Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/721278
NETWORK / 26 / SEPTEMBER 2016 G as transmission and distribution in the UK have enviable safety records. But those involved in the sector are only too aware of the dangers the fuel poses. A safety executive in a gas distribution company doing his job right will be a "nervous squirrel", seeking out the unknowns and always on their toes about the dangers the transportation of gas poses. But do safety executives truly understand the consequences of a major safety failure when such incidents can only be experienced through video recordings and theory? Examples of such events can be found abroad, such as in the case of San Bruno in September 2010. An electrical failure at the natural gas pipe terminal triggered an uncommanded surge in pressure through a 30-inch pipeline. The fault also knocked out sensors, leaving engineers blind to the critical nature of the incident until a Big Bang collection of pipe sections under a housing estate – that were badly welded together – failed. At just a‡er 6.10 in the evening a huge fireball ripped into the air. The explosion and resulting fire killed eight people and injured 58 others, destroying 38 homes and leaving 70 damaged. The statistics from that day reveal the magnitude of such an event; how devastating the impact would be. But until they feel the heat on their cheeks and the force of such an explosion, or see a two-inch thick metal gas pipe split down the middle and the edge frilled like a pie crust, safety personnel cannot truly understand what they are dealing with. That's why there are facilities such as Spadeadam. Network visited the site in Cumbria, 30 miles from Carlisle, to see where gas distribution company staff can experience the types of explosions they work every day to avoid. The site was originally owned by British Gas Research and Development, but DNV GL now operates the facility, which shares its location with a military base that spans 9,600 acres of forest and mire on the border between Cumbria and Northumberland. This remoteness is key, allowing the company to stage the kind of explosions that can't be done with neighbours close by. Spadeadam can demonstrate a variety of situations, such as gas leaks, a third party hit on the mains or a leak with an ignition source. The largest tests take up to six months to construct, requiring as much work as a real-life scenario. Transmission pipeline costs about £1,500 a metre, so they represent a significant investment. However, the experience such a test can provide for gas engineers who might one day be tasked with attending the a‡ermath of an incident is invaluable. GDNs say the biggest safety difficulty they face is the opportunity to build up competence. At DNV GL's Spadeadam site, gas engineers can feel the full force of the kind of gas disaster they hope they'll never face. The new training and conference centre at Spadeadam ON SITE