Pipeline explodes in Wyoming
Posted Jul 22, 2011 11:51 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Investigators are on the scene of a huge natural gas pipeline explosion in a rural area of Wyoming.
The blast ripped open a 60 foot section of the Bison Pipeline, and could be heard from more than 10 kilometres away.
Calgary based TransCanada Corporation owns the Bison Pipeline.
A rancher close to the scene said it sounded like an F-16 fighter jet taking off and despite the huge explosion, there were no reports of any injuries.
TransCanada Spokesperson James Miller explains what caused the loud noise.
“When you have gas in a pipeline that’s shipped at a high pressure, any sort of a break in a steal pipeline is going to make a noise,” said Miller. “It’s essentially caused by fuel in a pipeline under pressure so if you have a break it’s going to make a sound.”
Miller adds, the safety systems worked as designed and valves shut off automatically isolating the area within fifteen minutes.
