Triboelectric Effects on Polyethylene Methane Drainage Pipelines
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Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations/l986 Tri boelectric Effects on Polyethylene Methane Drainage Pipelines By A. A. Campoli, J. Cervik, and R. L. King UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Report of Investigations 9017 Tri boelectric Effects on Polyethylene Methane Drainage Pipelines By A. A. Campoli, J. Cervik, and R. L. King UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Donald Paul Hodel, Secretary BUREAU OF MINES Robert C. Horton, Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data: Campoli, A, A, (Alan A,) Triboelectric effects on polyethylene methane drainage pipelines. (Report of investigations ; 9017) Bibliography: p. 13- 14. Supt. of Docs. no.: 1 28.21: 9017. 1. Coalbed methane drainage. 2. Gas-Pipe lines. 3. Polyethy- lene. 4. Mine dusts. 5. Electric charge. 1. Lervik, Joseph. 11. King, Roger I*. 111. Title. IV. Series: Keport of investigations (United States. Bureau of Mines) ; 9017. TN23,U43 [TN844,5] 622s [622'.334] 86-600003 j h CONTENTS Acknowledgments ................................................................ Static electricity and gas-piping system ...................................... Laboratory equipment ........................................................... Electrostatic test procedures .................................................. ~aborator~results ............................................................. ~ieldtests .................................................................... summary and conclusions ........................................................ ILLUSTRATIONS Pitot tube being used to measure gas-stream velocity ...................... Relative humidity and temperature being measured with psychrometers ....... Humidity chamber .......................................................... Rock-dust chamber ......................................................... Multirange electrostatic voltmeter ........................................ General configuration of probe ............................................ Averaging data for three electrostatic tests.............................. Model of capacitance of measurement system ................................ Comparison of pipe data................................................... Effect of velocity variation.............................................. Effect of exposure-time variation......................................... Effect of dust-size variation............................................. Comparison of Pittsburgh and Coalburg Coalbeds ............................ Configuration for elbow test.............................................. Results of elbow test..................................................... Effect of humidity variations ............................................. Results of grounding evaluation........................................... Results of rock-dusting test .............................................. Real-time aerosol monitor ................................................. Single-range electrostatic voltmeter ...................................... TABLES Effect of wall thickness on reduction of internal charge using wet-rag technique ................................................................ Coal analysis ............................................................. Particle-size distribution of Pittsburgh Coalbed samples .................. Rock dust analysis ........................................................ Dust contamination data for methane drainage pipelines .................... Results of real-time evaluation of methane drainage pipelines ............. UNIT OF MEASURE ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS REPORT centimeter lb pound weight degree Celsius lbf/in2 pound force per square inch angular degree m meter degree Fahrenheit Pm micrometer foot mg/m3 milligram per cubic meter foot per minute min minute cubic foot per day mL milliliter cubic foot per minute mm millimeter gram MMF t mill-ion cubic feet gram per minute PlFlft3/d million cubic feet per day horsepower m3 cubic meter inch m3/s cubic meter per second kilogram PCt percent kilo\.olt rad radian kilopascal v volt kilowatt I TRIBOELECTRIC EFFECTS ON POLYETHYLENE METHANE DRAINAGE PIPELINES I By A. A. Campoli,' J. ~ervik,~and R. L. in^^ ABSTRACT The Bureau of Mines performed laboratory experiments to evaluate the triboelectric effect of particulate-laden gas streams on polyethylene pipe at various velocity, humidity, dust-size, and dust-load conditions. Charges in excess of 10 kV were produced on the outside and inside surfaces of laboratory pipe samples, when exposed to 40 pct relative hu- midity (RH) gas stream containing coal dust. However, no charges were produced in laboratory tests that duplicated the over 75 pct RH and dust-free gas streams found in working underground pipelines. Bare cop- per wire, which is wound around the polyethylene pipe in a 1-ft (31-cm) spacing and grounded, eliminated the charge on the outside surface of the pipe, but not on the inside of the pipe surface, inin in^ engineer. 2~upervisorygeophysicist. 3~esearchsupervisor. I Pittsburgh Research Center, Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA. INTRODUCTION The Bureau of Mines estimates that of the underground pipeline. Both the as much as 766 trillion cubic feet Bureau (5) and the Mine Safety and Health ( 7.12~10 ' Om3) of coalbed gas, predomi- ~dministration(MSHA) , U. S . Department of nantly methane, is contained in the coal- Labor (6), outlined procedures for the beds of the United States (1).4 This gas safe operation of underground methane is both a natural resource and a hin- drainage pipelines. These reports should drance to mining. Methane drainage sys- be consulted for a general overview of tems have been employed in most major pipeline protection requirements. coal regions of the United States to re- The Bureau study (5)- provided the basis move gas from the coalbed prior to mining for the pipeline material selection. and/or capture the coalbed gas for fuel. Polyethylene pipe best meets the design Methane drainage systems employ hori- criterion because of its superior resist- zontal, vertical, and cross-measure bore- ance to corrosion and impact forces. It holes. Vertical borehole systems (2) also is attractive to mine operators be- consist of holes drilled from the surface cause it is lightweight, easy to install, into the gas-bearing coal strata. The and significantly cheaper than metal boreholes are cased with metal pipe, piping. which provides the conduit for the flow In an attempt to negate any hazard of gas from the gas-bearing strata to produced by the triboelectrification of the surface. Horizontal (3) and cross- polyethylene pipe, MSHA recommends that a measure (4) systeos require the drilling grounded bare copper wire be spirally of borehoies into the coalbed or associ- wound around all polyethylene piping. ated strata from underground locations. The recommendation was incorporated in The boreholes are cnnnected to an under- many of the methane drainage systems now ground pipeline that carries the gas to in place across the United States. The the surface. objectives of this study were to obtain a Methane, which is piped through mine better understanding of the triboelectri- passageways in quantities sufficient to fication process as it relates to the un- contaminate large areas of the mine, jus- derground polyethylene methane drainage tifies caution and concern in the design, pipeline and to evaluate the recommended installation, protection, and maintenance grounding safety procedure. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors wish to thank Donald Duvall pipe manufacture and static charge test- of Plexco Pipe, John Merideth of Phillips ing, respectively. Drisco Pipe, and Joseph Uhler of the The efforts of John Stevenson of Jim Equitable Gas Co. for the pipe samples Walter Resources Inc., Dave Fitzpatrick they provided for laboratory testing. of Beckley Mining Co., and Dan Weaver of Jack Workman of Workman Developments the BethEnergy Mines Inc. were instrumen- and Robert Reif, formerly of the Battelle tal in the performance of methane drain- Memorial Institute, donated much appreci- age pipeline evaluations in the field. ated technical assistance on polyethylene STATIC ELECTRICITY AND GAS-PIPING SYSTEMS To the average person the words, "stat- walking across a carpeted floor, noise in ic electricity," mean the shock experi- a radio receiver, or the tendency for enced when touching- a doorknob after clothes to cling or stick tightly. Near- ly everyone recognizes that these phenom- 4~nderlinednumbers in parentheses re- ena are more intense when weather is dry. fer to items in the list of references at In most situations, static electricity is the end of this report. simply an annoyance. The term "electricity" is derived from hole" with a tool to squeeze off the the ancient Greek word "electron" meaning plastic pipe. "amber," because it was with this sub- In the preceding example, charges were stance that the phenomenon of electri- generated by the extremely high velocity fication was first observed. For cen- gas flow through a rupture. Charges also turies, the term meant only what is now occur at lower velocities by the addition called static electricity, the property of a particulate matter (9). Whether exhibited by some substances after being generated by rupture leaks or dust-laden rubbed with material like silk or wool gas flows, the static charges are the re- of being able to attract or repel light- sult of triboelectrification. Gas mole- weight objects. Mechanization produced cules and particulates vigorously rub the