Any modern metropolis and even the smallest settlement can not do without the use of gas pipelines: both residential buildings and industrial enterprises necessarily use gas - for heating and other household needs. The problem is that such engineering structures are extremely dangerous, even their smallest damage is fraught with a major accident and even catastrophe. That is why there are security zones of gas pipelines.
Definition
First you need to define the very concept of "gas pipeline". This is an engineering structure consisting of pipes and supports on which they are mounted, as well as a variety of related equipment that helps in the delivery of gas to the consumer.
Fuel is supplied under a certain pressure, and its transportation is highly dependent on the geographic parameters of the site. Gas pipelines are used in two types: distribution and trunk - depending on the pressure force. The security zones of gas pipelines also depend entirely on these parameters.
Types and Types
First type gas pipelines has a pressure of up to ten MPa, and the second - up to two and a half MPa. Distribution pipes are of three types: low pressure - up to five thousandths of MPa, medium pressure - up to three tenths of MPa, and high pressure - up to six tenths of MPa. Pipes are laid underground, aboveground and underwater methods, respectively, hence the name for this classification. The security zones of gas pipelines also vary depending on the pressure and method of installation.
The main function of the protected areas is the ban on construction in the area. The security zones of gas pipelines are determined by special documents containing the characteristics of the pipes, the method of laying the pipeline and the permissible pressure inside.
The width of the security zone depends on these characteristics. Thanks to it, the uninterrupted operation of the facility, safety, integrity and serviceability are ensured. Work in the security zone of the gas pipeline is carried out in coordination with the organization that operates this facility.
Prohibited
In the security zone it is impossible to build compost pits, build basements, work with welding, install barriers that impede access to pipes, create landfills and arbitrarily connect to the gas pipeline.
The security zone of a medium-pressure gas pipeline is usually equipped with special columns with signs on which the following information is given: name and geographic location of the object, distance to the axis of the pipeline, size of the security zone, contact details of the organization that serves the object. Such plates can be located on power poles, on cell towers.
Dimensions
The rules for the protection of pipelines provide for the arrangement of protective territories. The security zone of the high pressure gas distribution gas pipeline is ten meters on either side of it. Trunk have fifty meters of protected territory. If liquefied gas is delivered through pipes, the security zone is at least one hundred meters. An ordinary medium-pressure pipeline requires four meters of such territory, and the security territory of a low-pressure gas pipeline is only two meters.
The design and technical documentation without fail contains all of the above information and is stored in the design bureau, which is most often the organization for servicing this engineering structure.An act issued by local governments or the executive branch and fixing the security zone on the master plan are documents for creating a special territory around the gas pipeline.
Exploitation
The main activities that are carried out in the security zones by the operating organization are as follows: twice a year briefing is conducted with the owners of the land, where the security zone of the main gas pipeline and any other is located, for safety measures; once a year - correction of the route with the introduction of all changes to the project documentation, and if the transformation is really necessary, the gas protection zone itself will change. Construction Norms and Regulations (construction norms and rules) that regulate all standards of a technical, legal and economic nature, as well as engineering surveys, must be observed.
In connection with the changes discovered during the year, it is necessary to change the marking itself with special columns located at a distance of no more than five hundred meters from each other. In this way, all pipe bends, which the gas protection zone must repeat, are indicated. How many meters from one bend to another - it does not matter, they still need to be fixed without fail. Also, all intersections with other objects belonging to the infrastructure (bridges, roads, etc.) should be marked with signs. A warning that the security zone of the gas pipeline (trunk or distribution) passes here is a prerequisite.
Information on the plates
Mandatory sign prohibition of parking and even stopping transport that is not related to the organization operating the gas pipeline. Along with information about the depth (if it is underground) of the gas pipeline, its direction is indicated. The first plate is standing upright, the next - with the mileage symbol - are placed at an angle of 30 degrees for visual control from the aircraft.
It is necessary to observe all safety measures in such an important area as the gas protection zone (including low pressure). This minimizes the risk and damage of the consequences of accidents. Unauthorized work in the immediate vicinity is unacceptable, since not only a fire, but also an explosion can happen. Liability information is indicated on the plates. The risk of damage to the gas pipeline should also be minimized.
Possible tragic accidents
From harm to gas pipelines and other dangerous objects, few are insured. Each owner of the territory where the security zone is located can damage the insulation, or even the pipe itself, if it involves a large construction project or laying, for example, a water supply system, on the site without approval. Damage to pipes is a big administrative violation and provides for a fine of five thousand rubles, depending on the damage caused.
If the security zones of gas pipelines are well marked on the ground, and maintenance work carried out in a timely and careful manner, then emergency situations that are associated with this type of engineering structures will not happen, which will help preserve material resources, health and even people's lives.
Gas supply system
This is a very complex complex in which the facilities are designed not just for transportation, but also for processing, and for gas distribution among consumers. The system consists of the gas networks themselves, that is, three types of gas pipelines - low, high and medium pressure, as well as gas distribution stations, gas control points and installations, services and auxiliary facilities. All this is intended for the normal and uninterrupted operation of the entire gas supply system. It should be safe to operate, simple and convenient to maintain, be able to disable individual sections for repair work or in the event of an accident.
The gas pipeline security zone is the main condition for the safe operation of this entire system. Even underwater crossings of a gas pipeline include a special territory, regardless of the category of pipes.It will be one hundred meters in each direction from the pipe.
RF rules for security zones
Gas distribution networks should have security zones of the following order:
- along the route of the external gas pipeline - two meters on each side;
- along the route of the underground gas pipeline (polyethylene pipes and a copper wire indicating the route) - three meters from the side of the wire and two from the other side;
- along the route of the external gas pipeline in permafrost (regardless of material) - ten meters on each side;
- surrounding a freestanding gas control point - ten meters from the border of the facility;
- along the route of the inter-settlement gas pipeline passing through the forest or shrubs - a clearing of three meters wide on each side.
The low pressure gas pipeline is used for domestic consumers, small boiler houses, catering enterprises and other similar purposes. Pipelines with medium or high pressure gas are intended for supplying to city distribution networks through hydraulic fracturing - gas distribution points. In addition, they are needed to supply gas to industrial enterprises and utilities using GRU (gas control units).
Decoding of pointers
Indication plates installed in security zones are green and yellow, indicating the material the pipe is made of: yellow is polyethylene and green is steel. On the yellow plate, the top line is the pressure of the gas pipeline and the pipe material. For example, PE 0.6. This means that the pipe is made of polyethylene, and the pressure in it is 0.6 MPa. If the gas pipeline is low pressure, then the letters "n.d." will say about it instead of numbers.
The second line indicates the transported medium and the diameter of the pipe itself. For example, GAZ 50. This means that gas is transported through a pipe with a diameter of fifty millimeters. Variation here can only be with numbers, since the diameter of the pipes is diverse.
If there is a third line, then it indicates the construction of an underground gas pipeline. For example, UP 20. This means that in this place the rotation angle is twenty degrees.
The fourth row is the most important, with arrows and numbers on it, indicating the direction from the axis of the table. For example, the right arrow, under which the number 3, and the down arrow, under which the number 7. This means that the gas pipeline is deployed three meters to the right and seven meters forward.
