Challenge

A refinery in Pennsylvania was in the process of re-commissioning a 12-inch propane pipeline when a leak was detected. The compromised section spanned approximately 16 miles between two stations and contained over 12,000 barrels of liquid propane. Due to the high vapor pressure and flammability of propane, the product needed to be safely combusted and removed as quickly as possible to prevent environmental and safety risks.

Solution

Envent Corporation responded with a custom-engineered vapor control solution using:

• Two 200-gallon/hour propane vaporizers to convert liquid propane into gas

• A 20 MMBTU/hr Envent Mobile Thermal Oxidizer (EMTOS) to achieve complete vapor destruction with >99.9% Destruction Removal Efficiency (DRE)

• A dual-use approach: vaporized propane was used both as combustion fuel and as the process vapor for destruction, maximizing thermal efficiency

This mobile degassing strategy enabled the pipeline to be depressurized four times faster than traditional methods, significantly reducing downtime.

Benefit

By utilizing Envent’s thermal oxidizer system—which includes a detonation arrestor and complies with stringent safety standards—the pipeline was safely degassed and brought to atmospheric pressure without the risks associated with mobile flaring.

Key project benefits included:

• Enhanced safety through engineered vapor combustion and flame arrestor protection

• Faster project completion, minimizing downtime and production loss

• Full regulatory compliance with federal and state air quality standards

• Safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible management of high-BTU propane vapors

This project illustrates Envent’s capabilities in pipeline vapor control, zero emission pipeline services, and thermal oxidation for high-risk hydrocarbons—delivering expert solutions when safety and speed matter most.

By using the vapors in two ways, the time to depressure the pipeline was completed 4 times as fast.