A team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University has investigated the vulnerability of electric power generation to electric outages at US pipeline compressor stations and suggested actions that could prevent potential hazards.
Natural gas supplies 32 per cent of all primary energy in the United States. Although the cross-country natural gas pipeline system used to be powered mainly by natural gas, it has recently switched in places to electric power.
This reliance on electricity has made the pipeline system more vulnerable during hurricanes and other times of high electric load. This led in one 2021 event in Texas to the deaths of over 200 people, according to the researchers.
Compressor stations typically have enough backup power on site for auxiliary demands, but electrically driven compressors are usually too large for practical on-site backup. Therefore, an electric outage could take on-site electric compressor units out of service.
To prevent...