Managing black powder in sales-gas transmission pipelines

摘要

Despite its common occurrence in the gas industry, black powder is a problem that is not well understood across the industry, in terms of its chemical and physical properties, sources,formation mechanisms, prevention, and management of its impacts. To prevent or effectively manage the impacts of black powder, it is essential to have knowledge of its chemical and physical properties, formation mechanisms, and sources. This article is divided into two parts.The first part of this article is a synopsis of published literature. Field evidence showing the presence of excess moisture in the lines will be presented and discussed.The second part is a summary and short discussion of various black-powder management philosophies and methods.