Innovative Products & Services
for Today’s Natural Gas Industry
Odor Fade Methods of proper preparation & mitigation for different scenarios
Situations that occur on a regular basis
Geno’s / Tony Lukes
Ashburn Alley
Meter Set
Fairmount Fries
Terrace Level
Franklin Sq Pizza
Concourse Level
Diamond Club
McFaddens
Concourse Level
Schmitter
Concourse Level
Harry the Ks
Club (Upper) Level
Approximate
Location of 6” Loop
Geno’s / Tony Lukes
Ashburn Alley
Meter Set
Fairmount Fries
Terrace Level
Franklin Sq Pizza
Concourse Level
Diamond Club
McFaddens
Concourse Level
Schmitter
Concourse Level
Harry the Ks
Club (Upper) Level
Approximate
Location of 6” Loop
Chemical Analysis Results
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7/29
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Date
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CF
McFaddensrestaurant
Inlet to Meter
Chemical Analysis Results
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0.60
7/29
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8/19
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8/22
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8/25
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8/28
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8/31
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Date
Lb
s / M
MC
F
Harry the K's
Inlet to Meter
Chemical Analysis Results
0.00
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0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1.80
2.00
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9/12
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9/17
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9/22
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9/27
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10/2/0
4
10/7/0
4
10/12/
04
Date
Lb
s /
MM
CF
McFaddens
restaurant
Inlet to Meter
Chemical Analysis Results
0.00
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0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
9/2/04
9/7/04
9/12
/04
9/17
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9/22
/04
9/27
/04
10/2/0
4
10/7/0
4
10/12/
04
Date
Lb
s /
MM
CF
Harry the K's
Inlet to Meter
Chemical Analysis Results
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
9/2/04
9/7/04
9/12
/04
9/17
/04
9/22
/04
9/27
/04
10/2/0
4
10/7/0
4
10/12/
04
Date
Lb
s / M
MC
F
Geno's steak
Inlet to Meter
Chemical Analysis Results
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0.60
10/14/
04
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12/13/
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12/23/
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1/2/05
1/12
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Date
Lb
s / M
MC
F
McFaddensrestaurant
Inlet to Meter (CityGas)
Chemical Analysis Results
0.000
0.500
1.000
1.500
2.000
2.500
3.000
3/1/05 4/1/05 5/1/05 6/1/05 7/1/05 8/1/05 9/1/05 10/1/05
Date
Lb
s / M
MC
F
McFaddensrestaurant
Inlet to Meter
Odorant Injection
Chemical Analysis Results
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3/1
/05
3/1
5/0
5
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2/0
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7/1
9/0
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8/1
6/0
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8/3
0/0
5
9/1
3/0
5
9/2
7/0
5Date
Lb
/ M
MC
F
Geno's steak
Inlet to Meter Odorant Injection
Chemical Analysis Results
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3/1/05 4/1/05 5/1/05 6/1/05 7/1/05 8/1/05 9/1/05 10/1/05
Date
Lb
s /
MM
CF
Harry the K's
Inlet to Meter Odorant Injection
Final Sniff Test Results
March 23, 2006
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McFaddens
restaurant
Harry the K's Geno's steak Schmitters Inlet to Meter
Location
% G
as
in
Air
Final Chemical Analysis
May 4, 2006
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McFaddens
restaurant
Harry the K's Geno's steak Schmitters Inlet to Meter
Location
Lb
s /
MM
CF
Correct techniques – Key Issues
Consider the following prior to developing an approach
•Key is to get a good understanding of what we are trying to accomplish
– Newly installed steel or plastic pipe
– Odor masking or odor fade – What is the issue?
– Re-establish weak odorant levels
•What does the system look like.
– Long line to a single large customer?
– Line with multiple branches?
– Multiple customers
Correct Techniques – Key Issues (cont.)
• Where is the gas coming from? – Marcellus Gas
• We are seeing an impact to long established odorization practices
• Where in the construction process are we? – Can “pickling” be done at the right time
to simplify the process
– Many times we run into strict time constraints • limiting our ability to do this properly
• Limit or reduce the risk.
– Too early in the process can also cause issues
• Tie-in after we pickled the line
– Goes back to understanding the process
Correct Techniques – Key Issues (Cont.)
• Where is the gas going? – Large Distribution system
– Large single customer
– High pressure line to a medium pressure district regulator station
– Industrial Park or Residential Neighborhood.
• We don’t “slug” the line. – We systematically add a
predetermined amount of odorant based on:
• The application
• The kind and length of pipe
• “fogging” or “inject”
• Measuring our progress along the way
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Typical Situations – New Steel Pipe
• University Campus Project – Inner City
– 13,000ft. 12” Pipe
– New District Regulator station to Steam Plant • Large single end user
• Supplemental feed into Distribution System
Keys to Success – New Steel Pipe
• Meeting with Utility and University to clearly understand the scope of the project and “restrictions” we needed to adhere to. – Provide a clearly defined scope and
process so there was a clear understanding of what was going to be done and when
– Size, length, and type of pipe
– Our environment • dense population vs. remote area
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Keys to Success – New Steel Pipe
• Due to restrictions posed by the university we were required to “pickle” in the opposite direction of normal flow – Not an issue under the right
circumstances
• Learned of a “change in strategy” during the process – Proper “lock-out” – “tag-out”
prevented potential issue
– Steam plant vs. Distribution System
• University service line entering the steam plant
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New long length of plastic pipe
• PM High School – New Regulator Station with Heater
– Asked to “pickle” the line
• 9000 ft. of 6” Plastic Pipe
– Could not smell the gas during during purge process when starting the heater
– Performed “sniff” tests and Odor-Handy test at both ends of the station
• Gas from Supplier did not have proper odorant levels
– Two issues needed to be resolved
» higher injection rates from supplier
» Pickling the 6000 ft. of plastic pipe to PM High School
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Key to Success – Plastic Pipe
• Initial approach would not have resolved the issue at hand
• Due diligence to clearly understand the issue – Prior to developing the solution
• Cooperation from the suppler and the distribution company
• Once incoming odorant levels were established
– Very light concentration of odorant during the line packing process.
– Monitor on a tighter than normal schedule to make sure odorant levels are sustainable
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Large Facilities
• Global Foundries – 340 ft. of 16” Main inside a very
large industrial facility under construction
– Four large boilers and several smaller natural gas feed processes
– 1,000 plus construction worker on-site during this process
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Large Facilities - Key to Success
• 100% sure interior piping was leak-free
• Proper “lock-out” –”tag-out” to prevent anyone from inadvertently opening a valve
• Sending 100’s of workers to the exits due to a suspected gas leak was not part of the scope!
• Walk through and systematically opening valves to control the process was the key.
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Multi-floor facilities
• Harvard University / Brown University – Loss of Odorant in establish
systems
– Changes in elevations
• Caring the odorant to the top floors of facilities
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Pickling vs Supplemental Odorization
• Important to note that this is not an exact science – We apply the approach we feel
give us the best chance for success
• Pickling – Part of the planning process
• Single End User vs. Distribution System
• Need time for odorant drop out to the pipe walls
• Ramifications of not doing it correctly
• Supplemental Odorization – Why or when would we use this
approach.
How do we measure our progress?
• Slow and stead approach – Natural tendency is to what to
“over-react”.
• Could take time for the proper results to show up.
• Sniff test vs. measured mercaptan levels – Know what you are up against
• Odor masking vs. Odor Fade
• Which odorant blend would work best
Odor Fade
• Loss of Odorant Inside the Pipe
– Due to adsorption
– Adhesion of molecules to pipe surface
• Specifically in:
– New Steel or Plastic Pipe
– Variable Velocities of the Gas
– Dirty Pipe
– Oxidation on the Pipe
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Odor Masking
• One Odorant can Overpower the Sensation of Another
• Specifically From:
– Naturally occurring Mercaptan
– Heavy Hydrocarbons
– Gas Condensates
– Water
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