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May 5, 2016

Possible flaw in weld coating cited in Penn. pipeline blast

  • The coating material, which is supposed to protect pipelines from corrosion, was applied when the 30-inch pipeline was installed in 1981.
  • By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
    Associated Press

    Investigators have found evidence of corrosion on a natural gas pipeline that exploded in a massive fireball in Pennsylvania last week, scorching trees a quarter-mile away, damaging homes and burning a fleeing homeowner, the federal pipeline safety agency said Wednesday.

    The cause of Friday's blast remains unknown, but the corrosion indicates a “possible flaw” in the coating material applied to a pair of welded joints, one at the point of failure and another excavated after the explosion, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a corrective order issued to the pipeline operator.


     
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