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Title: Optimal Replacement Decisions For Cast Iron Gas Piping Systems
Author: Ram B. Kulkarni, Kamal Golabi, George Dugovic, Kenneth B. Burnham
Source: American Gas Association 1988
Year Published: 1988
Abstract: Although cast iron pipe is but a small fraction of the total gas distribution piping system, it contributes more than its proportionate share to the frequency of reportable incidents. Because of the brittle nature of cast iron, there is concern about sudden breaks. Occasionally, these breaks present a public hazard when escaping gas enters a building and, very infrequently, causes an explosion. The frequency of incidents reported to the Office of Pipeline Safety involving cast iron pipe is 1.5 incidents per 1,000 miles versus 0.7 for plastic and 0.5 for steel (Gideon and Smith, 1979). Also, the maintenance costs per mile of cast iron pipe are significantly higher than for steel or plastic pipe. In spite of these problems, a massive replacement of cast iron pipe is neither the optimal nor a practical solution. This is because a vast majority of cast iron piping segments are providing a safe, reliable, and economical service to the consumer. To replace the entire system of some 70,000 miles of cast iron gas pipe in the U.S.A. would cost billions of dollars. The problems creating a potential for public hazard are actually caused by a small percentage of the total system. If the failure-prone segments can be identified and replaced, the surviving cast iron piping system can provide an acceptable service for decades to come.

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