NJ Plumbing Inspectors Association Gas Utilization Equipment Hazards & Technical Issues Paul Pirro Manager - Technical Services PSE&G Asset Strategy Ross Romano Technical Support Specialist PSE&G Asset Strategy 6/15/16
NJ Plumbing Inspectors Association Review PSE&G Appliance Service Background Gas Meter Explosion Prevention Emergency Response to Overheated Boilers & Furnaces PSE&G Gas Restoration Response After Flooding PSE&G Regulator Overpressure Protection for HTNP
PSE&G Background 1.8 Million Gas Customers Gas Delivery maintains 2000+ Employees Service Territory: 2,400 square miles 40% Urban/60% Rural 17,600 miles of Mains 17,000 miles of Services Dispatch Centers are located in 3 Regions, and serve 12 District locations
PSE&G Background 800 Service Technicians serve 12 District areas Responsibilities: Utility Service Work (Tariff) Appliance Repair HVAC Installations 90,000 Emergency (Leak) calls per year 5,000 CO calls per year 800 Fires per year
Jeweler Torch Gas Meter Explosions
Gas Meter Explosion Incidents In 2008, PSE&G experienced meter explosion incidents in Milburn and Cliffside Park, NJ. In both cases, Jewelry Stores used a Gas/Oxygen mixture to supply a finishing torch. In both cases, check valves were not installed on the gas line in accordance with PSE&G Requirements for Gas Service Installations, NJ Fire Code & IFG Code.
Gas Meter Explosion Incidents Torch flashbacks can occur when the tip of a jeweler s torch is blocked or when the oxygen supply is turned on prior to gas. As a result, oxygen will flow back through gas piping toward the meter. For jeweler torches, oxygen pressure is set much higher than natural gas pressure (NG pressure - ¼ psi; O2 pressure - up to 70 psi). When the torch is ignited under this condition, a flashback can reach the gas meter.
Gas Meter Explosion Incidents
Gas Meter Explosion Protection In 2008, Con Edison worked with the NYC Fire Department to require jeweler torches to have a listed combination flashback arrestor and check valve installed. In 2009, PSE&G used this info to convince NJ Department of Community Affairs to add this requirement into NJ Fire Code. G-TEC Natural Gas Torch Boosters will elevate utility natural gas pressure enough so that the flashback arrestor check valve protects the gas meter and the jeweler has a robust flame at the torch.
Drive for Consumer Protection Increased awareness among natural gas industry and jeweler associations. American Gas Association Northeast Gas Association NJ Gas Utilities Influenced rulemaking to enhance consumer protection. International Fuel Gas Code NFPA 51 (National Fire Protection Assn.) NJ DCA - Division of Community Affairs
Overheated Boilers & Furnaces
What is an Overheated Boiler? Overheated Boiler : Heating unit reaches an exceedingly high temperature and pressure, and will not shut off. This condition, a.k.a. Runaway Boiler, is considered unsafe and very hazardous to emergency responders and building occupants. This condition is primarily caused by coincidental failures of redundant safety controls that maintain safe temperature, pressure, gas supply, and water supply.
Hazard Description When boilers or furnaces experience an overheated condition, catastrophic damage to the heating unit, safety controls and components is likely. PSE&G treats this situation with the highest degree of emergency response - similar to an inside gas leak with open air gas readings of 1% or greater. First Responders are expected to evacuate all occupants, and keep the public a safe distance away from the building.
Basic components: Gas Valve Water Feed (Pressure Reducing Valve) Circulator Pump Aquastat Control Pressure Relief Valve Expansion Tank Hot Water Boiler
Explosion/Injury Risks HW Boilers Previous boiler failure incidents occurred when safety controls failed to operate as designed due to mechanical failure (i.e., aquastat shorting out, damaged wiring, or failed gas valve) or human intervention. Examples of human intervention: opening a gas valve in bypass (manual) mode wiring errors removing or plugging a pressure relief valve to stop water from dripping
Explosion/Injury Risks Boilers & Furnaces Heating controls exposed to flood water can fail after being dried and placed back in operation. Any controls exposed to flood water must always be replaced.
Explosion/Injury Risks HW & Steam Boilers A Dry Fire Boiler condition can occur when burners fail to shut off and the relief valve opens to release excessive pressure. The remaining water in the system can boil away if water supply to the pressure reducing valve is shut off or the reducing valve is stuck closed. Without water, the boiler can reach extreme temperatures.
Steam System Basic Components: Gas Valve Pressure Limit Control Low Water Cutoff Temperature & Pressure Relief Valve
Explosion/Injury Risks Steam Boilers Steam boilers can become over-pressurized when there is a failure of the pressure relief valve and at least one other control. Although a Steam Boiler is connected to an open piping system with radiators at the endpoints, the radiator air vents close at normal operating temperatures. Excessive pressure will build up if the gas valve or safety controls fail. Boiler pressures that exceed 15 PSI due to a failure of the relief valve can result in a violent explosion when the boiler vessel fails.
Explosion/Injury Risks Steam Boilers Previous boiler failure incidents took place when safety controls failed to operate as designed due to mechanical failure (i.e., blocked siphon tube [ pigtail ], failed gas valve, defective LWCO or damaged wiring) or human intervention. Examples of human intervention: opening a gas valve in bypass (manual) mode wiring errors removing or plugging a pressure relief valve to stop water from dripping
Warm Air Furnaces Basic components: Gas Valve Heat Exchanger Limit Switch Fan Motor and Blower Pilot Assembly or Hot Surface Igniter Thermocouple or Flame Sensor
Fire/Injury Risks Furnaces A Warm Air Furnace is at risk for overheating when gas control failures produce temperatures exceeding the maximum design. An Overheated Furnace is a fire hazard and may crack, allowing carbon monoxide to enter the building through the duct work. For HVAC installations, if an A/C coil fails due to soft solder melting when high temperature or fire compromises the system, potentially lethal toxic gas can be created. Any controls exposed to flood water must always be replaced.
PSE&G Incidents Encountered
Runaway Boiler Incidents In December 2011, PSE&G responded to a hot water boiler explosion in Cliffside Park, NJ. The customer was experiencing trouble with the boiler ignition system, and switched the automatic gas valve to manual operation. The constant flow of gas into the boiler led to a significant increase in temperature & pressure that caused an overheating (runaway) condition. The customer reported a boiler explosion less than 15 minutes after the heating unit was turned on.
Runaway Boiler Lessons Learned In prior months, the customer had a combination pressure reducing (water feed) valve and pressure relief valve control replaced. When the servicing company performed the repair, the combination valve was replaced with only a pressure reducing (water feed) valve. As a result, the boiler no longer had a relief valve to relieve excess pressure.
Runaway Boiler Lessons Learned Combination pressure reducing (water feed) valve and pressure relief valve.
Concrete Boiler Pad and Hole in Wall 28
Burners, Thermocouple, Pilot & Gas Valve 29
PSE&G Emergency Response to Overheated Boilers & Furnaces
Initial Notification for Overheated Boiler/Furnace Initial Notification provided in 2 ways: 1) Initial customer complaint - Appliance (Heating) Won t Shut Off - requires a 60- minute emergency response. Technician arrives and evaluates situation. 2) During heating service call, a technician may recognize an Overheated Boiler/Furnace condition as the pressure gauge displays a pressure higher than the boiler relief rating.
Emergency Response 1) Evaluate situation, greet customer & move conversation outside. Ask customer to describe conditions inside the building by answering the following questions: Smell smoke or something burning? Type of heating system? Where is it located? Excessive heat in the basement or living areas? Emergency switch in off position? How long has unit been running out of control? What did it look like last? i.e. cherry red color, paint peeling off, position of temperature or pressure gauges, leaking water or steam? Did anyone touch any part of the heating system before it started overheating? i.e. disturbed the wiring, installed a thermostat, lit a pilot, started the unit, turned a valve, repaired a water leak, etc. Steps taken so far to control the situation? i.e., shut off thermostat, shut off emergency switch, shut off the gas, etc. Heating system exposed to floodwater?
Emergency Response 2) Initiate an evacuation of occupants if the conditions meet the criteria for an overheated boiler/furnace. Instruct occupants not to re-enter the building for a minimum of 8 hours. a) Notify Dispatch immediately to report situation to supervisor and request FD assistance to keep the public away, secure the building and monitor for fire.
3) Shut off gas supply outside at the gas meter or curb valve. Stopping the flow of gas from outside will allow the heating unit to begin to cool off safely. If no curb valve is available, request a construction crew to disconnect gas service at the curb. Emergency Response
4) If gas supply cannot be immediately shut off outside, consider shutting off electric supply from the emergency switch or breaker located in a remote location or outside at the electric meter in an attempt to control the flow of gas. Emergency Response
Emergency Response 5) Technician makes decision to shut off electric service based on heating system criteria: a) Hot Water Boilers Leave Power On - to circulate the hot water and cool off the boiler. b) Steam Boilers Disconnect Electric to prevent automatic water feed from opening. c) Furnaces Leave Power On to circulate the warm air and cool the furnace.
Emergency Response 6) After shutting off the gas service, lock off the meter (if outside) and issue a Class I Violation for the Overheated Boiler or Overheated Furnace condition. Place Shut Off Overheated Boiler remark in Remark Screen.
Emergency Response 7) Before allowing access to the building, overheated boilers and furnaces should be allowed at least 8 hours to safely cool down after the gas supply was shut off. a) After the building is evacuated, a Supervisor will provide the customer with instructions and a letter that describes the dangers of re-entering a building evacuated due to an overheated boiler or furnace.
Emergency Response 8) The technician shall caution any first responders (Fire Department) and others, including the homeowner, NOT to spray water on the surface of an overheated boiler in an attempt to cool it down at a faster rate. This caution should include the following safety reminders: NEVER attempt to cool the boiler in any way. NEVER ADD WATER to an overheated boiler. In both cases, water could flash into steam and cause severe injury or death.
Emergency Response 9) Technician will disconnect gas supply to appliance, lock off the meter (if outside) and issue a Class I Violation for the Overheated Boiler or Furnace. a) Customers affected by the disconnected services must make arrangements to have PSE&G return to evaluate the situation after allowing the equipment to cool down. NOTE: Heating equipment manufacturers recommend that a unit should be condemned if the temperature and/or pressure during the overheat period exceeded the equipment rating for safe operation.
PSE&G Flood Restoration Review
Tropical Storm Floyd Sept 1999
Oradell District Headquarters
1999 STORM DAMAGE 17,834 Customers restored Over 90% restored within 6 days Northern NJ Hub Station damage affected Telephone Service GSIMS in Northern Zone Down for 4 days Oradell Gas District severely damaged Isolated Flooding due to Electric Outages 95 Mutual Aid resources worked 4 days
Nor easter April 2007
2007 STORM DAMAGE 9,407 customers impacted by regional flooding Oradell Gas District severely damaged (again) Centralized Distribution Emergency Response Center (DERC) controlled ICS Process Field Command Centers established at 7 locations Isolated Flooding due to Electric Outages
Tropical Storm Earl March 2010
5,000 Customers Impacted
Hurricane Irene 2011
Severe Flooding in Northern NJ 34,000 Customers Restored
Super Storm Sandy October 2012
Restoration required 41,547 Premise Visits
PSE&G Studied Lessons Learned & Developed Best Practices
Microsoft - SHAREPOINT Gas Restoration SharePoint Site Tools for planning and monitoring restoration activities Documents for internal & external communication Documents for tracking restoration progress Internal links for PSE&G resources External links for monitoring River Flooding, Weather, OSHA, CDC and FEMA
Restoration Process Folders Industry Websites River Flood Tracking
NJ River Flooding After Hurricane Irene
Passaic River - Flood Predictions
MS SharePoint Site Tool Box for Planning and Monitoring Gas Restoration Activities
Microsoft SharePoint Site Offices of Emergency Management Supporting Documents
Flood Zone Polygons Capture Flood Areas Automatically Generates Flood Work Orders
Capture Real Time Restoration Data Tools and resources to accurately track customer status
PSE&G Field Command Centers & Customer Care Centers
Partnership with OEMs Gas Restoration Process Join forces with Municipal Inspectors to establish a safe plan for assessing damaged structures and turning off gas facilities at the same time. Restoration activities will not begin until flood water has been cleared. Safely turn off gas facilities to ensure that flood water has not caused damage to utility/customer equipment and gas piping. Prior to the utility restoring gas service, Municipal Inspectors may expect to provide an inspection approval (where required) to determine that: Customer basements are cleared of water Electric facilities (electric panel, meter box) are verified for safety Following inspector approval, customers are expected to contact utility to restore gas
Municipal Inspectors Partner with PSE&G
Restoration Requirements When restoring gas to customers, PSE&G will establish that customer gas piping is not leaking, and may replace meters, service regulators and possibly regulator vent piping if exposed to water. PSE&G will not restore gas to water heaters if controls have been affected by flood waters. Flooded units must be replaced. PSE&G s restoration policy for gas fired furnaces & boilers requires that all gas controls, control system parts, and electrical parts that have been underwater must be replaced before the unit may be safely operated. Replacement of the entire unit may be required on a case-by-case basis.
Provide restoration update for community Describe steps required to restore customers OEM Coordination Town Hall Meetings
Mutual Aid for Sandy!
Features: Storm Restoration Process Primary categories for successful completion of the storm restoration Specific actions, system requirements and communication items needed to address each category Direct links to documents, procedures, training materials needed to address each specific action Assigned position responsibilities for each process step 1.0 Introduction to Storm Restoration 1.1 Pre-Storm Preparation 1.2 Damage Assessment 1.3 Restoration Planning 1.4 Restoration Implementation 1.5 Storm Close Out
PSE&G Gas Delivery Storm Restoration Process 1.0 Prepare 2.0 Assess 3.0 Plan 4.0 Implement 5.0 Finalize Pre-Storm Preparation Action Items Damage Assessment Restoration Planning Restoration Implementation Storm Close Out Action Items Action Items Action Items Action Items Action Items Gas Restoration SharePoint Site Storm Preparation Checklist Travel Ban Letter Electric Storm Look- Up Training Restoration Procedures Review Flood Restoration Safety Review River Flood Monitoring Tailboard Training Preparation GIS Polygon Maps Dispatch Order Assignment Storm Preparation Telecon OEM Communication PSE&G Damage Assessment Procedures Critical Gas Infrastructure Gas System Condition Scouting Process for Flood Regions Electric Storm Look-Up Assignments MAST Liaisons for ED Damage Assessment Telecon OEM Damage Communication Flood Hazard Safety Messages Material Needs Evaluation Union Agreements Command Center Set-Up Mutual Aid Planning Technical Services Supply Chain Support Measurement Support IR Support IT Support FMC & Fuel Support Environmental Support Hotel Planning Meal Planning Accounting Needs SI Flood Notifications Restoration Planning Telecon OEM Restoration Info Gas DERC Responsibilities Centralized Command Center Responsibilities Field Command Center (FCC) Responsibilities Customer Care Centers Mutual Aid Implementation Restoration Work Completion Process CGI Follow-Up in Flood Regions Restoration Data Tracking Daily Restoration Telecons Cust Assistance Messages OEM & Mayor Support Daily BPU Summaries Multi-Family Bldg Shut-Off Notifications Post-Flood Exit Strategy Mutual Aid Bill Preparation Executive Summary Presentation Storm Lessons Learned Development Handling of Excess Materials Storm Cost Estimate
PSE&G Regulator Overpressure Protection for HTNP Medium Pressure Regulators - 15 PSI
PSE&G HTNP Regulator Overpressure Protection Standard PSE&G s Standard for Higher Than Normal Pressure Delivery (HTNP) states that the lock-up medium pressure regulator must have a minimum inlet pressure rating of 15 psig. PSE&G does not consider emergency exposure limits to be an acceptable substitute for a regulator s fixed inlet rating. This does not include Line Pressure applications where PSE&G may supply large customers pressure directly from the system.
PSE&G s Regulator Overpressure Standard for HTNP PSE&G currently maintains 3 regulator downstream over-pressurization standards: 7 inches of water column (w.c.). 7 inches w.c. to 5 psig. Above 5 psig.
Why is PSE&G Enforcing this HTNP Standard? If PSE&G s regulator at a gas meter fails, the resulting pressure will be sent to the customer s MP regulator. The entire customer piping system must be protected in accordance with IFGC and PSE&G Standards. PSE&G designs meter sets/regulation to ensure that a customer receiving HTNP will never see more than 15 psig downstream.
MP Regulators With Vent Limiting Devices If a MP regulator has an inlet pressure rating from the manufacturer at 15 psig or higher, would the installation of a vent limiting device be acceptable to PSE&G? PSE&G Planning & Design Engineers must be consulted to review the specifications for this product recommendation.
Moving Forward HTNP Process & MP Lock-Up Regulation PSE&G is currently reviewing our process for HTNP Delivery and MP Lock-Up Regulation. We are currently reviewing all of meter set regulators in our system and associated failure curves to better support our customers HTNP protection needs. Target for completion - Fall 2016.
FOR MORE INFORMATION Paul Pirro Manager - Technical Services AS Technical Services - Springfield 24 Brown Avenue Springfield, NJ 07081 973-912-3239 paul.pirro@pseg.com