On 30th August 2014, at around 5.00 A.

M, an explosion occurred in the 36”A gas pipeline from

Zelten to Brega at Km 18. The pipeline is owned and operated by Sirte Oil Company (SOC) .
This pipeline with a ‫ تنرىة‬,lm;,cfd was constructed and commissioned in 1970. The explosion
occurred due to the rupture of the pipeline fdfvdvlosion area including a high tension power line
and also consequential cessation of the gas supply to the Brega Gas plant.

Following the incident, immediate action was taken to cut off the gas feed to the pipeline from
various gas fields.

The aim of this paper is to outline the investigation carried out on the incident and to analyse
and detect both the direct and indirect causes which vcxvhad contributed to the incident. The
investigation involved collection of all evidences including physical examination of a piece of
ruptured pipeline, technical informationon, pipe specifications, operation and maintenance
history and some photographs from the scene of xvxvvxcvsed on our findings, the most
probable cause of the incident was due to the external corrosion of the pipe.

This paper also highlights the steps that have been taken for the repair of the pipeline to bring it
back to its normal service and also gives recommendations to eliminate such occurrences in the
future.

1. Introduction

The 36”A sour gas pipeline is a pipeline with two-phase flow which has been designed
originally to transfer an amount of 550 MMSCF/D of associated gas and amount of 5,000
BBL/D of liquid hydrocarbons from Zelten to Marsa El
cxvvvxcvxcvdfwwewarqrsdadsrocessing of natural gas and liquid hydrocarbon.

The pipeline is also interconnected with other fields through tie-in for associated gas and liquid
hydrocarbon feed.

Table No. 1 given below shows the design and operating data of the pipeline.

Table N0.1 – Pipeline Design & Operating Data

Year of Construction and Commissioning 1970

 Size/ Diameter 36” (N.D)

Length 171.4 Km

Carrying media Natural Gas and condensate (two phase

flow)

Design Capacity 550 mmscfd

Design pressure 690 psi

Operating pressure (arrival point) 450 psi

Design materials API SL Grade X 52

Thickness 0.344” and 0.5”

LBV s (locations) At Km 163, Km 149, Km 135, Km 110,

Km 91, Km 81.5, Km 52.6

2. The Pipeline Operation Safety

As per the original design the pipeline has been provided with 7 Line Break Valves (LBVs)
distributed alongside the pipeline and as shown in the above table.

The pipeline is also protected by a cathodic protection system (CP) incorporating a number at CP
stations at km 17, 39, 73 and 109.

As per the pipeline operation procedures, the pipeline is subjected to frequent pigging and
cleaning operation to ensure removal of water and liquid hydrocarbons from the line.

In regard with pipeline maintenance and inspection, a Consultant Company (PII) had carried out
an intelligent pig survey in February 2001 for the entire pipeline.
The inspection survey report showed that a total of 75256 metal loss features (defects) have been
detected on which the deepest was 90% from the wall thickness, and these are distributed
throughout the pipeline.

Table No. 2 summarizes these results.

No. of Defects Severity

25053 Have a predicted peak depth of ≤ 20 %

4836 Have a predicted peak depth of > 20 % and ≤ 40 %

27 Have a predicted peak depth of 40 % and ≤ 60 %

41 Have a predicted peak depth of > 60 %

41283 Have a predicted peak depth of ≤ 20 %

3809 Have a predicted peak depth of > 20 % and ≤ 40 %

207 Have a predicted peak depth of > 40 % and ≤ 60 %

The majority of these defects erAny metal in contact with water, soil, and air will corrode and
fall down after a time. Metal due to its characteristics (strong, ductile, malleable 1, …) is most
applicable in industrial applications like offshore structures, ships, pipelines, moorings, scx
tavnks, sea bridges, submarines, military aircrafts, piers…etc., and it must be protected from
corrosion occurrence to keep with its highest quality and original characteristics.

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Benefits. For utilities, there are two choices: (1) install and maintain CP; or (2) periodically
replace the utility when the leak failure rate becomes an operational (or financial) burden.
Properly installed and maintained cathodic protection sc dramatically reduce life cycle costs by
indefinitely extending a utility’s lifetime. They also reduce the t fuel leaks. Environmental
cleanup, transportation, and disposing of soil, monitori ng requirements, and other costs
1
Ductility is said to be the property of a material to stretch without getting damaged.  Malleability is said to be the
property of a material to deform under compression. Ductile material can be rolled into wire. Malleable material can
be rolled into sheet.
connected to a “reportable” (over 3,785 liters [1,000 gallons]) leak can cost the government over
one million dollars. Notices of Violation (NOV) can carry stiff cx vds and penalties. CP is
essential maintaining any metallic structure in a corrosive environment at the lowest

life cycle cost.