NTSB Safety Recommendation P-74-033

NTSB safety recommendation P-74-033.

TO THE AMERICAN GAS ASSOCIATION (AGA): Investigate the availability, economic feasibility, and practicability of gas vapor detectors currently manufactured and explore the possibility of their installation in manholes, conduits, basements, and other substructures for the automatic detection and reporting of natural gas vapors. If none are found acceptable, sponsor research to develop such a detector.

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Issued Date: 1974-08-21

Adopted Date: 1974-08-21

Overall Date Closed: 1987-01-12

Synopsis: On December 2, 1973, an explosion followed by an intense fire killed three persons, injured two others, and destroyed a house on the outskirts of Charleston, W. Va. Fire, fueled by natural gas which had saturated the soil, later rekindled briefly in the ground around the house.

Ntsbnumber: PLD74XR008

Report Number: PAR-74-04

Addressee Name: American Gas Association

Addressee Status: Closed - Acceptable Action

Addressee Date Closed: 1987-01-12

Addressee Acronym: AGA

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 1974-10-16

Communication Type: Transmittal Letter

Communication Contents: Enclosed is a copy of the National Transportation Safety Board’s report of a natural gas pipeline accident which occurred near Charleston, West Virginia, on December 2, 1973. In this accident three persons were killed, two persons were injured and one house was destroyed. We call your attention to the Safety Board’s recommendations issued to prevent similar occurrences. This document will be released to the public on the date stamped on the cover. No public dissemination of this document should be made prior to that date. The purpose of providing this document in advance of the public release date is to give you an opportunity to be acquainted with its contents prior to release, so that you can be prepared to answer inquiries.

Addressee Acronym: AGA

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 1979-03-23

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: -From Louis A. Sarkes, Staff Vice President, Research and Engineering: In reviewing our records we find that we have never specifically responded to NTSB Recommendation P-74-33 concerning gas detectors. Following issuance of this recommendation the American Gas Association initiated a research program at the Institute of Gas Technology in 1974 for the development of a sonic leak pinpointing device. This work is still in progress. As a back-up to this study a second project, aimed at detection of gas leaks, was initiated in 1975 at the Applied Physics Laboratory, John Hopkins University. This project has been conducted by the Gas Research Institute. In both of these projects an excess of five hundred thousand dollars has been expended.

Addressee Acronym: AGA

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 1980-02-14

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: We have reviewed your letter of November 16, 1979, responding to a number of pipeline transportation safety recommendations issued to the American Gas Association (AGA). We appreciate your reply to our request for a report on the efforts of the AGA to carry out the recommended actions. We accept your suggestion that the National Transportation Safety Board correspond directly with the Gas Research Institute (GRI) when a recommendation is concerned with research activities. We appreciate your efforts in passing on to GRI previous Board recommendations related to research efforts. We look forward to hearing from that organization as to proposed action on recommendations P-74-33, P-74-44, P-74-45, P-74-46, P-78-34, P-78-35, P-78-36, and P-78-37.

Addressee Acronym: AGA

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 1979-04-16

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: We appreciate your letter of March 23, 1979, notifying the National Transportation Safety Board of current activity concerning our pipeline safety recommendation P-74-33. We will be interested to see the relationship between gas vapor detection in substructures as discussed in the Safety Board's recommendation and the pinpointing of leaks addressed by the American Gas Association research efforts. We would like to have a copy of an abstract or scope of work of the research efforts you have described. We will hold this file open until we receive those items for review. Thank you for your response. We appreciate your concern for gas pipeline transportation safety.

Addressee Acronym: AGA

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 1987-01-12

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: In its March 23, 1979, letter, AGA informed the Safety Board that a research program had been initiated at the Institute of Gas Technology in 1974 for the development of a sonic leak pinpointing device and that a second project, aimed at detection of gas leaks, was initiated in 1975 at the Applied Physics Laboratory. In our letter of April 16, 1979, the Safety Board requested to be advised of the results of these research efforts. AGA subsequently indicated in a December 16, 1979, letter that the intent of this Safety Recommendation was being addressed in the Gas Research Institute (GRI) research program. To the Board's knowledge, a practical and economically feasible gas vapor detector to be used as outlined in the recommendation has yet to be developed. However, we do believe that the research initiated in this area was responsive to the intent of Safety Recommendation P-74-33, which we have now placed in a CLOSED—ACCEPTABLE ACTION status. We would, however, appreciate an update on developments in this area and the results of the research conducted by the GRI.