Application of Pressure-Sensitive Gas Fuses for Automatic Flow Cutoff in Earthquake-Induced Pipeline Damages

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Faculty of Civil, Water, and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran 1983969411, Iran

Abstract

With the development of natural gas distribution networks in over 80% of urban and rural areas of Iran and considering the country location in the seismically active Alp-Himalaya belt, the country lifeline infrastructure, especially gas infrastructure, is vulnerable to earthquake-induced damages. Gas leaks and post-earthquake fires are among the very critical secondary hazards and pose serious threats to public safety and infrastructure resilience. In this context, gas fuses—functionally equivalent to Excess Flow Valves (EFVs)—are introduced as passive and pressure-sensitive safety mechanisms designed to automatically shut off the gas flow in case of a pipe failure or leak. This study evaluates the operational performance and applicability of such fuses in Iran gas distribution network. To conduct this evaluation, a dedicated testing platform was created to simulate normal conditions and incidents in scenarios that include normal consumption, limited leaks, and complete pipe failures. The tests were designed to assess the fuse response to sudden pressure drops, the fuse ability to detect abnormal and critical flow conditions, and its ability to automatically restore gas flow after system stabilization. This reversible capability allows the fuse to resume service after the failure has been resolved without manual intervention. The findings indicate that gas flow fuses operate as a completely passive system, requiring no external energy source, and also provide the capability to restore gas flow after a fault. This preliminary study confirms the feasibility of using gas fuses (EFVs) as a practical solution to enhance the seismic resilience of gas distribution systems.

Keywords

References

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