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The explosion that rocked a central London steam line last fall, forcing the evacuation of the entire block, has been traced by the company that owns it to a faulty cap in the system and a tilted pipe, the Free Press has learned.
A large steam pipe under the pavement of York Street in central London burst at around 2pm on Friday 29 October 2021, creating thick plumes of water vapor that looked like smoke. There was no fire and no injuries, but police closed streets in the area and evacuated buildings. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)
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The explosion that rocked a central London steam line last fall, forcing the evacuation of the entire block, has been traced by the company that owns it to a faulty cap in the system and a tilted pipe, the Free Press has learned.
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Enwave, the industrial giant which bought London District Energy’s high-pressure steam pipe network five years ago, said both the faulty end cap and the “low point” in the system – together the factors that caused the blast, an inquest said – installed are before taking over and are not properly documented.
A summary report based on a third-party investigation into Enwave was provided to The Free Press to explain the findings.
The company also inspected the rest of its 10-kilometer network in the center after the explosion, saying there were no signs that another explosion was imminent elsewhere.
“Our review suggests that this is an isolated situation caused by two system anomalies,” the report noted.
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“LDE’s (London District Energy) thorough review has found no indication that the problems that exist in this section exist anywhere else in the system.”
The explosion on Oct. 29, 2021, blew a two-meter-deep hole in the sidewalk in front of an auto detailing shop at 210 York St., sending up concrete and dirt. The explosion forced the evacuation of the Via Rail train station and Citi Plaza, as well as other neighboring buildings.
The steam coming out into the street was initially mistaken for a fire. No one was hurt.
A police officer stands in the middle of York Street in central London as steam from a burst pipe rises from the ground on Friday, October 29, 2021. Streets in the area were closed and buildings were evacuated. (Free Press Team)
Barbara Malley, head of traders’ group Downtown London, said she had not heard any ongoing concerns from her members about the risk of further explosions.
“I haven’t heard any of our members talk about it,” she said.
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“I hope they’re right,” she said of Enwave’s findings. “If this happens again, it will effectively shut this business down.”
Enwave called in engineers with experience in steam systems, forensic engineers and metallurgical experts to determine the source of the problem.
It was traced to a cul-de-sac in the system below the York Street blast site, which was closed. A photo of the 30cm end cap shows the “failed weld” and the top third of the cap missing.
“The point of failure was a single, poorly configured and positioned pipe end cap,” Enwave wrote in the summary report. “It appears to have been implemented to isolate an abandoned section of steam line no longer serving customers, without documentation and without adequate condensate removal.”
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An adjacent low point — where steam pipes are sloped down to avoid conflict with other utility equipment at the northwest corner of York and Clarence streets — was also to blame, the investigation found.
Together, these conditions allowed condensation to build up. This is normal for steam pipes, but according to the Enwave report, there is a lack of suitable materials to remove it.
The faulty equipment — both the end cap and the inclined tube — instead allowed those water droplets to be propelled by the steam and destroy the end cap in so-called “water hammer” events, the findings show.
The “problem tab” has been moved offline and will remain offline until the issues are fixed, Enwave said in its summary report. The company is also using thermal imaging to examine all the steam pipes under central London – it serves around 60 customers using high-pressure lines – to check for similar problems.
The company responded to a series of additional questions about the summary report by deadline.
In the wake of the explosion, City Hall called for an “independent review and assessment of their assets.” Enwave said the results were sent to City Hall in May 2022.
Neither did Mayor Ed Holder, nor did the Earl of Downtown. John Fife-Millar could be reached for comment on Friday.
mstacey@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/MeganatLFPress
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