Fatalities Reported After Massive Explosion at Connecticut Power Plant

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Minuteman

Minuteman

Senior Member
Location
The Sooner Nation
A natural gas leak could be to blame for a huge explosion at a Connecticut poer plant that reportedly killing multiple people and injured at least 14 others, The Hartford Courant reported.

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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,585040,00.html
 
Besoeker

Besoeker

Senior Member
Location
UK
Not good at many levels.
Sympathies to those injured and to those who have lost a family member.
 
jumper

jumper

Senior Member
Location
3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
As much as we think of the dangers of electricity, we may often forget the hazards of gas. I worked in a Transco pipe pumping station and it was awful. Even with all the safety protocalls, it was scary.

20 miles from me, a major gas line erupted, people still talk about it.
 
K8MHZ

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
My heart goes out to all that have suffered a loss due to this unfortunate accident.

My very first day at the Zeeland, Michigan peaker which was a few months from completion, a gas main blew while being purged. No one was injured, but it made a 10 foot wide crater and the site was evacuated. This was a pressure blast without ignition, thankfully, as there were about 400 tradespeople on the site when the main blew.

Anyone working construction puts their life on the line everyday. Not to be a hero, just to put food on the table and to keep the bills paid.

Godspeed brothers and sisters, Godspeed.
 
360Youth

360Youth

Senior Member
Location
Newport, NC
Power Plant Explosion

Power Plant Explosion

Any Connecticut forum members affected one way or another by the power plant explosion? I immediately thought about the many that we seem to have from that area.
 
M

marissa2

Senior Member
Location
Connecticut
On the news tonight they said that on two of the five were from CT the other three were from Missouri. There was a gas purg so they could do a blow down, not sure what that really is. But ther must have a large pocket of gas collected someplace, it damaged houses a couple of miles away.
Lou
 
rbalex

rbalex

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Mission Viejo, CA
Occupation
Professional Electrical Engineer
marissa2 said:
On the news tonight they said that on two of the five were from CT the other three were from Missouri. There was a gas purg so they could do a blow down, not sure what that really is. But ther must have a large pocket of gas collected someplace, it damaged houses a couple of miles away.
Lou
Click to expand...
"Blowdown" is a final cleaning of a section of pipe before putting it into service or capping it for later system connections. High pressure/velocity air is blown through and "junk" is usually caught in a strainer. A relatively small amount of ?inert? nitrogen is run through most hydrocarbon pipes first to purge them; then regular air is used to finish the process. No one stands within 200? in front of the outlet ? often (much) further. Sometimes its vented straight up, but it isn?t always possible or desirable since small pieces of shrapnel can still be blown through the strainer and land anywhere.

At high velocities, volatiles can be ignited through air friction, especially light ones like hydrogen and methane (natural gas' major component). At process pressures, it can be exceptionally bad if a leak occurs. Still, it?s very unusual with today?s technologies to get a serious ignition, but it?s obviously possible. It?s also why pipefitter welding credentials are so critically important.

In my youth, blowdowns for hydrocarbon pipes were usually conducted on the weekends to minimize the number of people around. It?s been a while since I was involved in the construction end, but I think they generally still are. You could hear them miles away. Even then, ignitions were unusual; I've never personally been aware of one occuring on any project I was on. Locating spots where static or latent gas pockets are likely to form is usually easy to recognize and avoid or mitigate at the piping design stage.
 
R

rcwilson

Senior Member
Location
Redmond, WA
What's a "blow"?

What's a "blow"?

My condolences and prayers to the families of the deceased and injured.

I'll try to explain why gas lines need to be "blown" during commissioning.

This natural gas fired power plant was under construction. Before connecting and using the gas, all gas lines must be cleaned and purged. The pipeline gas is used as the final cleaning medium at pipeline pressure (300-800 psi). High pressure gas is quickly released in a short pulse (a blow) through the lines until all dirt and debris is gone. Temprary vent piping has to be installed to vent the gas to a safe area, outside of any structure. A target made of highly polished metal is placed at the end of the line being blown to collect any debris flying down the pipe. The high pressure/high velocity gas implodes any dirt into the target. Blows are repeated until the target comes out clean. The clean pipe is then buttoned up, the vent piping is reconfigured and the next section of piping is blown and purged. All piping from the main pipeline to the final turbine inlet valves has to be cleaned this way.

Doing the blows to get clean piping is a safety requirement. Besides ruining very expensive equipment the dirt could jam emergency stop valves or control valves in the open position. Permanent filters are installed to keep the piping and fuel gas clean after commissioning.

A former co-worker was on site during this accident. He was blown through the wall but survived with bruises. His initial report was that the gas-blow vents were outside but somehow gas got into the turbine building and ignited.
 
K

KentAT

Senior Member
Location
Northeastern PA
jumper said:
I worked in a Transco pipe pumping station and it was awful. Even with all the safety protocalls, it was scary.
Click to expand...

For sake of clarity, I think you mean that you felt awful or anxious while working there, not that the compressor station itself was in awful condition or that it or the workers projected unsafe behaviors or conditions.
 
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