The security zone of the high-pressure gas pipeline, medium and low

At present it is difficult to imagine the life of big cities and small towns, as well as industrial enterprises without an established pipeline system. They serve liquids and gases, allow people to heat their homes, and enterprises - to work successfully. However, benefiting from the existence of gas pipelines, it must be remembered that gas communications are quite dangerous, and their damage is fraught with a serious accident.

From the History of Gas Pipelines

The first gas pipelines were used in ancient China. Bamboo was used as a pipe, but there was no excess pressure in the pipes and the gas was supplied with "gravity". Connections of bamboo pipes were packed with plexes, such facilities allowed the Chinese to heat and light their homes, evaporate salt.

The first European gas pipelines appeared in the second half of the 19th century. Then the gas was used to create street lighting. The first street lanterns were oil lamps, and in 1799 the Frenchman Lebon offered thermo-lamps capable of lighting and heating rooms. The idea was not supported by the government, and he equiped his house with thousands of gas horns, which until the engineer's death remained a Parisian landmark. Only in 1813 the disciples of Lebon managed to start lighting cities in this way, but this was already in England. In Paris, it fell in six years, in 1819. An artificial coal gas was used as a fuel.

St. Petersburg began to heat the premises, passing gas through the gas pipeline in 1835, and Moscow - in 1865.

Types of gas pipelines depending on the gas pressure inside them and the method of laying

A gas pipeline is a structure made of pipes, supports and auxiliary equipment designed to deliver gas to the desired location. The movement of gas is always carried out under pressure, on which the characteristics of each section depend.

Gas pipelines are main or distributive. The former transport gas over long distances from one gas distribution station to another. The latter are intended for the delivery of gas from the distribution station to the place of consumption or storage. The pipeline may include one or several lines connected together by a single technological chain.

The main gas pipelines come in two categories depending on the gas pressure in them.

• The first category of main gas pipelines operates under pressure up to 10 MPa.
• The second category of trunk gas pipelines is designed to work with gas, the pressure of which is up to 2.5 MPa.

Distribution gas pipelines are divided into three groups depending on the gas pressure in them.

• Low pressure. Gas is transferred to them at 0.005 MPa.
• Medium pressure. Gas transmission in such pipelines is carried out at a pressure of 0.005 to 0.3 MPa.
• High pressure. They work under pressure from 0.3 to 0.6 MPa.

Another classification allows to divide all gas pipelines depending on the way they are laid on underground, underwater and above ground.

What is the gas pipeline security zone and what is it for?

This is a piece of land symmetrical about the axis of the gas pipeline, the width of which depends on the type of gas pipeline and is established by special documents. The establishment of security zones of gas pipelines makes it possible to prohibit or restrict construction in the area of passage of the gas pipeline. The purpose of its creation is to create normal conditions for the operation of the gas pipeline, its regular maintenance, preservation of integrity, as well as minimizing the consequences of possible accidents.

There are "Rules for the protection of trunk pipelines," which regulate the establishment of security zones for various pipelines, including gas pipelines that transport natural or other gases.

The maintenance of agricultural work is allowed on the territory of the protection zone, but construction is prohibited. Work on the reconstruction of existing buildings, structures and networks should be coordinated with the organization that manages and maintains the gas pipeline. Among the works that are prohibited to be carried out in the security zone are also the construction of cellars, compost pits, welding works, the installation of fences that impede free access to pipes, the creation of dumps and storage facilities, the installation of staircases resting on the gas pipeline, and the installation of unauthorized connections.

Features of the security zone of high pressure gas pipelines

The security zone of the high-pressure gas pipeline of the 1 st and 2 nd category is arranged identically. Their function is the supply of gas to the distribution networks of low and medium pressure.

• High-pressure gas pipelines of the 1st category work with gas under pressure from 0.6 MPa to 1.2 MPa, if they move natural gas or gas-air mixtures. For hydrocarbon gases transported in a liquefied form, this pressure should not exceed 1.6 MPa. Their security zone is 10 m in both directions from the axis of the gas pipeline in the case of distribution gas pipelines and 50 meters for high-pressure gas trunklines, over which natural gas is transported. In the case of transportation of liquefied gas, the guard zone is 100 m.
• High-pressure gas pipelines of the 2nd category transport natural gas, gas-air mixtures and liquefied gas under pressure from 0.3 to 0.6 MPa. Their security zone is 7 m, and in case the gas main is 50 m for natural gas and 100 for liquefied gas.

Organization of the high-pressure gas pipeline security zone

The security zone of the high pressure gas pipeline is organized by the operating organization on the basis of a project that specifies the survey performed after completion of construction and issued permits. To maintain it, the following activities are carried out.

• Every six months, an organization operating high pressure gas pipelines must remind private individuals and organizations that exploit land in protected areas about the peculiarities of land use of these plots.
• Every year the route should be specified and, if necessary, all the documentation issued on it should be adjusted. The security zone of the high pressure gas pipeline is updated accordingly.
• The security zone of the high pressure gas pipeline is marked on its linear sections by means of posts located at a distance of not more than 1000 m (Ukraine) and not more than 500 m (Russia), all the corners of the pipe rotation must also be indicated by a column.
• Places of intersection of the gas pipeline with transport highways and other communications must be marked with special plates, notifying that there is a zone of alienation of the high pressure gas pipeline. Stopping the transport within the designated security zone is prohibited.
• Each column is equipped with two posters with information on the depth of the track, as well as its direction. The first plate is installed vertically, and the other with kilometers marks - at an angle of 30 degrees for the possibility of visual control from the air.

Features of the guard zone of gas pipelines of medium pressure

The security zone of the medium pressure gas pipeline according to regulatory documents is 4 meters. As for high pressure lines, it is installed on the basis of technical documentation provided by design organizations. The basis for creating a security zone and applying it to the master plan is an act issued by local government or executive authorities.

The security zone of the medium pressure gas pipeline assumes the presence of restrictions similar to those specified for high pressure routes. To perform any excavation work in the security zone, it is required to obtain permission from the organization servicing this section of the pipeline.

The marking of the guard zones for medium pressure is similar. On the columns should be placed signs with information on the name of the gas pipeline, the alignment of the route, the distance from the sign to the axis of the pipeline, the size of the security zone, telephones to communicate with the organization that serves this section of the pipeline. Shields are allowed to be placed on power line supports, communication networks and control and measuring columns.

Features of the protection zone of low pressure gas pipelines

The main function of low-pressure gas pipelines is to provide gas supply to residential buildings and structures, which can be both built-in and stand-alone. Transportation with their help a lot of gas is unprofitable, so large consumers-utilities do not use such networks.

The security zone of the low pressure gas pipeline is 2 m in both directions from the pipe laying axis. Such gas pipelines are the least dangerous, therefore the security zone around them is minimal. Restrictions on its operation are similar to those introduced for the protection zones of other types of gas pipeline.

The security zone of the low pressure gas pipeline is marked in the same way as the previous two. If the plates on the bindings are yellow, then the laid pipeline is made of polyethylene. If it is green, the pipe material is steel. The plate does not have a red edging from the top characteristic of high-pressure pipelines.

The security zone of the external gas pipeline

An external gas pipeline is a gas pipeline that is located outside buildings to a diaphragm or other shut-off device, or to a case that allows entry into the building with an underground version. It can be located under the ground, be above ground or above ground.

For external gas pipelines, the following rules for determining security zones exist:

• The security zone of the external gas pipeline along the routes is 2 m from each side of the axis.

• If the pipeline is underground and is constructed of polyethylene pipes and a copper wire is used to indicate the route, then the protection zone of the underground gas pipeline in this case is on the side of finding the wire 3 m, and on the other side - 2 m.
• If the gas pipeline is constructed on permafrost soils, irrespective of the pipe material, its guard zone is 10 m on either side of the pipe axis.
• If the gas pipeline is inter-settlement and crosses a wooded area or areas overgrown with shrubbery, its protection zone is 3 meters in both directions from the axis. They are arranged in the form of glades, the width of which is 6 meters.
• The security zone of the gas pipelines located among the tall trees is equal to their maximum height so that the fall of the tree can not cause damage to the integrity of the gas pipeline.
• The security zone of an external gas pipeline running under water through rivers, reservoirs or lakes is 100 m. It can be visualized as a distance between two parallel planes passing through conditional boundary lines.

How to install a security zone for a specific gas pipeline

The gas pipeline security zone is one of the territories with a special land use regime. At the same time, there is a sanitary protection zone for these facilities, the rules of which are set by SanPiN 2.2.1 / 2.1.1.1200-03.

According to Annex 1 to these rules, the sanitary zone of the high pressure gas pipeline depends on the pressure in the pipe, its diameter, and also the type of buildings and structures with respect to which the distance is calculated.

The smallest sanitary zone from rivers and other water bodies, as well as water intakes and irrigation facilities is 25 m for main gas pipelines of any diameter and type.

The greatest protective zone of the high-pressure gas pipeline is necessary, if it is a question of the 1st class gas main pipeline with a diameter of 1200 mm in cities, country villages and other places of congestion. In this case, the length of the sanitary zone reaches 250 m.

More detailed data on the sanitary protection zones of the main gas pipelines of natural and liquefied gas can be found in the corresponding tables of this document. For pipelines transporting liquefied gas, sanitary zones are significantly increased.

Violation of the gas pipeline security zone. Legal and environmental consequences

Violation of the protection zone of the gas pipeline can cause a serious man-made accident, fire or explosion. Their cause may be unauthorized excavation in security zones without agreement with the organization servicing the pipeline, the fall of trees, damage by cars.

At best, there will be a violation of insulation, at worst - on the pipe there will be cracks and other defects that will eventually cause a gas leak. Such defects can not appear immediately and only in time cause an emergency condition.

Damage to gas pipelines due to violation of security zones is punishable by a major administrative fine, which depends on the extent of the damage. Demolition of buildings and structures built on the territory of security zones is carried out by the decision of the administrative court.

Unauthorized excavation, unauthorized planting of trees and bushes, organization of sports competitions, placement of fire sources, building of buildings, development of sand quarries, as well as fish catching, work on deepening or cleaning the bottom and watering in places where the underwater section of the pipeline is conducted are punished with fines from 5 thousand rubles.

Security zones in the design of gas pipelines: land allocation and construction

Determine which gas pipeline security zone should be used in each specific case will be helped by the Rules for the Protection of Gas Distribution Networks. Usually this documentation, together with other permissions, is provided by the designers. The question of who will carry out the project coordination with the services operating the networks, as well as with local authorities, is determined by the contract for the work. The organization performing the project must have a license for these types of work.

The first stage of creating a security zone is the execution of control and executive surveys. Its main purpose is to check the correctness of the bindings and their compliance with the design documentation.

The result of this survey is the refined coordinates of the characteristic points of the finished track, the location, the number and geometry of the elements and parts of the gas pipeline, as well as the installed regulatory points, measuring instruments, hydraulic fracturing and GRU, supports and other structures.

Security zones for gas distribution networks are determined by the Rules approved on 20.11.2000 by Government Decision No. 878.

The security zones of the gas mains are regulated by the Rules approved by the Ministry of Fuel and Energy on 29.04.1992 and Gostehnadzor (No. 9) on 22.04.1992.

The result of these works is a map or plan for this land management object that is subject to agreement with the owners or users of land plots on which the pipeline runs. One copy of the land management case for this site is transferred to the state bodies of the land registry.