Pipeline for benzene- special requirements? 1

[dkf]

What would be special requirements for a benzene pipeline, say 6" dia and a few kilometers of extension, but in suburban area.
Where could I find design and operation minimum safety requirements, as for leak monitoring system, emergency shut down valves etc...
TIA

DKF

 

[BigInch]

What country? In the States the national regulation is DOT CFR 49 Part 195. It has all the US requirements and is basically the same if not exactly as ASME B31.4 There may be additional local regulations. You can access the CFR here,

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_02/49cfr195_02.html

For a few kilometers extension of an existing system, there probably will not be any additional requirements over those given above, unless it falls into some unusual catagory for some reason or another. Block valve spacing requirements have much farther center-to-centers than a couple of km and too many block valves have been found to actually increase the likelyhood of creating a leak, hence they are virtually never less than 10 km apart even in the most densely populated areas. A leak detection system, if required, is probably already part of the existing system's equipment and can probably be extended to cover the extra bits. Usually there is much more concern about the storage volumes and specific operations that will be conducted at a new terminal. If there is some extreme safety concerns with the pipeline in a developed area, those can normally be addressed by a simple increase in wall thickness above the minimum requirement.

BigInch-born in the trenches.

http://virtualpipeline.spaces.msn.com

 

[dkf]

BigInch
Thank you for help !

We Are in South Hemisphere and adhere to ASME and API codes.
I am to question in design and existing pipelines and facilities concerning risk to operators, maintenance people and comunity close to right-of way.
Concerned also with pump seals, valve seals, closed sampling devices etc....
In short what should a benzene pipeline have in addition when compared to a common gasoline pipeline, and not increase risk to people involved?
DKF

 

[BigInch]

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/benzene.html

EPA estimates that, if an individual were to continuously breathe air containing benzene at an average of 0.13 to 0.45 µg/m3 (1.3 x 10-4 to 4.5 x 10-4 mg/m3) over his or her entire lifetime, that person would theoretically have no more than a one-in-a-million increased chance of developing cancer as a direct result of continuously breathing air containing this chemical.

That is the same level of exposure as that of a gasoline station attendent working at a service station with vapor recovery systems. It is an exposure level which the US Supreme Court has considered to be insignificant.

100% Benzene I believe will require suitable elastomers, but I myself know of no other specific requirement of benzene systems over those of gasoline.

I think that the risk of an explosion or fire resulting from a leak caused by a third party excavation will significantly outweigh the increased health risk from exposure to benzene, thus the safety measures to be taken for a benzene pipeline would not need to exceed those typically required of any hazardous pipeline.

more health info,

http://www.euro.who.int/document/aiq/5_2benzene.pdf

BigInch-born in the trenches.

http://virtualpipeline.spaces.msn.com

 

[dkf]

BigInch, thank you once more.

I am drowning in the sea of data you provide!!!!
It seems that for you, working in a service station in USA is a quite safe ocuppation.
In our country we dare to say it is a dangerous environment. I have seen some alarming reports both as for environment and effects on service station employees ( benzene vapor).
What is this service station with "vapor recovery system"?
Is it noticeably ( can we see it) by normal consummers?
Never perceived any appreciable difference in service stations here as compared to Europe ( Austria , Germany, Slovenia).
I am in the entry level of the learning curve in the oil/ fuels pipeline industry
Thanks a lot

DKF

 

[BigInch]

The only thing you notice is the corrugated rubber hose around the fill pipe.

Vapor recovery systems are not required in all gas stations, as they are used not so much for worker protection as for general surrounding air quality improvement. (and anyway.. there are no gas pump attendants at US gas stations any more... all are self-service (autoservicio) systems these days.) The vr systems are only required at gas stations located in some areas in the US and (Scotland?) where air pollution is critical and abatement is high priority. I saw my first one in California, but they are now required in several other states. There is a non-technical description of a vapor recovery system here,

http://www.smallbiz-enviroweb.org/html/pdf/Self-Inspection_Handbook.pdf

and a more advanced (EPA document) technical description,

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/ozone/ozonetech/stage2/isspaper081204.pdf

BigInch-born in the trenches.

http://virtualpipeline.spaces.msn.com