high-pressure transmission pipelines.Nevertheless, it is important that pipeline operators have an understanding of the consequences of possible accidental gas releases, in order to help manage the risks involved. This paper presents a programme of full scale experiments, undertaken by an international collaboration of gas companies, to study the consequences of both unignited and ignited releases of natural gas from simulated punctures and rips in a 900mm diameter above-ground transmission pipeline. Experimental parameters varied during the programme included release orifice size and shape, release pressure, release height, release direction, wind speed and wind direction. Instrumentation was deployed to obtain detailed data on the dispersion of gas, the ignitability of the gas cloud produced, the levels of incident thermal radiation and the resulting fire size and shape, following ignition. The results provide important data for the validation of mathematical models, used in developing risk assessment methodologies for gas pipelines, and in establishing those standards and design codes that are risk based.

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