History National Transmission System

1 history

1.1 origins
1.2 uk natural gas
1.3 building nts

1.3.1 feeder pipelines - england
1.3.2 feeder pipelines - scotland


1.4 growth of nts
1.5 lng storage sites
1.6 high-pressure gas storage

history
origins

the national transmission system (nts) originated in construction during 1962-3 of 200 mile (320 km) long high-pressure methane pipeline canvey island leeds. imported liquified natural gas (lng) algeria regasified @ canvey terminal , supplied pipeline, provided 8 of twelve area boards access natural gas. gas used manufacture town gas either feedstock in gas reforming processes or enrich lean gases such produced lurgi coal gasification process.

the pipeline 18-inch (460 mm) in diameter , operated @ 1,000 pounds per square inch (69 bar). pipeline had 150 miles (240 km) of spur lines, supplying gas area boards.

the gas council responsible £10 million co-operative scheme , construction details joint effort of distribution engineers of area boards.

lng had first been imported canvey louisiana in february 1959 , piped romford gas works feedstock reforming plant.

uk natural gas

natural gas discovered on uk continental shelf in 1965 , production started in 1967. development of offshore natural gas fields shown in following table. shore terminals built receive, process, blend , distribute gas.

with assured availability of natural gas government white paper on fuel policy in november 1967 proposed natural gas should , more extensively exploited gas council , area boards began ten-year programme convert users , appliances operate on natural gas , consequently discontinue manufacture of town gas @ local gasworks. in pilot scheme users on canvey island had been converted natural gas in 1966.

building nts

to exploit availability of natural gas , provide more widespread distribution construction began of major new transmission network became national transmission system (nts).

feeder pipelines - england

gas west sole field first dispatched easington terminal in july 1967, via feeder no. 1 across humber east midland gas board s gasworks @ killingholme. used enrich low calorific value manufactured gas. feeder no. 1 extended totley near sheffield connected 18-inch methane pipeline, uk natural gas first entered nts in july 1968.

feeder lines north sea gas terminals spine of nts laid , brought use shore terminals constructed.

the no. 6 feeder runs via pickering received gas treatment plant onshore lockton gas field.

feeder pipelines - scotland

north sea gas first reached scotland in spring 1970 @ coldstream, via extension of leeds-newcastle pipeline. pipeline extended glenmavis near coatbridge lanarkshire (feeder no. 12) natural gas liquification plant constructed.

a major set of pipelines constructed in scotland in preparation arrival of gas frigg gas field in 1977. st fergus terminal in scotland, 2 36-inch (900 mm) pipelines (feeder no. 10 , no. 11) laid via bathgate partington , bishop auckland connect nts in england, total pipeline length of 595 miles (950 km). these lines commissioned in 1976 , cost £140 million. these pipelines carried gas southern england scotland until frigg field began production via st fergus in september 1977. compressor stations provided @ 40 mile (65 km) intervals along pipelines. third 36-inch pipeline st fergus (feeder no. 12) completed in 1978, , fourth 40-inch (1050 mm) pipeline (feeder no. 13) in 1982.

growth of nts

the nts extended leeds newcastle upon tyne in 1969. line extended coldstream in spring 1970 , glenmavis near coatbridge lanarkshire.

the wales gas board received natural gas supplies in 1969 24-inch line churchover (rugby) swansea via wormington (an extension feeder no. 2). north wales connected in 1969 via 24-inch/18-inch pipeline audley cheshire maelor near wrexham (an extension feeder no. 4).

the south western gas board received natural gas @ end of 1970 24-inch/20-inch pipeline wormington exeter (feeder no. 14).

a 30-inch/24-inch extension of feeder no. 3 runs west of london via slough mogador surrey , commissioned in 1970. extension of feeder no. 5 runs horndon-on-the hill, crosses thames @ tilbury , runs via shorne connect mogador, completing south london ring main, became operational in 1972.

in addition these distribution pipelines in 1971 area boards began supply natural gas directly major consumers. example, 24-inch 17 mile spine pipeline constructed ici ltd @ billingham (designated part of feeder no. 6), , west midlands gas board laid 6 similar spine mains industrial districts of birmingham , black country.

most of nts built late 1960s 1980s, growth of system shown in following table.

later (post-1983) feeder mains not described above include.

the nts comprises on 7,600 km of welded steel gas pipelines. canvey leeds line no longer part of nts.

lng storage sites

in addition canvey island liquefied natural gas (lng) import terminal, further ngl storage sites constructed late 1960s. these peak-shaving facilities used support nts @ times of high demand, , ensure security of gas supplies @ strategic locations. when demand high liquefied natural gas pumped storage tanks, heated in vapourisers gaseous state , delivered nts. when demand low, gas withdrawn nts , liquefied cryogenic cooling minus 162 °c replenish storage tanks.

high-pressure gas storage

in addition lng storage peak-shaving, several sites had storage facilities high pressure gas released into, , pressurised from, nts. following sites operational 1972.

isle of grain, 6 bullets , 12 ft (3.6 m) diameter, 250 ft (76.2 m) long, capacity 8 million cubic feet (226,000 m) of gas, operating @ 1,000 psi (69 bar).
beckton gas works, 8 bullets , 13.5 ft (4.1 m) diameter, 263 ft (80.1 m) long, capacity 5 million cubic feet (142,000 m) of gas, pressure cycle 350-100 psi (24-6.9 bar).
south western gas board, bristol , cheltenham, eleven ‘bullets’, 13 ft 6 in (4.1 m) diameter, 311 ft 8 in (95 m) long, total capacity 13 million cubic feet (368,000 m), pressure cycle 450-40 psi (31-2.76 bar).
gateshead, co durham, 28 ‘bottles’, 42-inch (1.07 m) diameter pipe, 927 ft (262 m) long, pressure cycle 850-70 psi (59-4.8 bar).
biggin hill kent, seventeen, 42-inch (1.07 m) diameter buried pipes, 1,040 ft (317 m) long, capacity 10 million cubic feet (283,000 m), operating 1,000 psi (69 bar).




^ williams, trevor i. (1981). history of british gas industry. oxford university press. p. 147. 
^ origins , growth of british gas plant operations department (pdf). 
^ wilson, d. scott (1969). modern gas industry. edward arnold ltd. p. 43. 
^ falkus, malcolm (1988). under pressure: history of north thames gas since 1949. macmillan. pp. 63 & 74. 
^ falcus, malcolm (1988). under pressure: history of north thames gas since 1949. macmillan. pp. 76 & 108. 
^ fuel policy, cmnd. 3438, hmso, london (1967).
^ williams, trevor i. (1981). history of british gas industry. oxford university press. pp. 210–11. 
^ williams, trevor i. (1981). history of british gas industry. oxford university press. pp. 182–9. 
^ john ellis origins , growth of british gas plant operations department , 2014.
^ tiratsoo, e.n. (1972). natural gas. beaconsfield: scientific press ltd. pp. 216, 221, 222. 
^ origins , growth of british gas operations department (pdf). 
^ williams, trevor i. (1981). history of british gas industry. oxford university press. pp. 177–8. 
^ wilson, d scott (1974). north sea heritage: story of britain s natural gas. british gas. p. 27. 
^ tiratsoo, e.n. (1972). natural gas. beaconsfield: scientific press ltd. pp. 221–2. 
^ cassidy, richard (1979). gas: natural energy. london: frederick muller limitted. pp. 39–47. 
^ williams, trevor i. (1981). history of british gas industry. oxford university press. pp. 225–30. 
^ nts feeder mains . 
^ tiratsoo, e.n. (1972). natural gas. beaconsfield: scientific press ltd. pp. 159, 183, 224. 
^ whessoe lng tanks . 
^ cite error: named reference :7 invoked never defined (see page).
^ cite error: named reference :9 invoked never defined (see page).
^ tiratsoo, e.n. (1972). natural gas. beaconfield: scientific press ltd. p. 183. 
^ testing of redundant lng tank (pdf). 
^ tiratsoo, e.n. (1972). natural gas. beaconfield: scientific press ltd. p. 162. 
^ tiratsoo, e.n. (1972). natural gas. beaconsfield: scientific press ltd. p. 224. 
^ uk s avonmouth lng storage site stop operations on april 30 . 
^ tiratsoo, e.n. (1972). natural gas. beaconsfield: scientific press ltd. p. 174.