The Keystone Pipeline Oil Spill in Kansas - The Mushroom Theory - Stop the Oil Spills

If the oil and gas industries keep us in the dark and feed us manure, they believe that we will stay quiet. I refuse to stay quiet. Oil pipeline spills will continue until U.S. government agencies act responsibly. Many oil and gas disasters can be stopped!

As long as the oil and gas industries keep us in the dark and feed us manure, oil spills will keep on coming. The oil and gas industries refuse to investigate new technology that can stop oil spills and explosions ("The Primary Cause of Oil and Gas Pipeline Spills and Explosions", Click Here). I will stick to oil pipeline ruptures for this article ("Preventable disasters -- The fight for new ideas, never give an inch", click here).

Water Hammers and Pipeline Breaks

I have investigated many piping failures over the past 30 years or so, and those investigation stories are just like the Keystone pipeline oil-leak story. When engineers cannot figure out what happened, they blame convenient causes. Faulty construction and faulty materials from years ago are popular causes that are selected through ignorance. Such conclusions sound intelligent, but such conclusions border on the ridiculous.

A pipe cannot fail years later unless something happens. Structures do not suddenly break years later unless some type of force comes along to break the structure.

For piping systems, water hammer is the typical force that comes along. The oil industry is but one industry that has yet to accept evolving water-hammer technology to stop destruction.

Even so, technology moves forward to prevent pipe-system destruction. To introduce both small leaks and catastrophic failures of oil pipelines, a few examples are provided here to explain the breadth of this international piping-failure problem.

Keystone

This article concludes with the most recent Keystone pipeline oil spill and recommendations to stop future oil spills (Figures 1 an 2). Aerial photos show that oil runs slightly downhill to dump into a creek. Estimates in the Press vary between 12,000 and 14,000 barrels of oil (378,000 to 441,000 gallons).

Note that water hammers significantly slam at the higher points in pipelines, and slam when pumps and valves are operated. Appropriate fluid and structural analyses are required for this oil spill, where inappropriate analyses have been performed for oil spills in the past.

Savannah River Site Nuclear Facility - Engineers Grabbing at Fiction

As a Fellow Engineer at Savannah River Site (SRS), I solved multiple water hammer problems at that plant ("Fluid mechanics, water hammer, dynamic stresses, and piping design", click here).

Decades of failed water pipes were blamed on many causes. A nearby crane was blamed one time. Another time, trucks passing by on the road above were blamed. A Vice President of the company built his career on incorrect reports that corrosion caused hundreds of cracks (Figure 3). Pipes cracked without any evidence of corrosion, where corrosion inhibitors stopped corrosion. Also, new theories to describe water hammer-piping failures were not yet invented when he performed his failure analysis.

I stopped those water hammers 18 years ago, and cracks in the pipes stopped 18 years ago. Corrosion accelerates cracks, but pipes crack even in the absence of corrosion.

Numerous engineers did not have any idea what caused these pipe breaks. Then, those engineers made something up that sounded reasonable, but their explanation was covered in fiction.

Other SRS Failures - Water Hammers Again Replace Fiction

As another SRS failure analysis example, a cooling system for a glass melter for processing nuclear waste was cracked by water hammers (Figure 4). As directed, processes were changed to stop water hammers and arrest the crack until a new melter was procured. Engineers falsely blamed faulty construction. Again, some engineers find answers when answers are unknown.

In yet another SRS piping system failure on this 310-square-mile site, the entire ductile iron drinking-water system was replaced due to water hammer damages. These failures were incorrectly attributed to improper material failures, where a single installed pipe section was improperly purchased. Once again engineers grasped false information to explain what they did not understand.

The system was replaced with plastic pipe, and water hammers again cracked pipes in more than one hundred locations (Figure 5). I informed management that water hammer cracked both ductile iron and plastic pipes. Management then decided that fixing the problem did not fit into existing budgets, and management chose to allow pipe breaks to continue.

A Nuclear Weapons Plant - Engineers Grabbing at Fiction

In a proprietary nuclear weapons plant, their water main fire-protection systems to protect the plant experienced 17 years of water-main breaks (Figure 6). When most of my water hammer recommendations were implemented, nearly all of their water main breaks stopped.

For years, their engineers blamed corrosion and traffic on the roads above pipes. Their opinion was that trucks vibrated underground rocks to scratch pipes and induce corrosion in the pipes. Basically, they opined that those underground rocks jumped up and down to cause pipes to leak. I would have been amazed, but engineers at SRS told me the same thing - amazing what people will tell you when they are in the dark themselves.

When this nuclear plant replaced ductile iron pipes with plastic pipes, they could no longer blame corrosion when more pipe failure leaks occurred. Engineers and managers blamed faulty workmanship. For cost savings, this plant implemented partial recommendations, and results were acceptable. In the following four years, only one pipe broke, and faulty workmanship was again falsely blamed.

Also at this plant, several fire alarms went off every week for 17 years. The firemen responded to every alarm since nuclear weapons safety was a concern. Within a week of starting my water hammer investigation, I found that water hammer pressures were setting off false alarms.

As directed, procedures were changed to stop false alarms, and I was informed that there was only one alarm over the following year, or so. The firemen likely lost overtime pay for false alarms, which saved the company money, but likely earned a few less contented firemen.

Industrial Water Main Breaks - Grabbing at Fiction

In another proprietary study, I proved that water hammers accelerated corrosion to cause pipe leaks. Bands of corrosion were observed in leaking pipes (Figure 7). Further research showed that microscopic cracks caused corrosion to accelerate those observed leaks (Figure 8). Similar bands of corrosion were observed in high pressure carbon steel pipes, as well as cast iron water mains. Prior to contract, customer corrosion consultants incorrectly claimed that these leaks were caused solely by corrosion.

As many as one million cracks formed in a ten-foot section of six-inch-diameter pipe. Before this research, this microscopic failure mechanism was unknown, even though water hammers are known as the primary failure to break pipes.

Breakthrough research continues in this century-old technology of water hammer. Once the failure cause was explained, the customer planned to change piping designs to stainless steel pipes that would fail much further into the future. That is, technology facilitated cost decisions.

Worldwide Water Main Breaks - Engineers Grabbing at Fiction

At a cost of $13 billion a year, and an expected $1 trillion cost over the next 25 years, water hammers break water mains in the U.S. water supply. Water-main breaks are reported for water systems from all industrialized countries. "Water hammer causes water-main breaks" (Click Here), and engineers and politicians blame faulty construction and 'oldness' for pipe breaks. If such a theory was true, skyscrapers would collapse into the ground when they get old, which is ridiculous.

Causes of Water-Main Breaks

In a study of Keystone pipeline oil spills by the PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration), water hammer was not mentioned at all as a cause of any failures (Figure 9).

'Pipeline accidents can occur from a variety of causes, including construction damage, corrosion, mechanical failure, control system failure, and operator error. Natural forces, such as floods and earthquakes, can also damage pipelines' ("Pipeline safety, Information on Keystone accidents and DOT oversight", 2021, .gao.gov/assets/gao-21-588.pdf).

In 2019, I wrote to PHMSA that

'Any future explosions, fires, and pipeline breaks' 'will, essentially, be the fault of the PHMSA.' 'The continuing failures of oil and gas pipelines should be stopped' ("DOT Responses to U.S. pipeline explosion concerns", Click Here). Furthermore, 'Incorrect calculation methods were previously used to evaluate pipeline failures', 'decades of pipeline failures have been misunderstood', where efforts were made to prevent oil spills and explosions ("Crack prevention using high frequency pressure transducers", click here).

That is, PHMSA was warned of disasters like the Keystone oil spill in Kansas two years ago, yet PHMSA took no action. PHMSA not only ignored this warning, but they published false claims after that warning was alarmed to their organization.

Water hammers are not recognized as a primary cause of piping-fatigue failures and oil spills. Accordingly, the scope of the water hammer disaster in the oil industry is unknown.

Oil Pipeline Breaks - Engineers Grabbing at Fiction

Here we are again. Across the U.S. and abroad, oil pipelines rupture into oil spills and fictitious causes are cited by engineers. The Keystone pipeline is another example of falsely blaming faulty construction.

'A U.S. Government Accountability Office report last year said there had been 22 previous spills along the Keystone system since it began operating in 2010, most of them on TC Energy property and fewer than 20 barrels. The total from those 22 events was a little less than 12,000 barrels, the report said' ("Kansas oil spill is Keystone pipeline's biggest ever, according to federal data", Click Here).'

'Previous incidents leaked a total of 11,975 barrels of crude oil, or a little over 500,000 gallons. Combined with last week's incident in Kansas, the pipeline has spilled a little over 1 million gallons of oil in a dozen years, enough to fill one-and-a-half Olympic-size swimming pools.' 'Keystone's accident history has been similar to other crude oil pipelines since 2010, but the severity of spills has worsened in recent years," the government report states. The report found that four of the biggest Keystone Pipeline oil spills were caused by issues related to the original design, manufacturing of the pipe or construction of the pipeline (Keystone Pipeline Kansas leak is latest in series of accidents since 2010, click here).''

Many Oil Pipeline Breaks can be Stopped

In other words, oil pipers are now claiming the same false conclusions that others have claimed for years in other industries - faults from years ago burst into action all by themselves. Again, faulty construction does not cause pipeline breaks many years later.

If there were such faults, leaks would have been found earlier. Specifically, oil pipelines are tested at pressures of 1-1/2 times the maximum operating pressure of the system before being put in service. Claiming that a pipe is safe when tested at high pressures, and that the same pipe breaks years later, just does not fit the facts.

Last week, my plan was to write this article in maybe a year. The Keystone pipeline spill changed that schedule. If TC Energy and PHMSA do not act to effectively investigate water hammers and water hammer fatigue during failure analysis, one of my next goals is that any oil company will spearhead research and actions to stop water hammer damages to oil pipelines. Water hammer damages in oil pipelines can be stopped.

Even Newer Technology

I have published new theory on why pipes break during water hammer since 2002, which culminated in my 2013, ASME book (Fluid mechanics, water hammer, dynamic stresses, and piping design). In 2020, I published more new research with respect to coating processes, which were previously called painting. I proved that these processes damage pipes to make them fail by accelerating piping failures. Piping systems affected by this new information include water mains, gas pipelines and oil pipelines.

'Piping systems are incorrectly designed when subjected' 'coatings are applied by preparing surfaces with grit blasting. Grit blasting is used on coated pipelines and steel structures to improve coating adherence, but this technique reduces the [life] of in-service piping and structures ("Water Hammer and Fatigue Strength Reduction from Grit Blasting for Coatings", click here)

Although this issue is rather technical, the point is that previous failure analyses and future analyses are based on incorrect data that is published in international piping codes, which are used by the oil pipeline industry. If the Keystone investigation effectively investigates water hammer piping failures, investigators need to consider these new findings with respect to pipeline coating-induced failures. Processes for coating installation can speed up pipeline cracks and oil spills. As new technology breaks into the oil and gas industries, the future needs to be grasped by investigators.

A Letter to Change Opinion

A draft of this article and the following email were sent to PHMSA and TC Energy, the regulator for oil pipelines in the U.S. and the Canadian operator of the Keystone pipeline.

'I plan to publish [this] article.' 'Past oil pipeline accidents have been improperly investigated, and such mistakes are possible during the current investigation of the recent Keystone oil spill in Kansas. Comments are welcome and can be addressed in this article.'

PHMSA had no comments, and TC Energy did not respond. Given this lack of action, there is no expectation that PHMSA will consider any scientific suggestions presented here as their investigations proceed.

Recommendations

• An immediate recommendation is that investigators analyze water hammers and water hammer fatigue for the Keystone oil spill.
• A follow-up recommendation is that high frequency pressure transducers be installed inside oil pipelines to record all internal pressure transients during operations.
• A second follow-up recommendation is that high frequency strain gauges should be installed on outer pipe walls to record data. These gauges would determine the stresses in pipe walls that cause water hammer fatigue, as pipe walls expand in response to high-speed pressure waves.
• The most important recommendation is that oil pipeline operators stop hammering pipelines to stop pipeline oil spills.

In the past 20 years, information to stop pipeline damages has evolved, and the oil and gas industries neglect this information when investigating oil spills. As long as the oil industry continues to feed us manure, and the oil industry refuses to act on scientific facts, oil pipelines will continue to crack, break, and leak. Ignoring the cause of this worldwide problem will not solve the problem. Oil pipeline breaks can be stopped. Water hammers break oil pipelines - period.

Conflict of interest?

Is there a potential conflict of interest for this article? No.

Although I offered to assist TC Energy, my challenges to members of the oil and gas industry - including challenges presented here - ensure that I have no expectations that my services will be contracted for profit. My goal is to convince TC Energy and PHMSA to evaluate water hammer pipe damages with whatever resources are available to them.

To that end, my completed research to date can be used to analyze the Keystone oil spill. In fact, for the next 1-1/2 years, my schedule is dedicated to performing computer modeling as part of public service research to better understand piping failures, piping explosions, and explosion prevention methods.

(Article changed on Dec 23, 2022 at 7:46 PM EST)