T. R. Whitney Corporation — Pipeline Safety Interpretation

Page 1Mr. T. R. Whitney President, T. R. Whitney Corporation 7040 Darby Avenue Reseda, CA 91335 Dear Mr. Whitney: This responds to your letter of February 22, 1947 concerning a detection instrument for gas leaks. Federal safety standards for pipeline facilities and the transportation of gas are contained in Part 192 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Section 192.723 of the standards requires each operator of a distribution system to provide for periodic leakage surveys. The section does not set forth specific procedures or instrument specifications for conducting a survey other than describing locations to check for leaks. The details of a survey and the methods used are determined by the operator concerned. State agencies responsible for pipeline safety may adopt additional or more stringent safety standards under section 3 of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968. These agencies may have requirements for leakage surveys different from section 192.723., although the different requirements must be consistent with the Federal standard. We appreciate your interest in pipeline safety. Sincerely, Joseph C. Caldwell Director Office of Pipeline Safety DB C:\WP51\INTERPRT\192\723\74-03-18 1#

Page 2February 22, 1974 Mr. Joseph C. Caldwell Director of Pipeline Safety Department of Transportation 400 Seventh Street S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590 Dear Mr. Caldwell: The T. R. Whitney Corporation is developing a remote sensing methane leak detection instrument for Remote Detectors, Inc. of Bakersfield, California. The instrument utilizes infrared absorption principles to find leaking pipelines at ranges of 30-50 feet. The device promises more rapid, yet thorough, inspection of transmission, distribution, and service pipe. Southern California Gas Company has reviewed our work to date and will assist us in field testing and evaluation. We would lie to become better informed on the role of the Office of Pipeline Safety with regard to gas leak inspection. Specifically, we are interested in inspection procedure regulations and any instrument specification requirements that may exist at this time. We will have our prototype device assembled by June and would like to include whatever design features the OPS deems useful. Thank you for any information and assistance your office can provide. Sincerely, T. R. Whitney Corporation T. R. Whitney President DB C:\WP51\INTERPRT\192\723\74-03-18 2#