A pipeline in Mexico has failed due to thieves reportedly trying to steal oil from it. 28 people have been reported to be killed. The video in the news article shows a "river of fire". Could this tragic incident have been prevented? In India we do have a large number of cross country pipelines. The reliability of safety shutdown systems and compartmentalization of pipelines to isolate leaky sections immediately is very important. More important are the actions of the operators and staff manning the control stations. Ensure that clear unambiguous instructions are communicated to them detailing the steps to be taken in the event of a leak. An operator sitting in a control room manning a cross country grid is going to be very hesitant to stop flow as the ramifications are huge. This is where automatic shutdown systems and their maintenance becomes very important.
Read the news article about the incident with video in this link.
For an article about India's petroleum and gas pipeline network, read it in this link.
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