Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Polyethylene Electrostatic Test
Polyethylene Electrostatic Test
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Donald Paul Hodel, Secretary BUREAU OF MINES Robert C. Horton, Director
1. Coalbed methane drainage. 2. Gas-Pipe lines. 3. Polyethylene. 4. Mine dusts. 5. Electric charge. 1. Lervik, Joseph. 11. King, Roger I*. 111. Title. IV. Series: Keport of investigations (United States. Bureau of Mines) ; 9017.
TN23,U43
[TN844,5]
622s [622'.334]
86-600003
CONTENTS
P i t o t t u b e b e i n g u s e d t o measure gas-stream v e l o c i t y R e l a t i v e h u m i d i t y and t e m p e r a t u r e b e i n g measured w i t h psychrometers Humidity chamber Rock-dust chamber Multirange e l e c t r o s t a t i c voltmeter General c o n f i g u r a t i o n of probe Averaging d a t a f o r t h r e e e l e c t r o s t a t i c t e s t s Model of c a p a c i t a n c e of measurement s y s t e m Comparison of p i p e d a t a E f f e c t of v e l o c i t y v a r i a t i o n E f f e c t of exposure-time v a r i a t i o n E f f e c t of d u s t - s i z e v a r i a t i o n Comparison of P i t t s b u r g h and Coalburg Coalbeds C o n f i g u r a t i o n f o r elbow t e s t R e s u l t s of elbow t e s t E f f e c t of h u m i d i t y v a r i a t i o n s R e s u l t s of grounding e v a l u a t i o n R e s u l t s of r o c k - d u s t i n g t e s t Real-time a e r o s o l m o n i t o r Single-range e l e c t r o s t a t i c voltmeter
TABLES
...................... ....... .......................................................... ......................................................... ........................................ ............................................ .............................. ................................ ................................................... .............................................. ......................................... ............................................. ............................ .............................................. ..................................................... ............................................. ........................................... .............................................. ................................................. ......................................
.................... .............
UNIT OF MEASURE ABBREVIATIONS USED I N THIS REPORT centimeter degree Celsius angular degree degree Fahrenheit foot f o o t p e r minute c u b i c f o o t p e r day cubic f o o t per minute gram gram p e r minute horsepower inch kilogram kilo\.olt kilopascal kilowatt lb lbf/in2
m
Pm
pound w e i g h t pound f o r c e p e r s q u a r e i n c h meter micrometer milligram per c u b i c meter minute milliliter millimeter mill-ion cubic f e e t m i l l i o n cubic f e e t p e r day cubic meter c u b i c meter p e r second percent radian volt
mg/m3 min
mL
mm
MMF t
J. ~ e r v i k ,a ~ n d R. L.
in^^
ABSTRACT The Bureau of Mines performed l a b o r a t o r y e x p e r i m e n t s t o e v a l u a t e t h e g a s s t r e a m s on p o l y e t h y l e n e t r i b o e l e c t r i c e f f e c t of p a r t i c u l a t e - l a d e n p i p e a t v a r i o u s v e l o c i t y , h u m i d i t y , d u s t - s i z e , and d u s t - l o a d c o n d i t i o n s . Charges i n e x c e s s of 10 kV were produced on t h e o u t s i d e and i n s i d e s u r f a c e s of l a b o r a t o r y p i p e s a m p l e s , when exposed t o 40 p c t r e l a t i v e hum i d i t y (RH) g a s s t r e a m c o n t a i n i n g c o a l d u s t . However, no c h a r g e s were produced i n l a b o r a t o r y t e s t s t h a t d u p l i c a t e d t h e o v e r 75 p c t RH and d u s t - f r e e g a s s t r e a m s found i n working underground p i p e l i n e s . Bare copp e r w i r e , which i s wound around t h e p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e i n a 1 - f t (31-cm) s p a c i n g and grounded, e l i m i n a t e d t h e c h a r g e on t h e o u t s i d e s u r f a c e of t h e p i p e , b u t n o t on t h e i n s i d e of t h e p i p e s u r f a c e ,
INTRODUCTION The Bureau o f Mines e s t i m a t e s t h a t a s much a s 766 t r i l l i o n cubic f e e t (7 . 1 2 ~ 10 Om3) of c o a l b e d g a s , predomin a n t l y methane, i s c o n t a i n e d i n t h e c o a l b e d s of t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s ( 1 ) . 4 T h i s g a s i s b o t h a n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e and a h i n d r a n c e t o mining. Methane d r a i n a g e s y s tems have been employed i n most major c o a l r e g i o n s of t h e United S t a t e s t o r e move g a s from t h e c o a l b e d p r i o r t o m i n i n g and/or capture t h e coalbed gas f o r f u e l . Methane d r a i n a g e s y s t e m s employ h o r i z o n t a l , v e r t i c a l , and cross-measure boreholes. V e r t i c a l b o r e h o l e s y s t e m s (2) c o n s i s t of h o l e s d r i l l e d from t h e s u r f a c e i n t o t h e gas-bearing c o a l s t r a t a . The boreholes a r e cased w i t h metal p i p e , which p r o v i d e s t h e c o n d u i t f o r t h e f l o w o f g a s from t h e g a s - b e a r i n g s t r a t a t o t h e s u r f a c e . H o r i z o n t a l ( 3 ) and c r o s s measure ( 4 ) s y s t e o s r e q u i r e t h e d r i l l i n g of b o r e h o i e s i n t o t h e c o a l b e d o r a s s o c i a t e d s t r a t a from underground l o c a t i o n s . The b o r e h o l e s a r e c n n n e c t e d t o a n underground p i p e l i n e t h a t c a r r i e s t h e g a s t o t h e surface. Methane, which i s p i p e d t h r o u g h mine passageways i n q u a n t i t i e s s u f f i c i e n t t o c o n t a m i n a t e l a r g e a r e a s of t h e mine, j u s t i f i e s c a u t i o n and c o n c e r n i n t h e d e s i g n , i n s t a l l a t i o n , p r o t e c t i o n , and m a i n t e n a n c e of t h e underground p i p e l i n e . Both t h e Bureau ( 5 ) and t h e Mine S a f e t y and H e a l t h ~ d m i n i s t r a t i o n(MSHA) , U. S Department of Labor ( 6 ) , o u t l i n e d p r o c e d u r e s f o r t h e s a f e o p e r a t i o n of underground methane d r a i n a g e p i p e l i n e s . These r e p o r t s s h o u l d be c o n s u l t e d f o r a g e n e r a l overview of p i p e l i n e p r o t e c t i o n requirements. The Bureau s t u d y (5) provided t h e b a s i s for the pipeline material selection. P o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e b e s t meets t h e d e s i g n c r i t e r i o n b e c a u s e of i t s s u p e r i o r r e s i s t a n c e t o c o r r o s i o n and impact f o r c e s . It a l s o i s a t t r a c t i v e t o mine o p e r a t o r s because i t is lightweight, easy t o i n s t a l l , and s i g n i f i c a n t l y c h e a p e r than metal piping. I n a n a t t e m p t t o n e g a t e any h a z a r d produced by t h e t r i b o e l e c t r i f i c a t i o n of polyethylene pipe, M S H A recommends t h a t a grounded b a r e copper w i r e be s p i r a l l y wound around a l l p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p i n g . The recommendation was i n c o r p o r a t e d i n many of t h e methane d r a i n a g e systems now i n p l a c e a c r o s s t h e United S t a t e s . The o b j e c t i v e s of t h i s s t u d y were t o o b t a i n a b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g of t h e t r i b o e l e c t r i f i c a t i o n p r o c e s s a s i t r e l a t e s t o t h e underground p o l y e t h y l e n e methane d r a i n a g e p i p e l i n e and t o e v a l u a t e t h e recommended grounding s a f e t y procedure.
'
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The a u t h o r s w i s h t o t h a n k Donald D u v a l l o f P l e x c o P i p e , J o h n M e r i d e t h of P h i l l i p s D r i s c o P i p e , and J o s e p h U h l e r of t h e E q u i t a b l e Gas Co. f o r t h e p i p e samples they provided f o r l a b o r a t o r y t e s t i n g . J a c k Workman of Workman Developments and Robert R e i f , f o r m e r l y of t h e B a t t e l l e Memorial I n s t i t u t e , d o n a t e d much a p p r e c i a t e d t e c h n i c a l a s s i s t a n c e on p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e m a n u f a c t u r e and s t a t i c c h a r g e t e s t ing, respectively. The e f f o r t s of John Stevenson of J i m W a l t e r Resources I n c . , Dave F i t z p a t r i c k of Beckley Mining Co., and Dan Weaver of t h e BethEnergy Mines I n c . were instrument a l i n t h e performance of methane d r a i n age p i p e l i n e e v a l u a t i o n s i n t h e f i e l d .
STATIC ELECTRICITY AND GAS-PIPING SYSTEMS To t h e a v e r a g e p e r s o n t h e words, " s t a t i c e l e c t r i c i t y , " mean t h e shock e x p e r i enced when t o u c h i n g a doorknob a f t e r 4 ~ n d e r l i n e dnumbers i n p a r e n t h e s e s ref e r t o i t e m s i n t h e l i s t of r e f e r e n c e s a t t h e end of t h i s r e p o r t . walking a c r o s s a carpeted f l o o r , n o i s e i n a r a d i o r e c e i v e r , o r t h e tendency f o r c l o t h e s t o c l i n g o r s t i c k t i g h t l y . Nearl y everyone r e c o g n i z e s t h a t t h e s e phenome n a a r e more i n t e n s e when w e a t h e r i s d r y . I n most s i t u a t i o n s , s t a t i c e l e c t r i c i t y i s s i m p l y a n annoyance.
The t e r m " e l e c t r i c i t y " i s d e r i v e d from t h e a n c i e n t Greek word " e l e c t r o n " meaning "amber," because i t was w i t h t h i s subs t a n c e t h a t t h e phenomenon of e l e c t r i f i c a t i o n was f i r s t observed. For cent u r i e s , t h e t e r m meant o n l y what i s now called s t a t i c e l e c t r i c i t y , the property e x h i b i t e d by some s u b s t a n c e s a f t e r b e i n g rubbed w i t h m a t e r i a l l i k e s i l k o r wool of b e i n g a b l e t o a t t r a c t o r r e p e l l i g h t w e i g h t o b j e c t s . Mechanization produced s t r o n g e r e l e c t r i f i c a t i o n t h a t was f i r s t o b s e r v e d a b o u t 300 y e a r s ago ( 7 ) , and i n c o m p a r a t i v e l y r e c e n t t i m e s , tGe propert i e s of "flowing" e l e c t r i c i t y were d i s c o v e r e d ; t h e word " s t a t i c " t h e n came i n t o u s e a s a means of d i s t i n g u i s h i n g t h e two forms. The i m p l i c a t i o n t h a t s t a t i c e l e c t r i c i t y i s always a t r e s t i s e r r o n e o u s , b e c a u s e s u c h e l e c t r i c i t y c a u s e s t h e most c o n c e r n when i t c e a s e s t o r e s t . For t h e s a k e of s i m p l i c i t y , one may i m a g i n e e l e c t r i c i t y t o be a w e i g h t l e s s and i n d e s t r u c t i b l e f l u i d t h a t can move f r e e l y through some s u b s t a n c e s , s u c h a s m e t a l s , t h a t a r e c a l l e d conductors, but c a n flow w i t h d i f f i c u l t y o r n o t a t a l l t h r o u g h o r o v e r t h e s u r f a c e of a c l a s s of s u b s t a n c e s c a l l e d nonconductors o r i n sulators. This l a t t e r group i n c l u d e s g a s e s , g l a s s , r u b b e r , amber, r e s i n , s u l f u r , p a r a f f i n , most d r y petroleum o i l s , a n d many p l a s t i c m a t e r i a l s s u c h a s polye t h y l e n e p i p e . When e l e c t r i c i t y i s p r e s e n t on t h e s u r f a c e of a nonconductive body, where i t is p r e v e n t e d from e s c a p ing, i t is called s t a t i c electricity. E l e c t r i c i t y on a c o n d u c t i n g body t h a t i s i n c o n t a c t only with i n s u l a t o r s i s a l s o p r e v e n t e d from e s c a p i n g and i s t h e r e f o r e nonmobile o r s t a t i c . In e i t h e r case, the body on which t h i s e l e c t r i c i t y i s e v i d e n t i s s a i d t o be charged ( 7 ) . S t a t i c c h a r g e s on p o l y e t h y l e n e g a s d i s t r i b u t i o n p i p e l i n e s have l o n g been a conc e r n t o n a t u r a l g a s u t i l i t i e s and p i p e m a n u f a c t u r e r s (8-9). Of primary c o n c e r n -i s t h e " b e l l h o l e " f i r e caused by s t a t i c electricity. A " b e l l h o l e " i s dug around a damaged s e c t i o n of a b u r i e d g a s t r a n s mission pipe t o provide access f o r repair. Sparks from t h e p i p e can i g n i t e e x p l o s i v e m i x t u r e s of t h e n a r u r a l g a s and a i r when t h e worker e n t e r s t h e " b e l l
hole" w i t h a t o o l t o squeeze off t h e p l a s t i c pipe. I n t h e p r e c e d i n g example, c h a r g e s were g e n e r a t e d by t h e e x t r e m e l y h i g h v e l o c i t y gas flow through a rupture. Charges a l s o o c c u r a t lower v e l o c i t i e s by t h e a d d i t i o n of a p a r t i c u l a t e m a t t e r ( 9 ) . Whether g e n e r a t e d by r u p t u r e l e a k s o r d u s t - l a d e n gas flows, t h e s t a t i c charges a r e t h e res u l t of t r i b o e l e c t r i f i c a t i o n . Gas molec u l e s and p a r t i c u l a t e s v i g o r o u s l y r u b t h e s u r f a c e of t h e p i p e c a u s i n g a t r a n s f e r of electrons t o the nonconductive p i p e . Conductive p i p e used i n t h e same a p p l i c a t i o n would n o t change t h e c h a r g i n g proc e s s ; however, i t would p r o v i d e a p a t h f o r t h e t r i b o e l e c t r i c i t y t o ground. The "wet-rag" t e c h n i q u e i s a c c e p t e d a s t h e b a s i c s a f e t y p r o c e d u r e f o r removal of s t a t i c e l e c t r i c i t y p r i o r t o r e p a i r of polyethylene gas pipelines. Wet r a g s a r e wrapped around t h e p i p e t o i n c r e a s e t h e s u r f a c e conductivity. This i n c r e a s e i n c o n d u c t i v i t y caused by t h e a d d i t i o n o f m o i s t u r e d o e s n o t e l i m i n a t e t h e chargeg e n e r a t i o n mechanism; i t o n l y p r o v i d e s a p a t h t o ground f o r t h e s t a t i c e l e c r i c i t y . The t e c h n i q u e i s q u i t e e f f e c t i v e i n r e moving t h e c h a r g e from t h e o u t s i d e s u r f a c e ( 9 ) . However, i t s e f f e c t i v e n e s s i n removiZg c h a r g e s from t h e i n s i d e s u r f a c e is a d v e r s e l y e f f e c t e d by p i p e w a l l t h i c k n e s s . T a b l e 1 shows t h a t a s w a l l t h i c k n e s s i n c r e a s e s , t h e wet-rag t e c h n i q u e becomes l e s s e f f e c t i v e i n removing s t a t i c c h a r g e s from t h e i n s i d e s u r f a c e of t h e p i p e ( 9 ) . Most methane d r a i n a g e pipel i n e s a r e 4 i n ( 1 0 cm) o r l a r g e r . Although no d a t a a r e p r e s e n t e d on t h e 4 i n TABLE 1. - E f f e c t of w a l l t h i c k n e s s on r e d u c t i o n of i n t e r n a l c h a r g e u s i n g wet-rag t e c h n i q u e
Pipe s i z e , i n
I Wall I I thickness, 1
Internal discharge,
B................ NA Not a v a i l a b l e .
.76
NA
( 1 0 cm) o r l a r g e r p i p e s i z e s , t h e g e n e r a l t r e n d i s a r e d u c t i o n i n e f f e c t i v e n e s s of o u t s i d e grounding i n removing i n s i d e s u r f ace charges. The p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e employed i n c o a l mine methane d r a i n a g e i s t h e same a s t h e p i p e used by t h e n a t u r a l g a s indust r y ; however, t h e g a s flow v e l o c i t i e s and p i p e l i n e environment a r e d i f f e r e n t . Coalbed methane d r a i n a g e systems u t i l i z e t h e n a t u r a l coalbed p r e s s u r e t o move t h e g a s , and p i p e l i n e p r e s s u r e s a r e g e n e r a l l y 5 l b f / i n 2 (34 kPa) o r less compared w i t h more t h a n 30 l b f / i n 2 (207 kPa) i n n a t u r a l g a s t r a n s m i s s i o n systems. Consequently, much h i g h e r v e l o c i t i e s and t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of extreme v e l o c i t i e s due t o p i n h o l e L a b o r a t o r y a p p a r a t u s was assembled t o s i m u l a t e a v a r i e t y of v e l o c i t y , d u s t conc e n t r a t i o n , and humidity c o n d i t i o n s i n and around p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e samples. A 50-hp (37-kW) , 7 4 0 4 t3/min (0.35-m3/s) w a t e r - r i n g vacuum pump was used t o gene r a t e t h e a i r s t r e a m through t h e p i p e samp l e s . Gas-stream v e l o c i t i e s were meas u r e d w i t h a p i t o t t u b e ( f i g . l ) , and r e l a t i v e humidity and t e m p e r a t u r e were measured w i t h psychrometers ( f i g . 2) P i p e samples were connected t o t h e pump w i t h 6-in (15-cm) f l e x i b l e s u c t i o n tubi n g . P a r t i c u l a t e s were hand-fed i n t o t h e i n l e t end of t h e p i p e samples. Four t y p e s of medium-density polyethyl e n e p i p e used f o r g a s t r a n s i s s i o n were t e s t e d : DuPont t y p e 2 , Drisco t y p e 2 , D r i s c o t y p e 3 , and Plexco t y p e 3. Type 2 p i p e i s orange. Type 3 i s b l a c k owing t o t h e a d d i t i o n of carbon b l a c k , which prev e n t s t h e development of b r i t t l e n e s s when t h e p i p e i s exposed t o u l t r a v i o l e t l i g h t . Thus, c a r e must be t a k e n i n t h e s t o r a g e of t h e t y p e 2 p i p e because s t r u c t u r a l d e g r a d a t i o n may r e s u l t . Owing t o t h e p r o p r i e t a r y n a t u r e of t h e chemical cons i s t of p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e , no f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n c o u l d be o b t a i n e d r e g a r d i n g t h e composition of t h e p i p e samples. The p a r t i c u l a t e s u s e d i n t h e l a b o r a t o r y t e s t s were crushed c o a l from t h e P i t t s burgh and Coalburg Coalbeds, l i m e s t o n e rock d u s t . i r o n f i l i n g . and sand. Table -s . 2 shows t h e proximate and u l t i m a t e a n a l y s i s of t h e two c r u s h e d c o a l samples.
l e a k s e x i s t i n n a t u r a l g a s systems. The p a r t i c u l a r m a t t e r of concern i n n a t u r a l g a s systems i s r u s t s c a l e t h a t i s c a r r i e d from m e t a l l i n e s i n t o p o l y e t h y l e n e l i n e s . Rust i s n o t a concern i n c o a l b e d methane d r a i n a g e because t h e p i p e i s a l l p l a s t i c . However, c o a l d u s t from h o r i z o n t a l b o r e h o l e s o r rock p a r t i c l e s from cross-measure b o r e h o l e s a r e a p o s s i b i l i t y . F i n a l l y , t h e polyethylene pipe i s b u r i e d i n n a t u r a l g a s systems and i s exposed i n methane d r a i n a g e a p p l i c a t i o n s . Thus, e l e c t r o s t a t i c h a z a r d s a r e paramount i n r e p a i r s i t u a t i o n s only i n n a t u r a l g a s s y s t e m s , b u t could be a concern througho u t t h e l i f e of a p i p e l i n e used f o r c o a l bed m e t h a n e d r a i n a g e .
A r e c t a n g u l a r wooden frame, 8 by 8 by 24 f t (2.4 by 2.4 by 7.3 m), was covered with c l e a r p l a s t i c t o provide f o r a v a r i a b l e humidity environment ( f i g . 3 ) .
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
FIGURE
1.
stream velocity.
Steam and a i r were drawn i n t o t h e chamber by t h e p a r t i a l vacuum g e n e r a t e d by t h e pump. The steam and a i r i n t a k e f o r t h e chamber were l o c a t e d a t t h e f a r c o r n e r from t h e p i p e sample i n t a k e . The humidi t y and t e m p e r a t u r e i n s i d e and surroundi n g t h e p i p e sample were i d e n t i c a l duri n g o p e r a t i o n ( f i g . 3). The rock d u s t i s blown i n t o r e t u r n a i r ways i n c o a l mines t o r e n d e r l o o s e c o a l d u s t i n c o m b u s t i b l e . To d e t e r m i n e i f r o c k d u s t i n g procedures could impart a s t a t i c c h a r g e t o a p o l y e t h y l e n e methane d r a i n a g e p i p e l i n e , a 2- by 2- by 8 - f t (0.6- by 0.6- by 2.4-m) chamber was c o n s t r u c t e d t o s i m u l a t e s u c h p r o c e d u r e s ( f i g . 4 ) . The chamber provided f o r t h e movement of r o c k d u s t o v e r and around t h e p i p e l i n e . Vel o c i t y w i t h i n t h e chamber was measured w i t h a vane anemometer. A d o o r was l o c a t e d on t h e t o p p a n e l of t h e rock d u s t
TABLE 2.
Analysis Proximate: Moisture......... V o l a t i l e matter.. Fixed carbon..... Ash.............. Total.. Ultimate: Hydrogen Carbon........... Nitrogen......... Sulfur........... Oxygen........... AS h Total.........
Pittsburgh 2.9 35.7 53.7 7.7 100.0 5.3 75.5 1.5 1.1 8.9 7.7 100.0
....... .........
..............
chamber ( n o t shown on f i g u r e 4) t o prov i d e a c c e s s t o t h e chamber f o r s u r f a c e c h a r g e measurement. S t a t i c c h a r g e measurements were made w i t h a high-impedance (5x1015-ohm) v o l t m e t e r ( f i g . 5 ) . The met e r i s voltage operated.
Scale, f t
inlet
FIGURE 3.
Humidity chamber.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 4.
pump
Rock-dust chamber.
ELECTROSTATIC TEST PROCEDURES Even though t h e e l e c t r o s t a t i c v o l t m e t e r consumed very l i t t l e c u r r e n t due t o i t s high impedance, a c h a r g e c o l l e c t i o n d e v i c e was r e q u i r e d t o p r o v i d e s u f f i c i e n t charge t o a c t i v a t e t h e i n s t r u ment. I n i t i a l l y , t e s t s w e r e performed w i t h a 4-in (10-cm) wide, 1164-in (0.4mm) t h i c k aluminum band wrapped around t h e p i p e ( f i g . 5). Aluminum was s e l e c t e d f o r i t s low c o s t and e a s e of h a n d l i n g ; however, copper o r any o t h e r h i g h l y cond u c t i v e metal c o u l d have been used. Duri n g t h e t e s t i n g , we found t h a t t h e bands behaved a s charge s i n k s . They gave e r r o neously high r e a d i n g s a t t h e p o i n t of measurement. Thus, a probe was p u t i n c o n t a c t w i t h t h e p i p e sample a f t e r i t was charged ( f i g . 6 ) . An i n s u l a t e d h a n d l e a t least 3 f t (0.9 m) l o n g i n s u r e d t h a t t h e p e r s o n t a k i n g t h e r e a d i n g d i d n o t come c l o s e enough t o t-ie p i p e t o d i s t u r b t h e e l e c t r i c f i e l d . The probe heads were f a s h i o n e d from aluminum s h e e t i n g , 1/64 i n (0.4 m) t h i c k , and s o l i d copper w i r e , 3/16 i n (4.8 mm) i n diameter. They were shaped t o c o v e r one-half of t h e circumf e r e n c e of t h e p i p e o v e r a 4-in (10-cm) wide band. The heads were t h e n g l u e d i n t o 4-in (10-cm) l o n g s e c t i o n s of 2-in (5-cm) round s o l i d p o l y v i n y l c h l o r i d e . An i n s u l a t e d w i r e , recommended by t h e v o l t m e t e r manufacturer, was connected d i r e c t l y from t h e probe head t o t h e grounded v o l t m e t e r .
A s i m i l a r probe was b u i l t f o r i n t e r n a l charge measurement. The probe was c o n s t r u c t e d of t h e same m a t e r i a l a s t h e probe d e s c r i b e d e a r l i e r ( f i g . 6) and cont a c t e d a 4-in-wide h a l f c y l i n d e r on t h e i n s i d e s u r f a c e of t h e 6-in-diameter p i p e samples. The g e n e r a l procedure f o r t h e l a b o r a t o r y e x p e r i m e n t s was i n i t i a t e d by e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e gas-stream v e l o c i t y , a l o n g w i t h t h e t e m p e r a t u r e and r e l a t i v e humidi t y of t h e g a s s t r e a m and of t h e ambient a i r . Dust w a s t h e n hand-fed i n t o t h e i n l e t of t h e p i p e sample as c o n s i s t e n t l y a s p o s s i b l e o v e r a predetermined time of exposure. Measurement of t h e s t a t i c c h a r g e was accomplished by p l a c i n g t h e probe head on t h e p i p e immediately a f t e r t h e flow was s h u t o f f . The probe was removed from t h e p i p e and grounded t o e l i m i n a t e any b i a s on subsequent measurements. Subsequent measurements were made i n d i v i d u a l l y . The t o t a l e l a p s e d time between t h e f i n a l measurement and when t h e f a n was s h u t o f f was no more t h a n 2 min f o r a l l t h e tests. A t t h e c o n c l u s i o n of e a c h t e s t , t h e i n t e r n a l and o u t s i d e s u r f a c e s of t h e p i p e sample were "wet ragged," and a charge measurement was made t o i n s u r e t h a t no c h a r g e remained on t h e p i p e p r i o r t o t h e next test. A l l t e s t s were r e p e a t e d t h r e e t i m e s , and t h e r e s u l t s were t h e n averaged. Figu r e 7 shows t h r e e s e p a r a t e tests cond u c t e d under i d e n t i c a l c o n d i t i o n s . The s t a t i c c h a r g e g e n e r a l l y d e c r e a s e s from t h e i n l e t t o t h e e x h a u s t end of t h e p i p e f o r e a c h t e s t . V a r i a t i o n s between t e s t
4-in-wide aluminum sheet on copperwire frame, 2-in solid PVC
pipe handle
FIGURE
5.
FIGURE
6.
10
0
1 o
8-
o A
I 0
1 4
1 6
18
FIGURE tests.
7.
Velocity
- 5,000
ft/min,
temperature = 65'
F,
8.
relative humidity = 48 pct, Pittsburgh Coalbed dust, DuPont type 2 pipe, exposuretime 3 rnin, dust concentration = 5,500 mg/m3, dust s i z e = minus 200 mesh.
FIGURE system.
r u n s r a n g e t o 4 kV; t h e c a u s e s f o r t h o s e v a r i a t i o n s a r e n o t known. Measuring e l e c t r o s t a t i c c h a r g e on a n o b j e c t i s a d i f f i c u l t t a s k due t o t h e e f f e c t s of t h e c a p a c i t a n c e of t h e measurement equipment. It i s a well-known s c i e n t i f i c principle that the electrostatic c h a r g e i s s t o r e d i n t h e e l e c t r i c f i e l d of t h e s y s t e m ' s c a p a c i t a n c e (C). T h e r e f o r e , when a measuring d e v i c e i s brought i n t o t h e v i c i n i t y of t h e o b j e c t of i n t e r e s t , a n e f f e c t on t h e e l e c t r i c f i e l d can be d e t e c t e d . T h i s e f f e c t i s a f u n c t i o n of t h e r e l a t i v e s i z e of t h e c a p a c i t a n c e s and t h e c o n f i g u r a t i o n of t h e e l e c t r i c c i r c u i t a f t e r t h e measuring d e v i c e i s connected. I n t h e c a s e of measuring t h e e l e c t r o s t a t i c v o l t a g e on a methane d r a i n a g e pipeline, the following c i r c u i t relations h i p s c a n be d e r i v e d from t h e t e s t s e t u p . Assuming t h a t t h e p i p e l i n e i s i s o l a t e d from ground, t h e a c t u a l v o l t a g e t o which t h e p i p e l i n e i s charged i s a s f o l l o w s :
p a r t i c u l a t e m a t e r i a l i s d r i v e n through t h e p i p e l i n e by a c e r t a i n v e l o c i t y a i r stream. The measuring system i s t h e n brought i n t o c o n t a c t w i t h t h e i n s i d e s u r f a c e of t h e p i p e l i n e t o make a measurement. F i g u r e 8 shows t h a t t h e measuring c i r c u i t c o n t a i n s two c a p a c i t o r s , one f o r t h e c a p a c i t a n c e of t h e probe ( C ' ) and t h e o t h e r f o r t h e c a p a c i t a n c e of t h e meter ( C ) Because t h e charge w i l l r e d i s t r i k u t e i t s e l f between t h e t h r e e c a p a c i t o r s when t h e s w i t c h i s c l o s e d ( i .e. , a measurement t a k e n ) , t h e e q u a t i o n r e l a t i n g t h e r e a d i n g on t h e meter (V,) w i t h t h e a c t u a l v o l t a g e (V,) t h a t was i n i t i a l l y on t h e p i p e l i n e i s a s follows:
where
V,
Qo =
and
Cp = the
T h i s e q u a t i o n shows t h a t i f t h e c a p a c i t a n c e of t h e o b j e c t b e i n g measured ( C p ) i s much g r e a t e r t h a n t h e c a p a c i t a n c e of t h e measuring c i r c u i t (C' and C m ) , t h e meter r e a d i n g i s e q u i v a l e n t t o t h e a c t u a l v o l t a g e (V,). Second, i f t h e measuring c i r c u i t d o e s have a n e f f e c t on t h e a c t u a l r e a d i n g , t h e e r r o r w i l l be such t h a t t h e recorded reading i s l e s s than t h e a c t u a l reading. T h e r e f o r e , i f a l l of t h e capaci t a n c e s were e i t h e r measured o r c a l c u l a t e d , a means t o c o r r e c t t h e r e a d i n g s f o r t h e e f f e c t of t h e measuring c i r c u i t c o u l d be made. However, because t h e cap a c i t a n c e of t h e p i p e l i n e was l a r g e w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e measuring c i r c u i t and
was
deemed
suitable
LABORATORY RESULTS Clean, d r y a i r e q u i v a l e n t t o 1 MMft3/d (0.33 m3/s) was p u t through a 2-in-diam (5-cm) Dupont t y p e 2 p i p e sample a t a vel o c i t y of 33,000 f t / m i n (168 m / s ) . This v e l o c i t y i s 22 t i m e s t h e maximum v e l o c i t y measured i n underground methane pipel i n e s . The t e m p e r a t u r e and r e l a t i v e hum i d i t y of t h e gas s t r e a m were 63" F (17" C) and 22 p c t , r e s p e c t i v e l y . While t h e t e m p e r a t u r e i s normal f o r a n underground c o a l mine, t h e humidity i s v e r y low. N o charge was d e t e c t e d o v e r a 3-h o p e r a t i n g p e r i o d . , Thus, even a t low hum i d i t i e s , g a s streams f r e e of p a r t i c u l a t e m a t t e r have no s t a t i c c h a r g e p o t e n t i a l . Six-foot (1.8-m) l o n g s e c t i o n s of 6-in (15-cm) diam Dupont t y p e 2, D r i s c o t y p e 2, D r i s c o t y p e 3 , and Plexco t y p e 3 were compared f o r t h e i r c h a r g e s u s c e p t i b i l i t y . P i t t s b u r g h Coalbed d u s t , minus 28 mesh (600 um) ( t a b l e 3 ) , was f e d i n t o a 5,000f t / m i n (25-1s) a i r s t r e a m . Each sample was exposed t o a 5 , 500-mg/m3 d u s t concent r a t i o n f o r 2 mine The t e m p e r a t u r e and t h e r e l a t i v e h u m i d i t y of t h e g a s s t r e a m were 59" F (15" C) and 40 p c t , respect i v e l y . F i g u r e 9 shows t h a t t h e t y p e 2 p i p e charged t o a g r e a t e r v o l t a g e t h a n d i d t h e t y p e 3 p i p e , which c o n t a i n s c a r bon b l a c k . The e f f e c t of g a s v e l o c i t y on s t a t i c c h a r g e g e n e r a t i o n was determined by feedi n g 2.6 l b ( 1 , 2 0 0 g ) of d u s t i n t o a p i p e f o r 3 min. F i g u r e 10 shows t h a t a 5,000 f t / m i n ( 2 5 m/s) , a maximum c h a r g e of 3.2 k V i s g e n e r a t e d c l o s e t o t h e i n l e t of t h e p i p e and d e c r e a s e s t h e r e a f t e r . A t 2,500 ft/min (13 m/s), t h e charge b u i l d s t o a maximum of 2.0 k V about 5 f t (1.5 m) from t h e i n l e t , and a t 1,000 f t / m i n (5 m/s) a maximum charge of about 1.6 kV o c c u r s about 11 f t (3.4 m) from t h e i n l e t . N o measurable c h a r g e i s d e t e c t e d a l o n g t h e f i r s t 11 f t (3.4 m) of t h e p i p e when t h e g a s v e l o c i t y i s 1,000 f t/min (5 m/s) Apparently a t 1,000 f t / m i n ( 5 m/s) and t o a l e s s e r e x t e n t a t 2,500 f t / m i n ( 1 3 m / s ) , t h e d u s t p a r t i c l e s r e q u i r e more t i m e t o r e a c h t h e v e l o c i t y of t h e g a s s t r e a m , and TABLE 3. - P a r t i c l e - s i z e d i s t r i b u t i o n of P i t t s b u r g h Coalbed samples, percent P r a t i c l e s i z e , Minus mesh 318 i n -318 i n , +8.. 31.0 -8, +28....... 39.7 -28, +48.. ..a 13.4 -48, +loo..... 7.8 -100, +200.. e . 4.3 -200. 3.8 N A p Not a p p l i c a b l e . Minus 28 mesh NAP N A P 1.6 64.6 26.7 7.1 Minus 200 mesh N A P N A P N A P NAP N A P 100.0
. .......
l
F I G U R E 9. 5,000 ft'min,
=
midity time =
5,500
mg/m 3,
dust size
minus
28
mesh.
10. - E f f e c t o f v e l o c i t y v a r i a t i o n . Tem6 7 O F, r e l a t i v e h u m i d i t y = 60 pct, P i t t s burgh Coalbed dust, D u P o n t t y p e 2 pipe, exposure time = 3 min, d u s t load 400 g/min, d u s t s i z e = m i nus 28 mesh.
FIGURE perature
=
consequently t h e charging process occurs f u r t h e r from t h e i n l e t . F i g u r e 11 shows t h a t t h e magnitude of t h e s t a t i c c h a r g e on t h e p i p e i n c r e a s e s a s t h e exposure time t o p a r t i c l e s inc r e a s e s . Only about 13 f t (4.0 m) of t h e 20-ft (6.1-m) l e n g t h of p i p e i s charged. Note t h a t t h e p i p e i s n o t charged uniformly a l o n g i t s l e n g t h . The c h a r g e i s z e r o n e a r t h e i n l e t , i n c r e a s e s t o a maxim u m a t about 5 f t (1.5 m), and t h e n dec r e a s e s t o zero. T h i s i s c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e 2,500-ft/min ( 1 3 1 n / s ) v e l o c i t y t e s t ( f i g . 10). P a r t i c l e s i z e has a marked e f f e c t on t h e magnitude of t h e s t a t i c c h a r g e gene r a t e d on p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e ( t a b l e 3 ) . F i g u r e 12 shows t h a t minus 200 mesh ( 7 5 ym) d u s t produces a h i g h e r charge t h a n d o e s minus 28-mesh (600 ym) d u s t . Appare n t l y , t h e f i n e r dust has a l a r g e r surf a c e a r e a from which c h a r g e s can be s t r i p p e d . The c h a r g i n g c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s
,
of t h e P i t t s b u r g h and Coalburg Coalbeds ( t a b l e 2) were compared u s i n g minus 200mesh ( 7 5 ym) d u s t . F i g u r e 13 shows t h a t t h e Coalburg Coalbed d u s t imparted a g r e a t e r charge than d i d the Pittsburgh Coalbed d u s t over about t h e f i r s t 6 f t (1.8 m) of p i p e downstream of t h e i n l e t and a lower c h a r g e downstream of t h e 9 - f t (2.7-m) measurement p o i n t . A p p a r e n t l y , the difference i n charging characterist i c s i s due t o t h e h i g h e r a s h c o n t e n t of t h e Coalburg d u s t ( t a b l e 2 ) . Both tests compared e q u a l weight d u s t samples. Plexco t y p e 3 p i p e , 4-in (10-cm) diam, was assembled i n t o a 24-ft (7.3-m) l o n g , double 90" (1.57 r a d ) bend t e s t s e c t i o n ( f i g . 1 4 ) . The c i r c l e d numbers r e p r e s e n t the eight static charge measurement points. P i t t s b u r g h Coalbed d u s t [minus
10
I
I
-
a
2 DISTANCE FROM INLET, ft
4
16
18
FlGlJRE
F I G U R E 11. Velocityl
13.
2,50Oft/min,
60 F,
=
rela-
5,000
=
55
pct,
pipe,
mg/m3, d u s t s i z e
32,000
5,500
exposure time = 3 min, dust concentration mg/m3, dust s i z e = minus 200 mesh.
28
mesh.
4-in pipe
i
(Plexo
5,500
mg/m3.
pipe.)
28 mesh ( 6 0 0 urn)], d e g r e a s e d i r o n f i l i n g s [minus 40 mesh ( 4 2 5 urn)], and s a n d [minus 1 2 mesh (1.4 mm)] were f e d t o a 10,000f t / m i n (51-m/s) v e l o c i t y airstream. A 200-mL volume of c o a l d u s t , s a n d , and i r o n f i l i n g s o r 0.44, 0.60, and 1.12 l b ( 2 0 0 , 270, and 510 g ) , r e s p e c t i v e l y , was added o v e r s e p a r a t e 3 min e x p o s u r e t i m e t e s t s . F i g u r e 15 shows t h a t f o r c o a l d u s t , t h e maximum s t a t i c c h a r g e o c c u r r e d n e a r t h e i n l e t ( s t a t i o n s 1 and 2) a n d dec r e a s e d toward s t a t i o n 3. A t t h e e l b o w s , t h e c h a r g e on t h e p i p e i n c r e a s e d ( s t a t i o n s 4 and 7 ) . A p p a r e n t l y , t h e elbows c a u s e c o a l - p a r t i c l e d e g r a d a t i o n which exp o s e s new s u r f a c e s t o t h e e l e c t r o n exchange process. For t h e i r o n and s a n d p a r t i c l e s , no c h a r g e o c c u r r e d on t h e i n i t i a l s t r a i g h t p o r t i o n of t h e p i p e ( s t a t i o n s 1 , 2 , and 3) u n t i l t h e p a r t i c l e s i m p a c t e d t h e p i p e a t t h e f i r s t elbow ( s t a t i o n 4 ) . The c h a r g e was g r e a t e s t a t t h e e l b o w , and t h e n d e c r e a s e d a l o n g t h e s t r a i g h t p o r t i o n of t h e p i p e ( s t a t i o n s 5 a n d 6 ) u n t i l t h e n e x t elbow was r e a c h e d where t h e c h a r g e i n c r e a s e d a g a i n ( s t a t i o n 7 ) . The s a n d and i r o n p a r t i c l e s d i d n o t c h a r g e t h e f i r s t 10 f t (3.1 m) of t h e p i p e l i n e ( s t a t i o n s 1 , 2 , and 3 ) . These are much h e a v i e r t h a n c o a l p a r t i c l e s and may r e q u i r e a l o n g e r p i p e l e n g t h t o r e a c h t h e s p e e d of t h e airstream on a much h i g h e r v e l o c i t y airstream. E x p e r i e n c e shows t h a t when t h e relat i v e h u m i d i t y i s low i n s i d e a b u i l d i n g , walking a c r o s s a c a r p e t e d f l o o r can g e n e r a t e s t a t i c charges of c o n s i d e r a b l e
I
I I Elbow I
I
I
m a g n i t u d e , b u t when t h e r e l a t i v e h u m i d i t y i s h i g h , t h e s t a t i c c h a r g e annoyance i s minimal o r e l i m i n a t e d . Similar r e s u l t s have been observed f o r polyethylene pipe. A 2 0 - f t (6.1-m) l e n g t h o f p i p e was p l a c e d i n a chamber ( f i g . 2 ) , and steam was i n j e c t e d t o c o n t r o l h u m i d i t y . F i g u r e 16 shows t h a t when t h e r e l a t i v e h u m i d i t y o f t h e airstream i s i n c r e a s e d from 38 t o 8 0 p c t , t h e s t a t i c c h a r g e on t h e p i p e decreased dramatically. Thus, t h e r e l a t i v e h u m i d i t y of t h e airstream i s a n i m p o r t a n t f a c t o r c o n t r o l l i n g t h e static charge on t h e pipe. Generally, b a r e copper w i r e is s p i r a l l y wound on p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e , and a t i n t e r v a l s of a b o u t 500 f t ( 1 5 2 m), t h e c o p p e r w i r e i s connected t o a buried copper ground rod. L a b o r a t o r y t e s t s were cond u c t e d t o e v a l u a t e t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s of t h i s g r o u n d i n g p r o c e d u r e on t h e s t a t i c c h a r g e s on t h e i n s i d e and t h e o u t s i d e o f t h e pipe. F i g u r e 17 shows t h a t when no ground w i r e i s p r e s e n t , t h e c h a r g e on t h e i n s i d e s u r f a c e of t h e p i p e r a n g e s f r o m a b o u t 10 kV n e a r t h e i n l e t t o 6 kV a b o u t 7 f t (2.1 m) from t h e i n l e t . When t h e c o p p e r w i r e i s s p i r a l l y wound i n 1 - f t (30-cm) o r 2-ft (61-cm) spacing, t h e s t a t i c c h a r g e on t h e i n s i d e s u r f a c e i s reduced b u t n o t eliminated. On t h e o u t s i d e s u r f a c e of t h e p i p e , no c h a r g e i s measured when t h e p i p e i s s p i r a l l y wound w i t h b a r e c o p p e r wire i n a 1 - f t (30-cm) s p a c i n g . For a 2 - f t (61-cm) spacing, a s t a t i c c h a r g e of a b o u t 2 kV i s measured between t h e winds of c o p p e r w i r e . Thus,
1 Elbow 2
KEY
3
W
- 62 C
A 80pct RH (gas stream and ambient) o 8Opct RH gas stream and 37 pct
r x
(3
I
U
a 4-
Pittsburgh Coal
2 I
1 0
12
1 4
16
18
8
FIGURE
=
MEASUREMENT STATION
FIGURE
15.
R e s u l t s of e l b o w test.
Velocity
10,000 ft/min, temperature = 68' F, re l a t i v e humidi t y = 46 pct, exposure time = 2 min, contaminate volume = 200 m L .
16. E f f e c t of h u m i d i t y v a r i a t i o n s . V e 5,000 ft/min, temperature = 69' F, Coalburg Coalbed dust, D u P o n t t y p e 2 pipe, exposure t i m e = 2 min, d u s t c o n c e n t r a t i o n = 11,000 mg/m3, d u s t s i z e = minus 200 mesh.
locity
KEY
U No qround wire a Ground wire, 2-ft spaced spiral 0 Ground wire, I-ft spaced spiral 1 I I I
6
Veloc-
FIGURE 18.
i t y - 3 0 pct, DuPont type
7
Ve-
57O F,
r e l a t i v e humid=
25 Ib,
min.
5,00Oft/min,
62' F, r e l a t i v e hu=
midity =
40
-2
--
..........
a s p i r a l l y wound, grounded copper w i r e i s e f f e c t i v e i n reducing t h e charge on t h e o u t s i d e and i n s i d e s u r f a c e s of t h e p i p e . Underground methane p i p e l i n e s a r e l o c a t e d i n r e t u r n a i r w a y s , which a r e r o c k dusted periodically using forced a i r t o blow t h e r o c k d u s t i n t o t h e e n t r y . T h i s p r o c e d u r e was s i m u l a t e d i n t h e l a b o r a t o r y t o d e t e r m i n e t h e s t a t i c - c h a r g e e f f e c t of t h e r o c k d u s t p a r t i c l e s on t h e p i p e l i n e ( f i g . 4). Air v e l o c i t y around t h e p i p e i n t h e d u s t chamber was a b o u t 200 f t / m i n ( 1 m/s) and o v e r a 5-min p e r i o d , 25 l b
d7O3........
(11 kg) o f rock d u s t was drawn o v e r t h e p i p e ( t a b l e 4). Rock d u s t c o a t e d t h e p i p e , and no measurable s t a t i c c h a r g e was d e t e c t e d on t h e o u t s i d e s u r f a c e of t h e p i p e . However, a s t a t i c c h a r g e of a b o u t 2 kV was measured on t h e i n s i d e s u r f a c e of t h e p i p e ( f i g . 18). The r e l a t i v e hum i d i t y d u r i n g t h e t e s t was a b o u t 30 p c t , which i s low compared w i t h a n underground environment and may have c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e g e n e r a t i o n of s t a t i c charge.
FIELD TESTS Three underground pipelines were d i s m a n t l e d and examined f o r contamination. T a b l e 5 shows t h a t t h e volume of methane t r a n s p o r t e d by t h e s e p i p e l i n e s ranged from 100 m i l l i o n t o 400 m i l l i o n f t 3 (2.8 m i l l i o n t o 11.3 m i l l i o n m3). N o TABLE 5. d i s c o l o r a t i o n , s c a r r i n g , o r d e p o s i t s of d u s t o r d i r t were found. One of t h e p i p e l i n e s was u s e d i n a c r o s s - m e a s u r e system, which i s more prone t o produce d u s t because of s t r a t a movement.
Dust c o n t a m i n a t i o n d a t a f o r methane d r a i n a g e p i p e l i n e s
Site Beckley Mining Co. : Beckley Mine BethEnergy Mines I n c . : Cambria 33 H n e . . Marianna Mine..................
Pipe ma terial
..............
cross-measure Horizontal...
..
..... J-J-i
None None
FIGURE
20.
TABLE 6. - R e s u l t s of r e a l - t i m e e v a l u a t i o n of methane d r a i n a g e pipelines Jim Walter No. 5 Mine Gas stream: Velocity.. .f t/min.. Dust conc.. .mg/m3.. Relative humidity, pct: Gas stream.. Entry................. Methane conc.. .pct. Temperature.. . O F ' . Charge measured.. .V..
Beckley Mine
--
*A%-
.
-
'
FIGURE
19.
1,040 0.05 78 83 97 63 0
To f u r t h e r i n v e s t i g a t e t h e d u s t l e v e l s i n working methane d r a i n a g e systems, a c r o s s - m e a s u r e s u r f a c e borehole and two A v e r t i c a l gob b o r e h o l e s were i n s p e c t e d . real-time a e r o s o l monitor ( f i g . 19) was used t o measure t h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n of minus 20-um d u s t particles i n the methane-air g a s flows from t h e t h r e e b o r e h o l e s . The measured d u s t l e v e l s were comparable t o l e v e l s i n a c l e a n a i r e n v i ronment, which produced no s t a t i c c h a r g e on t h e p i p e i n t h e l a b o r a t o r y tests even though t h e v e l o c i t y of t h e g a s s t r e a m was 33,000 f t / m i n (168 m/s) and r e l a t i v e hum i d i t y was low (22 p c t )
S t a t i c - c h a r g e measurements were conducted on two underground methane d r a i n (10-cm) age p i p e l i n e s ( t a b l e 6 ) . A 4-in wide band of aluminum was wrapped around each p i p e l i n e t o c o l l e c t s t a t i c c h a r g e s and a 0- t o 300-V e l e c t r o s t a t i c v o l t m e t e r was used t o measure t h e s t a t i c charge ( f i g . 20) For b o t h p i p e l i n e s , t h e r e l a t i v e humidity of t h e gas s t r e a m and t h e e n t r y c o n t a i n i n g t h e p i p e l i n e were 78 p c t o r g r e a t e r . Dust c o n c e n t r a t i o n s i n t h e gas s t r e a m s were comparable t o a c l e a n a i r environment. N o s t a t i c charge was d e t e c t e d on t h e two p i p e l i n e s .
S U M M A R Y AND CONCLUSIONS V e l o c i t i e s up t o 33,000 f t / m i n (168 m/s) i n p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e produced no s t a t i c c h a r g e s when t h e g a s s t r e a m was f r e e of p a r t i c u l a t e m a t t e r . When p a r t i c u l a t e m a t t e r i s p r e s e n t , t h e magnitude of s t a t i c charge i s d i r e c t l y proportional t o t h e gas-stream v e l o c i t y and d u s t concent r a t i o n and i n v e r s e l y p r o p o r t i o n a l t o s i z e of t h e d u s t p a r t i c l e s and r e l a t i v e humidity. Type 2 p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e charged t o a g r e a t e r magnitude t h a n d i d t y p e 3, which c o n t a i n s carbon b l a c k and i s presumably more c o n d u c t i v e t h a n t y p e 2. F i e l d measurements showed t h a t t h e r e l a t i v e humidity of t h e gas t r a n s p o r t e d i n underground methane d r a i n a g e p i p e l i n e s i s 78 p c t o r g r e a t e r , and t h e d u s t conceno t r a t i o n i s n e g l i g i b l e (0.06 mg/m3). N s t a t i c c h a r g e was measurable on t h e underground p i p e l i n e s under t h e s e conditions. I n l a b o r a t o r y tests where t h e r e l a t i v e humidity was 78 p c t o r g r e a t e r and d u s t c o n c e n t r a t i o n s were 11,000 mg/ m 3 , a s t a t i c c h a r g e of only 2 k V was gene r a t e d . Where r e l a t i v e humidity was 22 p c t and p a r t i c u l a t e c o n c e n t r a t i o n s were n e g l i g i b l e , no measurable s t a t i c c h a r g e was g e n e r a t e d even though gas-stream vel o c i t y was a s h i g h a s 33,000 f t / m i n (168 m/s). Thus, r e l a t i v e humidity and d u s t c o n c e n t r a t i o n c o n d i t i o n s would have t o change r a d i c a l l y f o r t h e development of s i z a b l e s t a t i c c h a r g e s on underground methane p i p e l i n e s . The b u i l d u p of s t a t i c c h a r g e s on t h e o u t s i d e s u r f a c e of p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e c a n be p r e v e n t e d by wrapping b a r e copper w i r e (30-cm) spacaround t h e p i p e i n a 1 - f t i n g . When a 2-ft (61-cm) s p i r a l wrapping i s u s e d , s t a t i c c h a r g e s e x i s t between t h e wraps. However, t h e s t a t i c c h a r g e on t h e i n s i d e p i p e s u r f a c e i s reduced b u t n o t eliminated f o r both t h e 1-ft (30-cm) and 2-ft (61-cm) s p a c i n g s . The low-velocity flow [200 f t / m i n ( 1 m / s ) J of rock d u s t around p o l y e t h y l e n e p i p e g e n e r a t e d a s t a t i c c h a r g e of a b o u t 2 kV on t h e i n s i d e s u r f a c e and no meas u r a b l e c h a r g e on t h e o u t s i d e s u r f a c e , which was c o a t e d w i t h rock d u s t . The r e l a t i v e humidity d u r i n g t h e t e s t was 30 p c t compared w i t h f i e l d measurement a t 78 p c t o r g r e a t e r , which would lower t h e s t a t i c c h a r g e on t h e inside surface considerably. F i e l d measurements show t h a t t h e r e l a t i v e h u m i d i t i e s i n t h e mine e n t r y and t h e g a s s t r e a m a r e h i g h (78 p c t o r g r e a t e r ) , and t h e l e v e l of p a r t i c u l a t e matter i n t h e g a s s t r e a m i s comparable t o t h a t of a c l e a n a i r environment. These c o n d i t i o n s a r e n o t conducive t o t h e development of s t a t i c c h a r g e s on underground polyethylene pipelines. Because of t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of s t a t i c c h a r g e b u i l d u p on underground p i p e l i n e s , t h e wet-rag t e c h n i q u e should be employed t o remove s t a t i c c h a r g e s from t h e o u t s i d e p i p e s u r f a c e and t o reduce t h e s t a t i c c h a r g e on t h e i n s i d e s u r f a c e b e f o r e a polyethylene p i p e l i n e is repaired o r dismantled.
REFERENCES
1. Diamond, W e P. S i t e - S p e c i f i c and Regional Geologic Considerations f o r Coalbed Gas Drainage. BuMines I C 8898, 1982, 24 pp. 2. Maksimovic, S. D . , and F. N. K i s s e l l . Three Coal Mine Gob D e g a s i f i c a t i o n S t u d i e s Using S u r f a c e Boreholes and a Bleeder System. BuMines R I 8459, 1980, 10 PP.
3 . C e r v i k , J . Experience With Methane C o n t r o l From H o r i z o n t a l Boreholes. Pap e r i n Proceedings of t h e Second I n t e r n a t i o n a l Mine V e n t i l a t i o n Congress, Reno, NV, Nov. 4-8, 1979. Soc. Min. Eng. AIME, 1980, pp. 257-264. J. Cervik, and 4. Campoli, A . A . , S. J . S c h a t z e l . C o n t r o l of Longwall Gob Gas With Cross-Methane Boreholes (upper
K i t t a n n i n g Coalbed). BuMines RI 8841, 1983, 1 7 pp. 5. Energy A p p l i c a t i o n , Inc. Design a n d Recommended S p e c i f i c a t i o n s f o r a S a f e Methane Gas Piping System ( c o n t r a c t 50155145). BuMines OFR 109-76, 1977, 8 0 pp.; NTIS PB 2593408s. 6. T i s d a l e , J. E . , D. W. Mitchell, R. A. E l a m , M. J. L a w l e s s , and B. E. Taylor. P i p i n g Methane i n Underground Coal Mines. M S H A IR 1094, 1978, 34 pp. 7. N a t i o n a l F i r e P r o t e c t i o n Associat ion. Recommended P r a c t i c e on S t a t i c E l e c t r i c i t y . ANsI/NFPA 77, Dec. 7 , 1982, 5 8 PP.
8. D a v i s , G. W . , and I. K. DeBlieu. S t a t i c E l e c t r i c i t y and L i g h t n i n g E f f e c t s on P l a s t i c Pipe. P a p e r i n Proc. AGA D i s t r . Conf., Los A n g e l e s , CA, May 1975. AGA, 1975, pp. 175-177. 9. G r e n i e r , G . , and R. C a l d w e l l . S t a t i c E l e c t r i c i t y on P o l y e t h y l e n e P i p e . P a p e r i n Proc. 4 t h AGA P l a s t i c P i p e Symp., Denver, CO, Nov. 1972. AGA, 1972, pp. 84-86. 10. Allegheny M i n e r a l Corp. Private communications, 1985; a v a i l a b l e upon req u e s t from A. A. Campoli, BuMines, P i t t s burgh, PA.