L41034 Design Rationale for Valve Spacing Structure Count and Corridor Width

The objective of this project is to document the valve spacing, valve operator requirements, structure counts, and lengths and widths of the corridor used to define class location, design stress levels, and the associated rationale as used in natural gas pipeline codes in North America, Australia, and Europe. The goal is to understand the basis for the existing code requirements and identify the rationale behind the requirements. The design stress standards and design rationale for valve spacing, structure count, and corridor width as currently stated in existing natural gas pipeline codes is summarized in this review. The project involved reviewing gas pipeline codes from North America, Europe and Australia to collect information on the current requirements and the background rationale on: the current requirements for valve spacing and valve operator requirements, the structure counts (population densities) used to define class locations and the associated corridor widths, and the maximum operating stress levels allowed in the design of pipelines. The rationale for the code requirements was obtained by reviewing the literature and interviewing selected individuals.