A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the potential dangers presented by drip gas that hide in the brines, frac and other Gas Field Fluids (GFF) generated by Marcellus Shale drilling. Drip gas is a naturally occurring form of gasoline found near many oil and natural gas wells, in natural gas pipelines, and as a byproduct of natural gas extraction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drip_gas). My message was intended as a warning, a wake-up call if you will, to both the producers and the wastewater handlers active in the Marcellus.
Having had our plant burn to the ground by a fire which we suspect was fueled by drip gas that we had carelessly permitted to enter our facility, I felt that the rest of the industry, particularly the transporters and the treatment facilities, needed to learn from our experience and to, immediately, become aware of the significant dangers associated with drip gas and take the necessary actions to test for the presence of drip gas in GFF prior to receiving it for treatment and processing.
Unfortunately, my message either failed to reach the right people or was dismissed as hyperbole or exaggeration.
On February 25, 2009, a second facility, Youngstown, Ohio-based Virgin Oil and Water, Ltd., was severely damaged by a violent explosion and fire that, according to the fire chief (and common sense), appears to have been the result of two dreaded enemies, drip gas and a spark being invited to the same party (http://www.vindy.com/news/2009/feb/26/explosion-rocks-plant/)/ . Unlike our experience with drip gas, which resulted in lots of property damage but no injuries, Virgin was not so fortunate. Lee Whinery, a Virgin employee, remains in an Akron hospital in critical condition from the burns he received from the explosion. Our thoughts are with Mr. Whinery and his family, and we’ve established a fund, the AWS Lee Whinery Fund, on his behalf. Please feel free to donate!
It’s obvious that the dangers associated with drip gas in Marcellus GFF are real (two fires should make that a duh!), significant, life-threatening and, of course, manageable. Managing drip gas requires both an appreciation of the danger and actions to identify and mitigate the danger.
A drip gas management plan might look like this:
1) Producers should develop a Drip Gas Management Plan, communicate it to everyone associated with GFF activities and train everyone who handles GFF on the dangers of drip gas.
2) Companies, like ours, who handle GFF should have the proper equipment and procedures in place to sample ALL off loads and detect drip gas before accepting the load. A “Set-a-Flash” device is what we use, and it works exceptionally well.
3) ALL smoking and the use of open flames (torches, etc.) should be prohibited within 50 feet of all GFF loading, transportation and processing activities.
4) All GFF loading, transportation and processing activities and GFF disposal at Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW’s) should be discontinued unless the POTW has and uses the equipment necessary to detect the presence of drip gas prior to receiving material. Imagine the damage to property and people that a drip gas-fueled explosion and fire could create at a POTW or in a sewer system.
Two fires, an explosion and a critical injury are ENOUGH! Drip gas is a fact of life in GFF. We cannot ignore it, and we can’t risk it! We need to manage it, all of us, in an effective, proactive way. We don't just need to know that it could be there, we need to know when!
Good post.
Posted by: Marnina | April 22, 2009 at 02:41 PM
Where does one find a "set-a-flash" device?
Posted by: Chris Earls | September 01, 2009 at 07:38 AM