{"operation":"document","citation":"16 TAC § 8.215","title":"Odorization of Gas","source_type":"regulation","agency":"Railroad Commission of Texas","status":"current","official":true,"published_on":null,"effective_on":"2014-10-06","summary":"(a) Odorization of gas. (1) Each gas company shall continuously odorize gas by the use of a malodorant agent as set forth in this section unless the gas contains a natural malodor or is odorized prior to delivery by a supplier. (2) Unless required by 49 CFR Part 192.625(B) or by this section, odoriz","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/tx-tac-16-8-215.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/tx-tac-16-8-215.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/tx-tac-16-8-215","source_url":"https://texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com/rules-and-meetings?chapter=8&interface=VIEW_TAC&part=1&title=16","body":"(a) Odorization of gas.\n(1) Each gas company shall continuously odorize\ngas by the use of a malodorant agent as set forth in this\nsection unless the gas contains a natural malodor or is\nodorized prior to delivery by a supplier.\n(2) Unless required by 49 CFR Part 192.625(B) or\nby this section, odorization is not required for:\n(A) gas in underground or other storage;\n(B) gas used or sold primarily for use in natural\ngasoline extraction plants, recycling plants, chemical plants,\ncarbon black plants, industrial plants, or irrigation pumps; or\n(C) gas used in lease and field operation or\ndevelopment or in repressuring wells.\n(3) Gas shall be odorized by the user if:\n(A) the gas is delivered for use primarily in one of\nthe activities or facilities listed in paragraph (2) of this\nsubsection and is also used in one of those activities for\nspace heating, refrigeration, water heating, cooking, and\nother domestic uses; or\n(B) the gas is used for furnishing heat or air\nconditioning for office or living quarters.\n(4) In the case of lease users, the supplier shall\n\nensure that the gas will be odorized before being used by the\nconsumer.\n(b) Odorization equipment. Gas companies shall use\ncommercially available odorization equipment in any\ninstallation made on or after February 4, 2009. Shop-made or\nother odorization equipment previously approved by the\nCommission and in use as of February 4, 2009, may continue\nto be used in its current service, but may not be re-installed\nin a different location. Each operator shall be required to\nmaintain a list of odorization equipment used in its particular\noperations, including the location of the odorization\nequipment, the brand name, model number, and the date last\nserviced. The list shall be available for review during safety\nevaluations by the Division.\n(c) Malodorants. Gas companies shall use commercially\navailable malodorants which shall meet the following\ncriteria.\n(1) The malodorant when blended with gas in the\namount specified for adequate odorization of the gas shall\nnot be deleterious to humans or to the materials present in a\ngas system and shall not be soluble in water to a greater\nextent than 2 1/2 parts by weight of malodorant to 100 parts\nby weight of water.\n(2) The products of combustion from the\nmalodorant shall be nontoxic to humans breathing air\ncontaining the products of combustion and the products of\ncombustion shall not be corrosive or harmful to the materials\nto which such products of combustion would ordinarily come\nin contact.\n(3) The malodorant agent to be introduced in the\ngas, or the natural malodor of the gas, or the combination of\nthe malodorant and the natural malodor of the gas shall have\na distinctive malodor so that when gas is present in air at a\nconcentration of one-fifth of the lower explosive limit, the\nmalodor is readily detectable by an individual with a normal\nsense of smell.\n(4) The level of natural malodor or the injection rate\nof approved malodorant shall be sufficient to achieve the\nrequirement of paragraph (3) of this subsection.\n(d) Malodorant tests and reports.\n(1) Malodorant injection report. Each gas company\nshall record as frequently as necessary to maintain adequate\nodorization but not less than once each quarter the following\nmalodorant information for all odorization equipment, except\nfarm tap odorizers. The required information shall be\nrecorded and retained in the company's files:\n(A) odorizer location;\n(B) brand name and model of odorizer;\n(C) name of malodorant, concentrate, or dilute;\n(D) quantity of malodorant at beginning of\nmonth/quarter;\n(E) amount added during month/quarter;\n(F) quantity at end of month/quarter;\n(G) MMcf of gas odorized during\nmonth/quarter; and\n(H) injection rate per MMcf.\n(2) Each natural gas operator shall check, test, and\nservice farm tap odorizers at intervals not exceeding 15\nmonths, but at least once each calendar year. Each gas\ncompany shall maintain records to reflect the date of service\nand maintenance on file for at least two years.\n(e) Malodorant concentration tests and reports.\n(1) Each gas company shall conduct the following\nconcentration tests on the gas supplied through its facilities\nand required to be odorized. Test points shall be distant from\n\nodorizing equipment, so as to be representative of the\nodorized gas in the system. Tests shall be performed at\nintervals not exceeding 15 months, but at least once each\ncalendar year or at such other times as the Division may\nreasonably require. The results of these tests shall be\nrecorded and retained in each company's files for at least two\nyears. Malodorant concentration test results shall include the\nfollowing:\n(A) odorizer name and location;\n(B) malodorant concentration meter make,\nmodel, and serial number;\n(C) date test performed, test time, odorizer\ntested, and distance from odorizer;\n(D) test results indicating percent gas in air\nwhen malodor is readily detectable; and\n(E) signature of person performing the test.\n(2) Wick-type farm tap odorizers shall be exempt\nfrom the odorization equipment reporting requirements of\nparagraph (1)(B) of this subsection.\n(3) Gas companies that obtain gas into which\nmalodorant previously has been injected or gas which is\nconsidered to have a natural malodor and therefore do not\nodorize the gas themselves shall be required to conduct\nquarterly malodorant concentration tests and retain records\nfor a period of two years.","truncated":false,"body_characters":5419}