Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 220 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES › Title 220 CMR 20.00 - Steam Distribution Companies › Section 20.02 - Definitions

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
For the purposes of
		  220
		  CMR 20.00, the following definitions apply:
Accessible
. Capable of being visually
		  inspected
(i.e.
, Expansion Joints or welds not buried or
		  located in a manhole, tunnel, or vault).
Active Corrosion
. Continuing corrosion
		  which, unless controlled, could result in a condition that is detrimental to
		  public safety.
Asbestos-containing Material
. Friable
		  asbestos and any material containing 1% or more asbestos by area as determined
		  by a laboratory using USEPA-approved methods. Asbestos-containing Material
		  includes but is not limited to sprayed-on and troweled-on materials applied to
		  ceilings, walls, and ceilings, walls, and other surfaces, insulation on pipes,
		  boilers, tanks, ducts, and other equipment, structural and non-structural
		  members, tiles, shingles or asbestos containing paper.
Blow-off Valve
. A valve typically
		  connected to the Main on one end and open to the atmosphere on the other end.
		  Blow-off Valves are used to depressurize the steam Main during outage
		  operations, as well as to drain Condensate from the Main during shutdown,
		  outage and start-up operations. Blow-off Valves are typically closed in normal
		  operating conditions. These valves are sometimes also termed open-end or
		  free-blow valves.
Bypass Valve
. A valve that is fitted
		  with piping to enable steam flow around the Main Valve when the Main Valve is
		  isolated. Bypass Valves are used upon re energization of a section of the Main,
		  and are sometimes termed warm-up or equalizing valves.
Condensate
. Water that collects as
		  steam and, when cooled, changes to a liquid state. In normal operation, the
		  Main or Service Piping will produce varying amounts of Condensate while in
		  service, and provision for its removal is required (typically by Steam
		  Traps).
Department
. Department of Public
		  Utilities, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Division
. Pipeline Safety Division of
		  the Department.
Emergency Leak
. Any Leak or Vapor
		  Condition that is immediately hazardous or a threat to public safety, including
		  but not limited to the following:
(a) Any Leak on the bellows of an exposed Expansion
		  Joint;
(b) Any Leak likely to cause third-party property damage or
		  personal injury;
(c) Any Leak resulting from External Damage or other outside
		  forces, including but not limited to fire, explosion, vandalism, or natural
		  forces; or
(d) Any Leak or Vapor Condition that, in the judgment of the
		  operating personnel at the scene, is regarded as potentially hazardous.
Expansion Joints
. Manufactured
		  fittings installed in Main or Service Piping to compensate, where necessary,
		  for thermal expansion. Expansion Joints are typically either slip joints or
		  bellows joints (internally or externally pressurized).
External Damage
. Damage to facilities
		  caused by external forces including but not limited to third parties.
Incident
. An unplanned condition or
		  situation necessitating a response, including but not limited to the
		  following:
(a) An Emergency Leak, steam release, hazardous material spill,
		  or explosion;
(b) A condition or situation that is likely to lead to abnormal
		  plant or system operations;
(c) A condition or situation that jeopardizes key systems or
		  components;
(d) A condition or situation that compromises personnel safety;
		  or
(e) A condition or situation that is likely to damage
		  third-party property or impact the health and safety of the general
		  public.
Integrity Management Plan (IM Plan)
. A
		  written explanation of the mechanisms or procedures that a Steam Distribution
		  Company uses to implement its SDIMP or IM Program to ensure compliance with
		  220
		  CMR 20.00.
Leak
. A breach in the pressure
		  boundary of the Main or Service Piping that allows the escape of steam from the
		  system.
Main
. Includes the piping, Main
		  Valves, Blow-off Valves, Bypass Valves, Expansion Joints, Steam Traps,
		  equipment, and fittings for the delivery of steam from a Steam Distribution
		  Company's steam production facility to the Steam Distribution Company's service
		  area. Mains are external to the property line of the steam production facility,
		  and are differentiated from Service Piping.
Main Valve
. A valve located in the
		  Main that is used for isolating a section of the Main.
Nonemergency Leak
. Any Leak or Vapor
		  Condition that is not immediately hazardous or a threat to public safety at the
		  time of discovery and reasonably can be expected to remain nonhazardous and not
		  a public safety threat.
Safety-related Condition
. A condition
		  that is likely to lead to an Incident, personal injury, third party damage, or
		  system or component failure, including but not limited to the following:
(a) Any structural defect associated with a steam manhole/vault
		  that poses a safety risk to operating or maintenance personnel and could damage
		  or render steam piping or control equipment inoperable;
(b) Any crack, material defect, or weld failure that impairs
		  the structural integrity of the steam pipeline or related steam
		  components;
(c) Unintended movement or abnormal loading by natural forces
		  such as earthquake, flooding, or washout that impairs the serviceability of
		  steam piping and related components, such as valves, Expansion Joints, guides,
		  anchors, and supports; or
(d) Any condition that could result in the failure of a steam
		  pressure-reducing valve supplying steam at line pressure to a steam
		  customer.
Service Piping
. The piping, valves,
		  Steam Traps, equipment, and fittings for the delivery of steam originating from
		  the Main to the thermal energy end-user (customer), terminating at the
		  customer's property line.
Steam Distribution Company
. A person,
		  firm, partnership, association or private corporation organized or operating
		  under the laws of the Commonwealth with the primary purpose of operating a
		  plant, equipment or facilities for the manufacture, production, transmission,
		  furnishing or distribution of steam to or for the public for compensation
		  within the Commonwealth; provided, however, that Steam Distribution Company
		  shall not include:
(a) an entity producing or distributing steam exclusively on
		  private property and solely for use by the entity or the entity's tenant, and
		  not for distribution or sale; or
(b) a company that produces and sells steam as a by-product of
		  the production of electricity for sale in the wholesale electricity markets and
		  does not own or operate pipelines off site of the generating facility for the
		  distribution of steam.
Steam Distribution Integrity Management Program
		  (SDIMP or IM Program)
. An overall approach by a Steam Distribution
		  Company to ensure the integrity and condition of its steam distribution system
		  through the development and implementation of condition assessments.
Steam Trap
. A device fitted on the
		  Main and Service Piping to allow the discharge of accumulated Condensate from
		  an operating steam line. Steam Traps operate essentially as automated valves
		  that are activated by one or more means to eject Condensate with minimal steam
		  loss.
Vapor Condition
. presence of visible
		  steam or water vapor in close proximity to buried Mains.
Water Intrusion
. Water originating
		  from external sources making physical contact with the Main or Service Piping.
		  This contact can result in flash vapor that may be reported as a Vapor
		  Condition.