New York’s steam pipe explosion: A glimpse of the future

Yesterday’s steam pipe explosion in New York City is not surprising.

Yes. Vivid images of explosion and steam emerging from a gaping hole strike me as out of place in the bustling, midtown neighborhood.

But, a greater fact strikes me more. Thousands of miles of high pressure steam piping run under major U.S. cities and small towns that are off our radar. Laws and company practice guidelines that govern corrosion monitoring and control include cathodic protection for oil and gas pipelines. But nothing is mandated for steam and other high pressure piping systems.

The federal government and military have high pressure steam systems on many of our military bases, including the one where Air Force One is stationed. In fact, many of our universities have steam heating and cooling systems. As we have seen, a leak in one of those pipes can prove disastrous or fatal.

News reports yesterday quoted NYC officials saying the pipes were 'old.' That seemed to be the answer to the leak. While we do not know yet what exactly caused the leak, saying the pipes are old shouldn't be acceptable.

Another expert called the existence of the old pipes under NYC a disaster waiting to happen. Well, it happened and it will happen again.

As a corrosion engineer who has worked on oil and gas pipelines, I know detecting and preventing steam piping from rotting is possible. In fact, cathodic protection is preventing corrosion in many piping systems. This includes a system near the University of Pennsylvania that is 50 to 100 years old, and is still working fine and protecting the public.

In my next post, I'm going to explain what New York City can do to mitigate these problems.